Sunday, May 18, 2025, 12:45 – 2:15 pm, Blue Heron

Organizers: Laura Cacciamani (California Polytechnic State University); Benjamin Balas (North Dakota State University)

Speakers: Laura Cacciamani (California Polytechnic State University); Benjamin Balas (North Dakota State University); Nestor Matthews (Denison University); Anna Kosovicheva (University of Toronto, Mississauga)

Traditional teaching of courses like Sensation and Perception relies on lectures, textbooks, and exams. How can we better engage students in class and beyond? In this satellite event, we will present and discuss some novel, fun methods of teaching vision-related content, including hands-on activities, experiments, and projects that can be used for either in-person or online courses. We will cover potential benefits and challenges, as well as practical considerations such as how and when one could implement these approaches. We will also consider how we can use these unique teaching methods to engage students from diverse backgrounds, foster inclusivity, and raise awareness about sensory disabilities. This event will include some short presentations and demonstrations from seasoned instructors followed by an open forum for any and all current or future instructors of vision-related courses to discuss the presented ideas as well as exchange new ideas, best practices, and materials. We invite the VSS community to come learn from others and share their own experiences, thoughts, and approaches to teaching.