Lightning talks

This lightning talks session features a series of short presentations delivered back-to-back. Explore the talks and speakers below.

Accessibility in practice: Why compliance alone isn't enough

Nick Croft — principal developer, ReaktivStudios

Higher ed teams work hard to meet accessibility requirements; yet students, staff, and faculty still get stuck. Why? Because passing a checklist (or even a formal audit) doesn’t always translate into an experience that’s actually usable with assistive tech, keyboard-only navigation, cognitive load differences, low bandwidth, or real-life time pressure.

This session explores the gap between compliance and accessibility-in-practice through familiar higher ed scenarios: course registration flows, LMS content, library resources, financial aid forms, authentication barriers, PDFs, video/caption workflows, and “accessible” components that technically meet criteria but remain frustrating or confusing. We’ll look at what goes wrong, why it goes wrong, and how shifting from compliance-first to usability-first leads to experiences that work better for everyone, especially disabled users.

Attendees will leave with practical ways to evaluate usability as an accessibility multiplier, spot “checkbox accessibility” pitfalls, and build lightweight habits that improve outcomes without requiring a full redesign.

Social media accounts: Which to grow and which to delete

Joshua Kerby Jennings — communication manager, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ( UNC )
Chloé Bell — communication specialist, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ( UNC )

Through the years, UNC Global Affairs has gone from having (and neglecting) many social media accounts to going all in one three. Learn why they chose just three — LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube — and how they get the most out of them, as well as why they deleted others. The presenters will showcase how they improved engagement on Instagram (after stagnation), increased their following on LinkedIn (from zero to ~2,500), and enhanced their unit's and university's reputation on YouTube (after effectively no strategy). Additionally, presenters will discuss how they got support from their department's leadership, and how their colleagues have gone from not understanding social media to becoming collaborators.

Getting the most out of your student workers

Andy Shearouse — assistant director, Augustana College's EDGE Center

Student workers - most offices on campus have them, and they can be a phenomenal help - or, sometimes, a source of frustration. Let's talk about some tips and tricks that can help you to make the most of your student staff - from management, to hiring, to a simple 20 minute process you can do before you interview to pave the way.

A Radically Human Approach to AI and Content

Dana Cruikshank — vice president for client growth, Viv Higher Education

Everyone is talking about using AI to create more content. But what if the real opportunity is using AI to better understand the people we serve? In this session, we'll explore how higher education marketers can use AI to uncover student stories, identify emerging concerns and motivations, and create more authentic, emotionally resonant content. Through real examples and practical AI agents that marketers can build themselves, you'll learn how to use technology not to replace human connection, but to strengthen it.