Conference on Teaching and Learning

Kevin Yee, Ph.D.
Special Assistant to the Provost for Artificial Intelligence
Director | Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning
University of Central Florida

Kevin has worked in educational development since 2004, serving as director of various teaching centers since 2012. He joined UCF’s Faculty Center in 2022. He has also previously held 9-month faculty positions at Duke University, Pomona College, and the University of Iowa.

He earned his Ph.D. in German Literature from UC Irvine in 1997, and has taught a wide assortment of German language and culture courses, as well as many courses in general humanities, film, and cultural studies, with a particular emphasis on popular culture. Recent examples include Cultural Analysis Through the Hunger Games, Interpreting Marvel’s Avengers, Critical Analysis of the Harry Potter Movies, Princess Fairy Tales, and Deconstructing Walt Disney World.

In the classroom, Kevin believes the science of learning provides a crucial foundation for instructors, influencing everything from course design and assessment structure, to classroom management and lesson planning. He is an avid believer in interactive teaching, and has curated a popular list of interactive techniques since 1992. More recently, he’s been writing books for faculty related to AI fluency and how to use generative AI (such as ChatGPT) in the college classroom, as well as ways faculty can use AI in their day job. A third book in that series aims to show faculty small changes they can make to convince students not to take AI shortcuts. He has been an invited speaker on these and other topics in pedagogy both domestically and internationally. In early 2025, he added the role of AI coordinator for the entire university, helping to track, connect, and publicize “AI for All” efforts across all UCF stakeholders (faculty, staff, students).

Brie Tripp, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Teaching | Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior
UC Davis

As undergraduate classrooms become increasingly shaped by technology, intentionally restoring the human dimensions of learning has become essential. Dr. Brie Tripp examines how purposeful course design situates scientific content within meaningful social and personal contexts, strengthening students’ engagement and well-being. Grounded in her empirical research, she highlights the Scientist Spotlight initiative, a metacognitive intervention featuring diverse, counter-stereotypical scientists that has been shown to significantly increase students’ sense of relatability to science. Dr. Tripp's scholarship also empirically investigates alternative grading practices, including quiz retakes and other low-stakes assessments. When paired with contextualized learning, these approaches shift the focus away from rigid content coverage and toward deeper, more durable learning. Collectively, this body of work reframes STEM classrooms as spaces where scientific inquiry and student well-being are mutually reinforced, where every learner can recognize their story as part of science.