2026 Technology Day Sessions
Below are the sessions that will be livestreamed. Click "Join Livestream" to watch the presentation at its scheduled time. You can also download a PDF of the livestreaming guide.
| 9:15 | Session and Speaker | Session Description | Livestream |
|---|---|---|---|
Copilot Chat: Your Everyday AI Starting PointAmy Bandy-Taylor, Senior Copilot Solutions Engineer |
Copilot Chat is the most accessible entry point into AI at UConn. This session introduces how Copilot Chat can support daily work—whether you’re drafting emails, summarizing documents, researching topics, or organizing your thoughts.
This session will cover:
You’ll learn:
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Join Livestream | |
Digital Branded Assets: Where to find them. How to use them.Christine Vasington |
University-branded digital assets—such as PowerPoint templates and brochure templates—are essential for maintaining a cohesive and professional institutional identity. Yet many faculty, staff, and student workers are unsure where to find these resources or how to use them effectively, often leading to inconsistent branding and duplicated effort. This session offers guidance on locating, accessing, and using university-approved digital assets. Attendees will learn how to navigate the UConn brand website and SharePoint site to find up-to-date templates and logos quickly. The session will also cover best practices for customizing templates while maintaining brand standards, selecting appropriate formats for various communication needs, and avoiding common issues such as outdated files or incorrect logo usage. Through brief demonstrations, participants will gain information they can immediately apply. Emphasis will be placed on improving efficiency, reducing redundancy, and strengthening visual consistency across campus communications. Designed for users of all experience levels, this session equips attendees with the tools and confidence to ensure their presentations and brochures consistently reflect the university’s identity with clarity and professionalism. | Join Livestream | |
From Click to Hire: 12Twenty in ActionFrancesca Crivello, Assessment & Technology Coordinator, Jaron Tucker Associate Director Office Service & Scholarships |
This session will guide university faculty and staff through the full lifecycle of on‑campus job posting and student application using UConn’s student employment job platform, 12twenty. Through a live demonstration, attendees will experience the platform from both perspectives, first as a hiring manager and then as a student job seeker. The presentation will walk participants through the process of creating an account, posting an on‑campus position, managing postings, and closing a job once hiring is complete. The session will then shift to the student view, demonstrating how students search for positions, review job details, and submit applications through the system. By the end of the session, attendees will have a clear understanding of how 12twenty supports student employment and will gain practical skills to confidently post and manage job opportunities. Participants will leave better equipped to navigate the platform, streamline their hiring processes, and successfully connect UConn students with on‑campus employment opportunities. | Join Livestream | |
OneDrive & SharePoint: Smarter File Management and Collaboration
Valentina Vacarez, Sr. Solutions Engineer |
This session moves beyond “file storage” into smarter collaboration. Learn how OneDrive and SharePoint work together, how to manage access responsibly, and how to use built-in features to track changes, organize content, and support team workflows. What the Session Covers
Why Join?
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Join Livestream | |
| 10:15 | |||
Accessibility Tools Overview: Site: improve & Blackboard Ally
Karen Skudlarek, IT Accessibility Coordinator and Tyler Alexander, Accessibility Specialist |
Make your digital content more inclusive and compliant. This session introduces Siteimprove and Blackboard Ally as key tools for identifying and reducing digital accessibility barriers on UConn websites and files. You’ll learn how website administrators can use these tools to monitor accessibility, prioritize fixes, and make meaningful, ongoing improvements. We’ll focus on practical workflows, along with common issues these platforms flag, and how consistent use supports long term alignment with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Whether you manage a site or support digital content, this session will give you practical ways to build a more accessible and user-friendly web experience for everyone. | Join Livestream | |
Microsoft 365 Copilot: AI Inside the Tools You Already Use
Amy Bandy-Taylor, Senior Copilot Solutions Engineer |
This session shows how Microsoft 365 Copilot brings AI directly into the apps staff already rely on every day. You’ll see how Copilot can help draft content, analyze information, summarize meetings, and accelerate common tasks. What the Session Covers
Why Join?
Recommendations: M365 Copilot license; this session will showcase premium experiences that come with the M365 Copilot license. Attendees who don’t have the license are welcome to join to learn more about premium capabilities. |
Join Livestream | |
Microsoft Planner: From Task Basics to Smarter Planning
Amy Bandy-Taylor, Senior Copilot Solutions Engineer |
Planner helps teams move from scattered to structured. This session starts with the basics and then introduces advanced and AI-powered features as a show-and-tell, helping attendees understand what’s possible and when premium capabilities may be worth exploring. What the Session Covers
Why Join?
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Join Livestream | |
Nitro PDF Pro
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Join our Nitro PDF session designed to help you get the most out of your document workflows. During this session, we will cover:
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Join Livestream | |
| 11:15 | |||
Kuali Build Essentials: From Basics to 'I Got This'
Jessica Henderson: ITS, IT Team Lead 2 Assistant; Lou Begue: ITS, Application Administrator II |
This presentation is designed for both new and developing Kuali Build users looking to expand their skills. We’ll cover the fundamentals of navigating the platform, building forms, and creating workflows, while also highlighting newer features and practical tips to improve efficiency and functionality. Whether you’re just getting started or building on existing knowledge, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of how to create effective, streamlined solutions in Kuali Build—no advanced experience required. | Join Livestream | |
Leveraging AI Agents: The Fundamentals
Brett Paulson, Director of Enterprise Applications |
AI is moving beyond chatbots to systems that can plan, reason, and act. This session offers a non technical introduction to AI agents (agentic AI) and what they mean for administrative work in higher education. You’ll learn how AI agents differ from traditional automation, where they can realistically add value, and why governance, controls, and human oversight remain essential. | Join Livestream | |
Microsoft Teams: Collaborating Without the Chaos
Darren Clay, Sr. Regional AI Business Solutions Lead |
Teams is more than chat—it’s the hub for collaboration. This session helps staff understand how to use Teams intentionally, reduce noise, and choose the right collaboration method for the task at hand. What the Session Covers
Why Join?
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Join Livestream | |
The Power of Reusable Patterns in Aurora
Brian Dunnigan, Team Lead, Web Development |
Build faster, design smarter, and create more consistently in Aurora with the power of Patterns. In this session, you’ll learn how to create your own custom patterns, share them across multiple sites, and take advantage of a central library of prebuilt options. Patterns will make your website building experience less stressful and your site design more polished. | Join Livestream | |
| 1:15 | |||
Automating Email Communications with Power AutomateDaniel Warren, Director of Accounts Payable |
See how automation can transform the way your team functions. In this demonstration, we’ll showcase how Power Automate and SharePoint are used to automate email notifications and replace inefficient manual processes. Using conditional logic, workflows determine and send the correct email automatically. The result? Faster communication, greater consistency, and significantly less manual effort. | Join Livestream | |
Building Intelligent Agents with Copilot Studio
Amy Bandy-Taylor, Senior Copilot Solutions Engineer |
Go beyond asking AI questions—learn how to build AI agents that work for you. This session introduces Copilot Studio and shows how teams can create custom agents to answer questions, guide processes, and support staff at scale, without deep coding experience. What the Session Covers
Why Join?
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Join Livestream | |
Nitro PDF
Laura Brunell, Customer Success Manger and Maxum Bruschera, Sr. Customer Account Executive |
Join our Nitro PDF session designed to help you get the most out of your document workflows. During this session, we will cover:
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Join Livestream | |
| 2:15 | |||
Nitro Sign
Laura Brunell, Customer Success Manger and Maxum Bruschera, Sr. Customer Account Executive |
Join our Nitro E-Signature session which is designed to help users have a fast start in the e-signing platform and offer some tips and tricks for maximum productivity. During the session, we will cover:
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Join Livestream | |
Microsoft 365 Copilot: AI Inside the Tools You Already Use
Amy Bandy-Taylor, Senior Copilot Solutions Engineer |
This session shows how Microsoft 365 Copilot brings AI directly into the apps staff already rely on every day. You’ll see how Copilot can help draft content, analyze information, summarize meetings, and accelerate common tasks. What the Session Covers
Why Join?
Recommendations: M365 Copilot license; this session will showcase premium experiences that come with the M365 Copilot license. Attendees who don’t have the license are welcome to join to learn more about premium capabilities. |
Join Livestream | |
Power Automate & Power Apps: Automating and Building Without Code
Valentina Vacarez, Sr. Solutions Engineer |
This session introduces low-code tools that allow staff to automate repetitive tasks and build simple apps. You’ll learn what’s realistic to build, how governance and sharing fits in. What the Session Covers
Why Join?
|
Join Livestream | |
Work Smarter not Harder: How to Build a CLSSier Schedule
Olson Briceno, Marc Hatfield, Lori Kalinowski, and Kerry Peterson |
Get more out of CoureLeaf Section Scheduler (CLSS), UConn’s system for managing departmental course schedules. This session provides an overview of CLSS, insider tips and often overlooked features, and a review of more complex topics. After this session, attendees will be able to maximize CLSS and unlock more sophisticated scheduling tools. | Join Livestream | |
| 3:15 | |||
Kuali Build Essentials: From Basics to 'I Got This'
Jessica Henderson: ITS, IT Team Lead 2 Assistant; Lou Begue: ITS, Application Administrator II |
This presentation is designed for both new and developing Kuali Build users looking to expand their skills. We’ll cover the fundamentals of navigating the platform, building forms, and creating workflows, while also highlighting newer features and practical tips to improve efficiency and functionality. Whether you’re just getting started or building on existing knowledge, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of how to create effective, streamlined solutions in Kuali Build—no advanced experience required. | Join Livestream | |
Leveraging AI Agents: The Fundamentals
Brett Paulson, Director of Enterprise Applications |
AI is moving beyond chatbots to systems that can plan, reason, and act. This session offers a non technical introduction to AI agents (agentic AI) and what they mean for administrative work in higher education. You’ll learn how AI agents differ from traditional automation, where they can realistically add value, and why governance, controls, and human oversight remain essential. | Join Livestream | |
OneDrive & SharePoint: Smarter File Management and Collaboration
|
This session moves beyond “file storage” into smarter collaboration. Learn how OneDrive and SharePoint work together, how to manage access responsibly, and how to use built-in features to track changes, organize content, and support team workflows. What the Session Covers
Why Join?
|
Join Livestream |