Dr. Laura Dumin, prolific scholar of English with a “cautious optimistic passion” for generative AI will deliver the keynote address to Emergent Technologies, Enduring Values: Reimaging Teaching for a New Era, on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at the Bone Student Center.

Dumin, the co-managing editor of The Journal of Transformative Learning, serves as the director of the technical writing B.A. program and adviser for the M.A. in composition/rhetoric at the University of Central Oklahoma.

A prolific writer and educator, Dumin has over 70 presentations and articles about the effects of gen AI. Some of the keynotes include “‘Wait, My Paper Wrote Itself?’ Unpacking the impact of AI on education,” “AI & Research, A Technological Look Forward,” and “Large Language Models and Academic Integrity: How they coexist.” Some of her presentations include work with the University of Kent, Red Deer Polytechnic in Canada, Pioneer College in Canada, Texas Tech, the DaVinci Institute in Oklahoma, and travel to over 10 states to present on AI. 

“It’s fascinating to look at texts from the past and the present to help better understand the moments that we are in now,” Dumin said. “Through this knowledge, we can be better local and global citizens.”

She has been working to understand the scope of how generative AI will impact higher education, with a specific focus on training other educators to be better prepared for working with AI in their courses. She’s also involved with scholarship of teaching and learning projects to help strengthen her own teaching methods. 

Save the date: January 7, 2026

The annual University Teaching & Learning Symposium is open to all faculty, staff, and graduate students at Illinois State University. The event, scheduled for Wednesday, January 7, at the Bone Student Center, will include a special afternoon reception to announce the winners of the 2025 Outstanding University Teaching Awards. Detailed schedule and registration information will be announced soon.

Emergent Technologies, Enduring Times: Reimagining Teaching for a New Era is organized by the Center for Integrated Professional Development in partnership with several campus units and through the financial support of the Office of the Provost.