Learn about what the iPad can offer!

Hosted by Samuel Merritt University under the auspices of the Center for Innovation and Excellence in Learning (CIEL), Elevate 2023 is an iPad conference open to all institutions of higher learning.

The purpose of this conference is to connect expert educators across the country and explore uses of the iPad in Higher Education with a focus on Health Professions. 

This conference is fully virtual, synchronous, free of charge, and offers free CEUs for nurses!

The iPad plays an important role in teaching, learning, professional development, and in healthcare. It is increasingly used in the classroom, clinics, and hospitals to facilitate engagement, collaboration, presentations, productivity, organization, workflows, and more.

Elevate will provide opportunities to learn about this very powerful tool, the iPad! 

If you are innovative, creative, or just plain curious, then this conference is for you! No iPad experience is required to attend.

Event Schedule

9:00 to 9:50 (PDT)

Welcome and gratitude  

Dr. Laureen Turner, EdD, RNSMU  

Assistant Professor, Founding Director, MSN: Clinical Leadership Education, Samuel Merritt University; Caritas Coach™

Wellness Snack   
Dr. Alice Vestergaard, EdD, MBA, MS, MA, MCHES   
AssistantProfessor, Faculty Fellow, Center for Community Engagement, Samuel Merritt University; Regional Coordinator RN to BSN Program; Heart Math™ Certified Trainer; Caritas Coach™

Greetings   
Dr. Brian Clocksin, Ph.D.   
Provost, VP Academic/Student Affairs, Samuel Merritt University

The SMU Connect to Success (C2S) Initiative   
Dr. Celeste Villanueva, EdD, CRNA, FNAP   
Interim Dean School of Nursing; Vice President, Academic Affairs; Founding Director, CIEL   
Samuel Merritt University

The Academic and Instructional Innovation and Connect to Success Teams   
Edgar Chabolla, M.A.   
Executive Director, Academic and Instructional Innovation, Samuel Merritt University

Logistics and Announcements   
Dr. Laureen Turner, Samuel Merritt University

9:50 to 10:00  (PDT)

Break

10:00 to 10:45 (PDT)

Workshop Session #1 - Visit the Workshops webpage.   

11:00 to 11:45 (PDT)

Workshop Session #2 - Visit the Workshops webpage.    

11:45 to 1:00 (PDT)

Lunch Break

1:00 to 1:45 (PDT)

Workshop Session #3 - Visit the Workshops webpage.   

2:00 to 2:45 (PDT)

Workshop Session #4 - Visit the Workshops webpage.  

3:00 to 4:10 (PDT)

Wellness

Wellness Snack

Fun with Procreate - How to Make Stunning Mandalas - See Resource

Followed by Closing: Final Words, Gratitude, Gif

Register Today. Elevate is a synchronous online conference, and it’s free!

Who should attend?

Faculty, students, staff, and administrators at nursing and health and sciences institutions of higher learning. 

What iPad skills are required of participants?

All proficiency levels are welcome! There's something for everyone to explore.

What devices do I need to participate?

Required: A computer to join the conference.
Recommended: An iPad and Apple pencil to participate in workshop activities. If you do not own an iPad or Apple Pencil, please join as an observer as you will discover endless possibilities for using the iPad for teaching, learning, and work! Alternately, you can use an iPhone, and you'll find many similarities with the iPad.

What applications do I need to participate?

Required: Zoom and Internet connectivity. Additionally, every workshop provides a list of technologies recommended to fully immerse yourself in the activities. Check the workshops link and plan ahead!

Are you ready to immerse yourself in an iPad experience?

Our conference presenters share their tips and tricks for creating effective, meaningful and rewarding teaching and learning experiences.

Learn about the conference presenters. 

Maureen Baker, PhD, RN

Dr. Baker is passionate about nursing education and inspiring the next generation of nurses to elevate the art and science of nursing. As an Apple Distinguished Educator, she leads the UNC SON EmpowerEd program, using iPads to leverage nursing education, student engagement, and student scholarly productivity. Dr. Bakers areas of research are patient engagement and innovation in nursing education.
Workshop:  Developing Health Innovation Epubs and Digital Capstone Journals on the iPad
Conference Quick Links: Schedule | Workshops | Top

Nancy Barker, EdD, MSN, RN, CHSE

Professor Nancy Barker has worked in healthcare as a registered nurse in both the critical care and home care setting for the last 30 years. She currently works as an associate professor at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches in the undergraduate BSN program. Her research interests include student engagement and the integration of active learning strategies in the classroom.
Workshop: Pharmacology In Motion
Conference Quick Links: Schedule | Workshops | Top

Macy Bennet, MSN, RN

Macy Bennett is a lecturer at Indiana University East School of Nursing and Health Sciences. She teaches a variety of undergraduate nursing courses, including health assessment, fundamentals, and medical-surgical courses. Ms. Bennett is passionate about using technology and innovative teaching strategies in the nursing classroom to close the gap between theory and practice. She is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Educational Practice and Innovation with a concentration in Learning Design and Technologies from the University of South Carolina. Her clinical nursing expertise includes emergency nursing, medical-surgical nursing, case management, and perioperative nursing.
Workshop: Utilizing Technology to Bring the Patient to the Nursing Classroom 
Conference Quick Links: Schedule | Workshops | Top

Karen Bosch, M.A.

Karen Bosch is a former PreK - 8 Technology Instructor who worked for many years at Southfield Christian School in the metro Detroit area. Although retired from the traditional classroom, she still teaches iPad creativity classes for kids on the Outschool platform. She continues to consult with schools and present at in-person and online conferences about the creative use of technology tools in meaningful learning. She is an avid sketchnoter and shares her creative adventures on social media as @karlyb. Karen is a 2007 Apple Distinguished Educator. In 2016, she was selected to be a Dremel 3D Printing Ideabuilder Ambassador. She was named as a 2015 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator and serves as a Book Creator Ambassador. She was recognized in 2018 as MACUL's Technology Using Teacher of the Year. Karen’s website called "Creative APP-titude" contains a wealth of iPad resources and project examples. You can locate her resources at tinyurl.com/boschresources. 
Workshop: Digital Sketchnotes for Visualizing Learning 
Conference Quick Links: Schedule | Workshops | Top

Lisa Brophy, EdD, MNE, MSBA, RN, CNE

Since joining the University of Rochester School of Nursing, Dr. Brophy has been involved in teaching in both of the school’s undergraduate programs. Currently, she is the assistant dean for education and an assistant professor of clinical nursing. As a nurse for more than three decades, she has held positions in practice, education, and leadership caring for patients in a variety of acute care settings as well as providing perioperative and emergency nursing management. She is the recipient of the 2018 Josephine Craytor Nursing Faculty Award and the 2019 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Previous to her role as assistant dean of education, Brophy was the co-director of the Accelerated Bachelor’s Program for Non-Nurses. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester School of Nursing, master’s in business administration from the University of Rochester Simon School of Business, master’s in nursing education from Roberts Wesleyan College, and her EdD in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Rochester Warner School of Education. She is a member of FLONEL and Sigma Theta Tau and recently completed the AACN Elevating Leaders in Academic Nursing fellowship.
Workshop: Using Google Maps to Assess Social Determinants of Health 
Conference Quick Links: Schedule | Workshops | Top 

Art Brownlow, MM, DMA

Art Brownlow is Senior Fellow for Academic Innovation and Professor of Music at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where he teaches music history. He is a Fellow in the University of Texas System Academy of Distinguished Teachers and an Apple Distinguished Educator. He has received the UT System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, the College Music Society Instructional Technology Initiative Award, and certification from Flipped Learning Global Initiative. Dr. Brownlow's research includes brass instrument history, nineteenth-century orchestral music, educational technology, and flipped learning. Scholarly work includes the books The Last Trumpet: A History of the English Slide Trumpet and Teaching Music History with iPad, articles in journals and proceedings, and many presentations at conferences and symposia. Previously, Dr. Brownlow was an active performer, having played for thirty years as Principal Trumpet in the Valley Symphony Orchestra, and with orchestras in Illinois, Texas, Georgia, the Carolinas and the Spoleto Festival USA and Italy. In addition to a Doctor of Musical Arts in Trumpet Performance from the University of Texas at Austin, he received degrees in trumpet performance from Northwestern University and music education from Furman University, with additional studies in musicology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Workshop: Creating Podcasts with GarageBand 
Conference Quick Links: Schedule | Workshops | Top

Michelle Kaulback, EdD, RN, FNP-BC

Dr. Michelle Kaulback is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Kaulback has 17 years of experience in higher education with a focus in pharmacology, medical surgical and critical care nursing. Her academic experience includes teaching junior and senior nursing students in both the didactic and clinical settings. Research focus includes lifelong learning, active learning strategies, and student support towards NCLEX success.
Workshop: Pharmacology In Motion 
Conference Quick Links: Schedule | Workshops | Top

Chuck Langston, M.A.

Chuck Langston is the Director of Technology for the Gordon County School District in Calhoun, GA. He served as instructional Technology Coordinator as the school district implemented a 1:1 iPad deployment. Mr. Langston provided professional learning relating to the implementation of instructional technology. Before serving in that position, he taught high school math and middle school social studies. In his social studies class, he received one grant that supplied him with a class set of iPads along with a second video production grant that provided professional-grade video and streaming equipment for his students. He transitioned his class to a project-based learning approach that allowed students to express their learning in a myriad of creative outlets. He now shares his expertise with all of the teachers in his district. Mr. Langston is an Apple Teacher, Apple Learning Coach, and Apple Distinguished Educator.
Workshop: Using Apple’s Freeform App for Collaborative Brainstorming/Note Taking 
Conference Quick Links: Schedule | Workshops | Top  

Janice Lanham, RN, MS, CNEcl, NC-BC

Professor Janice Lanham is a Principal Lecturer in the School of Nursing at Clemson University. In 1988 she graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in Nursing and again in 1994 with a M.S. in Nursing. She is currently certified as an Academic Clinical Nurse Educator. In her career she has demonstrated excellence in teaching by incorporating innovative, evidenced based pedagogies which engage and prepare new nurses to practice in diverse and dynamic work environments. She engages in promotional activities to enhance teaching, scholarship, service, and expert clinical practice. Ms. Lanham works to promote expertise and skill among undergraduate nursing students in the delivery of culturally appropriate and competent nursing care for an increasingly diverse society. Her research program emphasizes cultural awareness, global health, health disparities, innovative pedagogy, telehealth, and health information/mobile technology. Presenter Website 
Workshop: Academic Innovation: Integrating iPads in an Undergraduate Prelicensure Nursing Program 
Conference Quick Links: Schedule | Workshops | Top  

Tara Serwetnyk, EdD, RN, NPD-BC

Dr. Serwetnyk started her nursing career on a pediatric intermediate care unit at Golisano Children’s Hospital in Rochester, NY in 2002. She has experience caring for infants and children in both intensive care and general care, in-patient settings. Dr. Serwetnyk is a three-time graduate of the University of Rochester, where she obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the school of nursing, and her doctorate in education from the Warner School of Education in 2021. Throughout her career she has focused on using innovative education strategies in her practice. While working at the University of Rochester Medical Center, she worked to improve professional nursing certification rates for pediatric nurses. As the training center coordinator, she served on the American Heart Association’s Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI) board and implemented the RQI program at URMC with a goal to improve resuscitation outcomes. Dr. Serwetnyk joined the University of Rochester School of Nursing in June 2018 and is now the director of academic innovation. In this role, she oversees instructional design, the development learner-focused, interactive educational activities, integration of technology, Quality Matters certification, and assessment. She also co-leads the Redefining our Classroom (iROC) iPad program, which successfully achieved Apple Distinguished School designation in October 2021.
Workshop: Using Google Maps to Assess Social Determinants of Health 
Conference Quick Links: Schedule |  Workshops | Top  

Rob Swatski, M.S.

Rob Swatski is a Professor of Biology at HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, where he has been teaching full-time since 2007. He teaches various biology courses, including Anatomy and Physiology and Ecology. Professor Swatski is an Apple Distinguished Educator and earned his Bachelor’s in Biology from Millersville University and a Master’s Degree in Marine Biology from Florida Institute of Technology. Professor Swatski is the author and illustrator of the Apple Books series A-Plus Anatomy and has been teaching a blended Anatomy and Physiology I course integrated with iOS devices and apps since 2015. Outside of teaching, Professor Swatski enjoys running, writing, drawing, and tending to his ever-expanding backyard garden.
Workshop: Enhancing Pre-Clinical Anatomy and Physiology Education Through iPad Technology and Apps 
Conference Quick Links: Schedule | Workshops | Top  

Cheryl A. Tucker, DNP, RN, CNE

Dr. Cheryl A. Tucker is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON). She has instructed Traditional BSN, Accelerated BSN, and DNP students in the face-to-face, online, lab, and clinical environments. Dr. Tucker has presented regionally, nationally and globally at various Sigma Theta Tau international events, American Association of Colleges of Nursing conferences, and faculty development seminars. Dr. Tucker was one of 30 nationwide faculty selected by The American Association of Colleges of Nursing to participate in the inaugural AACN-Apple Digital Innovation Bootcamp: From Content to Action (2018). She has served on the University-wide Teaching, Learning and Technology Committee and chaired the SON Technology Committee. Dr. Tucker has received several prestigious awards and honors including: The 2021 Heart of the Mission of the American Heart Association Science and Research Lay Stakeholder Volunteer Recognition Award; Dallas Magazine 2020 Excellence in Nursing Award for Education and Research; Outstanding Non-Tenured Teaching Award Nominee at LHSON (2013); Dallas-Fort Worth Great 100 Nurse Honoree (2012); and Outstanding Faculty Award Nominee for Non-Tenured Teaching at LHSON (2008). Her publications and presentations focus on the use of technology in teaching-learning, clinical reasoning, generational learning, service-learning, and succession planning.
Workshop:  Elevate the Connection Between the Classroom and Clinical Utilizing the iPad and Nearpod App 
Conference Quick Links: Schedule | Workshops | Top 

Daria Waszak, DNP, CNE, COHN-S, CEN

Daria Waszak is Associate Dean at Felician University School of Nursing in New Jersey where she runs a one-on-one iPad initiative with graduate nursing students. Originally from sunny Southern California, she earned a RN to BSN degree from San Diego State University, a MSN in Nursing Administration degree from UCLA, and a DNP in Health Systems Executive Leadership from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a board certified (academic) nurse educator, emergency nurse, and occupational health nurse specialist and has certificates as an Apple Teacher, Apple Teacher Swift Playgrounds, Apple Teacher Portfolio, JAMF Associate in eTeaching. At Felician, Dr. Waszak serves as Chair of the Online Teaching and Learning Committee and is the inaugural President of Alpha Beta Chi Chapter of Sigma. She also serves as a member of the Marketing Committee for the Organization of Nurse Leaders – New Jersey and is member of the Advisory Board for the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing. Dr. Waszak enjoys writing both colloquial and scholarly articles about nursing and health informatics topics.
Workshop: Health Promotion Through a Student-Authored Apple Book 
Conference Quick Links: Schedule | Workshops | Top  

Access knowledge and resources that will help improve teaching and student learning, and achieve positive learning experiences and outcomes.

Apple Resources for Teachers

Apple Teacher Learning Center  

How to earn your Apple Badges 

Apple Teacher Learning Resources

Apple Professional Learning Virtual Conferences 

Higher Education - Success Stories