Workshops
My typical workshop consists of a 60-minute interactive presentation followed by 15 minutes for an open Q & A, but I'm happy to use other models. Rates vary depending on institutional type, audience, and workshop recording access and I will confirm a quote with you after you complete the workshop request form. I work hard to meet the needs of all types of budgets and institutions.
After reviewing the information on this page, please complete my WORKSHOP REQUEST FORM to get started.
Past clients include:
I am happy to work with you to design a personalized workshop for your campus, or see below for a list of my most popular workshops.
Designing and Teaching Online Asynchronous Courses in the AI Era
With nearly twenty years of online asynchronous design and teaching experience, Karen has recently been more challenged than ever before in her teaching. The culprit: AI. This workshop provides a big picture overview of where we've been, where we are, and where we might go as a higher education community. In addition, Karen will share a set of practical strategies and checklist that faculty, administrators, and designers can immediately begin applying in their work. Keeping with Karen's mantra of "simple and sustainable," this workshop aims to reduce overwhelm and inspire positive action.
Neurodivergence and Climate Action: Do You See What We See?
Evolving research (with the contribution of lived experiences) on how neurodivergent folks make sense of the world points to fascinating differences in how neurotypical and neurodivergent people process information and make decisions. Neurotypical people rely more heavily on predictive models - shortcuts - that help their brains work efficiently. Neurodivergent folks' brains are less likely to use shortcuts, instead, we rely more on the actual sensory data available to us. This is, as you can imagine, possible the root of a great deal of neurodivergent sensory overwhelm. That said, it can also allow neurodivergent people to more accurately perceive reality and gives us tremendous power to link current sensory data to likely future events. This work shop will explore why neurotypical culture might be at the root of a great deal of climate inaction, because the neurotypical brain's predictive model does not have a preexisting "template" to make sense of climate collapse. The neurodivergent brain, on the other hand, is seeing all of the sensory signs, and is more open to the logical possibility and likelihood, of collapse. This workshop will explore current research on the neurodivergent mind, how neurodivergent folks can uniquely contribute to addressing the climate crisis, and how we might redesign some (all?) of our systems to support the neurodivergent contribution to climate action.
Supporting ADHD Students' Success
This workshop builds on the work completed in Karen's second book, An Educator's Guide to ADHD, presenting a new, inclusive vision of ADHD that will disrupt most of what you think you know about this supposed disorder that's not a disorder at all. Framed within the neurodiversity paradigm, attendees will gain a newfound understanding of ADHD that will provide a stronger foundation for the work they do with ADHD learners. In addition to this big picture vision, attendees will have the opportunity to learn and practice specific teaching and design strategies that they can immediately apply in their work.
Climate Action Pedagogy (CAP) Design Challenge Co-Working Workshop
This workshop was designed with the idea that all jobs are climate jobs in mind. As educators, we can start right where we're already working to fight the climate emergency: in the classroom. CAP is aimed at teachers, faculty, and staff working in K-12 and higher education. It's discipline agnostic and all levels of expertise on climate change are welcome. In this ninety-minute session, your team will work to design one learning artifact (e.g., announcement, assessment, lesson) to weave into their courses. This is an entry-level workshop geared toward inspiring people to start somewhere and start small.
Trauma-Aware Teaching
Viewing impacts of trauma through a pedagogical lens, geared toward helping faculty and staff understand the basic definitions and impacts of trauma. Includes both big picture overview and practical teaching tips.
Introduction to Neurodiversity & Neurodivergence
In this interactive session, Karen Costa, a neurodivergent educator with ADHD, will introduce her fellow educators to the neurodiversity paradigm. What is neurodiversity and how does it impact our work in our classrooms and on campus? With this foundation established, we'll then discover the related but distinct concept of neurodivergence. This is a growing area of interest in higher education, and now is a great time to learn what these terms mean, why they're so important, and how we can use them to support all students, faculty, and staff on our campuses.
Humanizing Online Learning through Connection-Rich Design and Teaching
Topics include using emergent strategy to shape change, what humanizing is and why we do it, and a reimagined community of inquiry (COI) model that shifts from presence to connection and considers emotional, self-regulatory, and existential connections. This aims to be a model for the present and future of higher education in a rapidly changing, volatile environment.
The Mistakes Are the Best Part: Making Educational Videos (for People Who Hate Making Videos)
Based on my book, 99 Tips for Creating Simple and Sustainable Videos, this workshop will both inspire and inform faculty and staff to start creating videos for their learners, one of the best approaches to humanizing online (and other) courses. Learners will have a chance to create and upload a video during the workshop. Most importantly, this workshop will help educators develop a sustainable video creation practice that honors the needs of both educators and their students. Come break some eggs and make some omelettes in this fun and interactive workshop.
After reviewing the information on this page, please complete my WORKSHOP REQUEST FORM to get started.
Past clients include:
- Hofstra University
- Mass Bay Community College
- Berea College
- Fayetteville Technical Community College
- Aquinas College
- Pima Community College
- Colleges of the Fenway
- Vanguard University
- Technical College of the Lowcountry
- Sweet Briar College
- Colorado State University Pueblo
- Michigan State University
- Northern Illinois University
- Hollins University
- Oakton College
- Trent University
- And many more!
I am happy to work with you to design a personalized workshop for your campus, or see below for a list of my most popular workshops.
Designing and Teaching Online Asynchronous Courses in the AI Era
With nearly twenty years of online asynchronous design and teaching experience, Karen has recently been more challenged than ever before in her teaching. The culprit: AI. This workshop provides a big picture overview of where we've been, where we are, and where we might go as a higher education community. In addition, Karen will share a set of practical strategies and checklist that faculty, administrators, and designers can immediately begin applying in their work. Keeping with Karen's mantra of "simple and sustainable," this workshop aims to reduce overwhelm and inspire positive action.
Neurodivergence and Climate Action: Do You See What We See?
Evolving research (with the contribution of lived experiences) on how neurodivergent folks make sense of the world points to fascinating differences in how neurotypical and neurodivergent people process information and make decisions. Neurotypical people rely more heavily on predictive models - shortcuts - that help their brains work efficiently. Neurodivergent folks' brains are less likely to use shortcuts, instead, we rely more on the actual sensory data available to us. This is, as you can imagine, possible the root of a great deal of neurodivergent sensory overwhelm. That said, it can also allow neurodivergent people to more accurately perceive reality and gives us tremendous power to link current sensory data to likely future events. This work shop will explore why neurotypical culture might be at the root of a great deal of climate inaction, because the neurotypical brain's predictive model does not have a preexisting "template" to make sense of climate collapse. The neurodivergent brain, on the other hand, is seeing all of the sensory signs, and is more open to the logical possibility and likelihood, of collapse. This workshop will explore current research on the neurodivergent mind, how neurodivergent folks can uniquely contribute to addressing the climate crisis, and how we might redesign some (all?) of our systems to support the neurodivergent contribution to climate action.
Supporting ADHD Students' Success
This workshop builds on the work completed in Karen's second book, An Educator's Guide to ADHD, presenting a new, inclusive vision of ADHD that will disrupt most of what you think you know about this supposed disorder that's not a disorder at all. Framed within the neurodiversity paradigm, attendees will gain a newfound understanding of ADHD that will provide a stronger foundation for the work they do with ADHD learners. In addition to this big picture vision, attendees will have the opportunity to learn and practice specific teaching and design strategies that they can immediately apply in their work.
Climate Action Pedagogy (CAP) Design Challenge Co-Working Workshop
This workshop was designed with the idea that all jobs are climate jobs in mind. As educators, we can start right where we're already working to fight the climate emergency: in the classroom. CAP is aimed at teachers, faculty, and staff working in K-12 and higher education. It's discipline agnostic and all levels of expertise on climate change are welcome. In this ninety-minute session, your team will work to design one learning artifact (e.g., announcement, assessment, lesson) to weave into their courses. This is an entry-level workshop geared toward inspiring people to start somewhere and start small.
Trauma-Aware Teaching
Viewing impacts of trauma through a pedagogical lens, geared toward helping faculty and staff understand the basic definitions and impacts of trauma. Includes both big picture overview and practical teaching tips.
Introduction to Neurodiversity & Neurodivergence
In this interactive session, Karen Costa, a neurodivergent educator with ADHD, will introduce her fellow educators to the neurodiversity paradigm. What is neurodiversity and how does it impact our work in our classrooms and on campus? With this foundation established, we'll then discover the related but distinct concept of neurodivergence. This is a growing area of interest in higher education, and now is a great time to learn what these terms mean, why they're so important, and how we can use them to support all students, faculty, and staff on our campuses.
Humanizing Online Learning through Connection-Rich Design and Teaching
Topics include using emergent strategy to shape change, what humanizing is and why we do it, and a reimagined community of inquiry (COI) model that shifts from presence to connection and considers emotional, self-regulatory, and existential connections. This aims to be a model for the present and future of higher education in a rapidly changing, volatile environment.
The Mistakes Are the Best Part: Making Educational Videos (for People Who Hate Making Videos)
Based on my book, 99 Tips for Creating Simple and Sustainable Videos, this workshop will both inspire and inform faculty and staff to start creating videos for their learners, one of the best approaches to humanizing online (and other) courses. Learners will have a chance to create and upload a video during the workshop. Most importantly, this workshop will help educators develop a sustainable video creation practice that honors the needs of both educators and their students. Come break some eggs and make some omelettes in this fun and interactive workshop.