Metaverse & AI Symposium at The Beach
Friday, April 17, 2026 | 9:30am-2:45pm | @The Horn Center
Register now to attend. Registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and will close when capacity is reached or on April 1. Virtual attendance is also available and will close on April 13. A continental breakfast and boxed lunch will be provided for in-person attendees. If you have a question about this event, please reach out to AA-AcAffairs@csulb.edu.
The 3rd annual Metaverse and AI Symposium offers Beach faculty and staff the opportunity to learn about Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and their use in the classroom and discuss important topics related to emerging technological trends in higher education. Attendees will:
- Learn about how XR & AI can transform teaching and learning
- Connect with colleagues and learn about XR & AI resources available to you
- Hear from faculty who are already using XR & AI at The Beach
Schedule
| Time | Activity | People |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30 AM | Check-In & Breakfast | Office of the Provost Team |
| 10:00 AM | Welcome, Land Acknowledgement, and Provost Introduction | Dr. Shariq Ahmed, AVP Academic Technology Services |
| 10:10 AM | Provost Welcome | Dr. Karyn Scissum Gunn, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs |
| 10:20 AM | CSULB Academic Technology Services (ATS) News | Dr. Shariq Ahmed, AVP Academic Technology Services |
| 10:40 AM | CSU Chancellor’s Office News | TBD |
| 11:00 AM | Microsoft Keynote Speaker | Bruce Thompson, Global Higher Education Leader - Microsoft Education |
| 11:30 AM | Break | |
| 11:50 AM | Session 1: Faculty XR Presentation | Dr. Zizi Li, Lecturer, Cinematic Arts Department Kara Miller, Associate Professor, Anthropology Department |
| 12:35 PM | Session 2: Faculty AI Presentation | Kelley Tenny, Lecturer, Health Science Department Benyamin Haghi, Lecturer, Computer Engineering & Computer Science Department Dr. Reo Song, Professor & Director of Master of Science in Marketing Analytics |
| 1:15 PM | Lunch | |
| 2:00 PM | Session 3: DOIT & ATS Demo of AI Tools | Afifa Alawi, Instructional Design Consultant, ATS Chad Harris, Instructional Designer, ATS Kerri Sorenson, IT Trainer, Division of Information Technology |
| 2:40 PM | Closing Remarks | Dr. Shariq Ahmed, AVP Academic Technology Services |
Welcome, Land Acknowledgement, & ATS News
Associate Vice President, ATS
Under the direction of Dr. Shariq Ahmed, Academic Technology Services leads the CSULB campus in leveraging technology that effectively supports instruction, creates learning environments, and supports campus staff to foster student success. Dr. Ahmed delivers and supports educational technology to the CSULB campus community by using innovative practices and technologies to develop effective and accessible solutions for a continually evolving educational landscape.
Welcome remarks
Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs
Dr. Karyn Scissum Gunn joined California State University, Long Beach as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs in July 2021. As the chief academic officer for the institution, the provost provides leadership for all academic matters at the university. The provost oversees the quality of academic processes and works to ensure faculty quality and advancement via her leadership. The provost also works to increase student retention, promote student engagement and active learning, and ensure that students achieve their educational goals.
Microsoft Keynote
Global Higher Education Leader at Microsoft Education
Faculty XR Presentation
Lecturer in Cinematic Arts
Faculty XR Presentation
Associate Professor in Anthropology
Faculty AI Presentation
Lecturer in Health Science
Kelley Tenny is an educator, AI innovator, and advocate for the responsible integration of artificial intelligence in education. She has more than 20 years of experience as a professor in the Health Science Department at California State University, Long Beach, where she has been a leader in advancing technology-enhanced learning. Kelley also developed and taught a course on AI and innovation for the Changemakers Program at the University of California, Berkeley, exploring how emerging technologies can drive positive social impact. Known for translating complex technology into practical applications, she is a sought-after speaker and trainer. Kelley is also the founder of Women Who AI, a collective celebrating female leadership in artificial intelligence and innovation.
Faculty AI Presentation
Lecturer in Computer Engineering and Computer Science
Dr. Benyamin Haghi is a Lecturer in CECS Department of CSULB, and a Machine Learning Software Developer Engineer at Apple. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where his research focused on energy-efficient and robust machine learning algorithms for biomedical and embedded AI systems. His research spans deep learning, large language models, signal processing, and AI-driven optimization, with applications in healthcare technologies, and intelligent systems. Dr. Haghi has also held research and engineering positions at Google, Amazon, and Stanford University. In addition to CSULB, he teaches artificial intelligence, machine learning, data visualization, and statistics at University of California San Diego (UCSD), California State University Northridge (CSUN), and Orange Coast College (OCC).
Faculty AI Presentation
Professor and Director of Master of Science in Marketing Analytics
Reo Song, Ph.D., is a professor of marketing in the College of Business. He also serves as director of the MS in Marketing Analytics program, helping students prepare for careers in data-driven marketing, analytics, and machine learning. His research sits at the intersection of marketing, finance, and computer science, and has been published in leading journals such as the Journal of Marketing and Production and Operations Management. He applies statistics, econometrics, and machine learning to study business-related topics, such as the use of generative AI to improve sales forecasting, student learning, product design, and accessibility. He is the coauthor of the forthcoming book Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence: An Advanced Guide to Data-Driven Decision Making (Palgrave Macmillan, Springer Nature). He has received numerous grants and awards, including recent funding for generative AI initiatives in education, product design, and accessibility. He has been invited to speak internationally on topics such as AI in business, digital transformation, and innovation. He writes regular newspaper columns on AI, digital transformation, and innovation. He earned his Ph.D. in marketing from Texas A&M University, an MBA from the University of Rochester, and M.A. and B.A. degrees in philosophy from Seoul National University in South Korea.
DoIT and ATS Demo of AI Tools
Instructional Design Consultant in ATS
Afifa Alawi has been in the field of education technology for the past 20 years and at CSULB for the past 6 years. She started her career at El Camino College as an educational technologist. She has also tutored students in different levels of mathematical concepts. She has a BS in Business Finance and an MA in Educational Technology and Media Leadership, both from CSULB. She is a lifelong learner and eager to learn new and upcoming educational technology trends. Afifa’s passion is to support faculty and the campus community with their technological needs.
In her spare time, Afifa enjoys reading and spending time with her husband, daughter, and son.
DoIT and ATS Demo of AI Tools
Instructional Designer in ATS
Chad joined CSU Long Beach as an Instructional Designer in September of 2020. Chad obtained his Ph.D. in Communications from UCSD and since 2006, Chad has taught Communications at UC San Diego, San Diego State University, Clovis Community College, and other online institutions. While teaching at San Diego State University, he began replicating and adapting principles of learning theory to the design of online courses and multi-media learning spaces as a Faculty Fellow in the Course Design Institute. His training and experience in instructional design include coaching faculty at various institutions including SDSU, Tulane University, Wake Forest University, and Cal State Northridge. He has also built and directed instructional design teams at various higher education institutions.
In his spare time, Chad enjoys reading history, science fiction, and noir crime novels. He also likes to listen to music at a high volume, spend time attempting to comprehend his teenage kids and try his best to stay in shape.
DoIT and ATS Demo of AI Tools
IT Trainer, Division of Information Technology
Kerri Sorenson is an IT Trainer with CSULB’s Division of IT and a proud CSULB alumna, holding a degree in Communications. With 20 years of experience in technology training, she is passionate about making complex tools accessible and empowering the campus community to confidently engage with new technologies. She has supported numerous campus technology initiatives and is committed to serving the CSULB community by advancing meaningful, effective use of technology.
Symposium Goals
- To bring interested faculty and staff together and provide a space to learn about the metaverse, AI, and current resources to support instruction in the metaverse.
- To explore opportunities for instruction in the metaverse and desired outcomes (e.g., increased student access and engagement, improved academic outcomes, etc.).
- To provide faculty and staff a space to connect with each other based on interest and/or experience teaching in the metaverse.
- Disseminate work in AR/VR/AI at CSULB internally to foster an understanding of progress and achievements to date.
- Encourage participation in future events to discuss the future of the metaverse at The Beach.
Sponsored by the CSULB Division of Academic Affairs and Academic Technology Services.
