Center for Technological Teaching and Innovation
Mission Statement
The Center for Technological Teaching and Innovation transforms the educational experience through the ethical and inclusive integration of emerging technologies. By bridging the expertise of the School of Nursing and the College of Innovation & Technology, we foster a human-centric research ecosystem where interdisciplinary scholarship, simulation-based experiences, and AI-driven pedagogy converge to empower educators and prepare students for a rapidly evolving global workforce.
Vision Statement
To be the regional and national benchmark for pedagogical excellence in the digital age, positioning UM-Flint as a leader in evidence-based educational transformation and a hub for industry-aligned technological innovation.
Goal 1: Build an Interdisciplinary Community of Scholars
Develop and sustain a collaborative research cluster that brings together faculty and staff from the School of Nursing, the College of Innovation & Technology, and other academic units to advance scholarship in technology-enhanced teaching and learning.
Possible activities:
- Recruit faculty and staff through open calls and targeted outreach
- Host regular meetings, research workshops, writing retreats, and symposia
- Support mentorship and collaboration among junior and senior faculty
- Foster cross-disciplinary teams focused on AI, simulation, VR/AR/MR, and innovative pedagogy
Goal 2: Generate Scholarly Products and External Funding
Promote the development of peer-reviewed scholarship, conference presentations, grant proposals, and externally funded projects focused on innovative educational technologies and evidence-based pedagogical practices.
Possible activities:
- Support collaborative manuscript and proposal development
- Identify internal and external funding opportunities
- Build grant-writing teams across academic units
- Produce measurable scholarly outputs such as publications, presentations, and funded proposals
Goal 3: Advance Evidence-Based Technology-Enhanced Pedagogy
Design, implement, and evaluate innovative teaching strategies that integrate emerging technologies to improve student learning, engagement, accessibility, and educational outcomes.
Possible activities
- Pilot AI, simulation, VR, AR, and MR teaching interventions
- Assess student learning outcomes and faculty experiences
- Develop best practices for ethical and effective educational technology use
- Share findings across campus and with broader academic communities
Goal 4: Strengthen Campus, Community, and Industry Partnerships
Increase awareness of UM-Flint’s expertise in technological teaching innovation by fostering partnerships with community organizations, educational institutions, healthcare partners, and industry collaborators.
Possible activities:
- Host public events, speaker series, showcases, or innovation days
- Engage regional partners in applied teaching and training initiatives
- Create opportunities for students and faculty to collaborate with external partners
- Position CTTI as a regional resource for technology-enhanced education
Affiliated Faculty and Staff
Cluster Co-Leads
Faculty
Affiliated Staff
Selected Projects & Grant Funding
Manuscripts
Turkelson, C., & Keiser, M. (2026). Evaluating the usability of a mixed reality simulation to teach trauma-informed patient-centered care to sexual assault nurse examiners. Clinical Simulation in Nursing. Under Review March 2026
Keiser, M., &Turkelson, C. (2026). Simulation video vignettes for simulation facilitator professional development. Nurse Educator. In Press.
Makram Soui, Nesrine Mansouri, Mourad Abed (2026) On the Use of Advanced Learning Analytics in Student At-Risk Prediction: A Deep Learning Model Technology, Knowledge and Learning , Technology, Knowledge and Learning (Online First) 1-22 10.1007/s10758-025-09937-4https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10758-025-09937-4
Turkelson, C., & Keiser, M. (2025). Bridging care and justice: Using an interprofessional simulated mock courtroom experience for sexual assault nurse examiner training. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 10-1097.
Yosr Aissa, Douglas Zytko (2026) No Sex Until My Body is Green: Trauma-Informed Design Fiction of Spatial Consent to AR/VR Sexual Interactions Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., 10 (1),
Douglas Zytko, Devin Tebbe, Braeden Burger, Emma Walquist, Meryem Barkallah (2025) Beyond Affirmative Consent: Creating Alternative Models for Consent to Computer-Mediated Sexual Activity Through Social VR for Online Dating Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., 9 (7),
Braeden Burger, Douglas Zytko (2026) Demonstrating Consent Rings: Explicit Non-Verbal Consent Through Haptic Wearables as a Solution to Unwanted Sex Between Neurodivergent Partners Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Presentations
Turkelson, C., Campbell, D., Nelson, B. (2026, June). Exploring mixed reality to enhance pathophysiology learning in pre-nursing students. Hot Topic Presentation for the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) Annual Conference, Oklahoma City, Ok.
Turkelson, C., & Keiser, M. (2026, June). Exploring the usability of a mixed reality simulation based experience to teach trauma-informed care. Podium Presentation for the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) Annual Conference, Oklahoma City, Ok.
Keiser, M., & Turkelson, C. (2026, June). Expanding access, enhancing practice: Leveraging simulation to prepare nurses for rural healthcare challenges. Podium Presentation for the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) Annual Conference, Oklahoma City, Ok.
Makram Soui, Oussama Touir, Farah Barika Ktata (2026) Grounding Persona-Driven Usability Simulation in Established Standards ACM CHI’26 , Responsible Use of AI Personas in Human-Centered Design and Research Workshop, April 13, 2026, Barcelona, Spain,
Makram Soui, Nesrine Mansouri (2026) SAVP-XR: Socially-Augmented XR Training with Emotionally Expressive Virtual Patients ACM CHI’26, Shaping Future Human Connection: Social Augmentation through XR Technologies SAXR, Workshop, April 15, 2026, Barcelona, Spain,
McTiernan, J., Chopp, J., Turkelson, C., Campbell, D., Andreolli, S. (2026, January). The do-it-yourself electronic health record and you: Building wisely for your simulation center. Panel presentation at the 2026 International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare, San Antonio, Texas.
Campbell, D. & Turkelson, C. (2026). Simulating success: Enhancing nursing competency in medication administration. Hot Topic presentation at the 2026 International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare, San Antonio, Texas.
Douglas Zytko (2025) Computer-Mediated Sexual Violence Through the Lens of Consent Gender Based Violence Research Incubator
Douglas Zytko, Meryem Barkallah (2025) Navigating the Duality of Technology Through Consent: Non-Western Perspectives on Teen Technology Use CHI 2025 Mobile Tech & Teens Workshop
Funding
Turkelson, C., Mkaouer, M., & Eisenhauer (2025). Research Cluster: Center for Technological Teaching & Innovation (CTTI). University of Michigan-Flint Office of Research. Funded $10,000 January 2026-June 2026 and $20,000 June 2026-June 2027.
REU Site: Research Experience for Undergraduates in Home Health Technology
Funded By National Science Foundation (February 01, 2026 – January 31, 2029), ($464,856.00) Summer 2025, PI Douglas Zytko, CoInvestigator Steven Wilson, CoInvestigator Gergana Kodjebacheva, CoInvestigator Carman Turkelson, CoInvestigator Megan Keiser, PI Charlotte Tang, CoInvestigator Elizabeth Fulks, CoInvestigator Rie Suzuki
CAREER: Beyond Affirmative Consent: Designing, Developing, and Evaluating Use of Consent Technologies as Solution to Unwanted Interpersonal Behavior
Funded By National Science Foundation (June 01, 2024 – May 31, 2029), awarded June 11, 2024 ($567,968.00) Spring 2024, PI Douglas Zytko
UM-Flint Interprofessional Simulation & Collaborative Practice Center (ISCPC)
Funded By Strategic Initiative Fund (August 01, 2026), ($8,000,000.00) Winter 2026, PI Carman Turkelson, Multiple PI Douglas Zytko, Multiple PI Makram Soui, Multiple PI Mohamed Wiem Mkaouer, Multiple PI Denise Campbell, Multiple PI Laura Smith, Multiple PI Elizebeth Eisenhauer