AEDU-West · North America · May 2026

Workshop Schedule

Two days exploring the why and how of teaching Artificial Life. May 18–19, 2026 · 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Eastern each day. Slide decks and session recordings will be linked here after the event.

01

AEDU-West — North America

All times Eastern (ET). The virtual room link will be sent to registered participants before each session.

Invited / contributed talk
Discussion or Group Activity
Break
Day 1 Monday, May 18, 2026 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Eastern

"Why teach ALife?"

10:00 AM

Welcome, opening & icebreaker

Jean Alfonso-Decena

10:25 AM
Presentation

Participant Survey Results

Jason Yoder · Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

10:30 AM
Talk

Artificial Life is everywhere: So why is it so hard to teach?

Imy Khan · University of Warwick

10:50 AM
Break  ·  5 min
10:55 AM
Presentation

Dimensions of ALife

Jason Yoder · Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

11:10 AM
Presentation

Why teach ALife? Introduction to Learning Goals

Jason Yoder · Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

11:20 AM
Activity

Brainwriting Activity

Small-group collaborative ideation on ALife learning goals

PDF is password-protected — contact the organizers for access.

12:05 PM
Break  ·  25 min
12:30 PM
Discussion

Coalescing Discussion about Learning Goals

Anya E. Vostinar · Carleton College

12:55 PM
Talk

Reaching (for) Critical Maths

Q. Tyrell Davis

1:15 PM
Break  ·  10 min
1:25 PM
Lightning Talks

Community Lightning Talks

Facilitated by Jean Alfonso-Decena

  • Eduardo Izquierdo — Design Decisions for a Hands-on Evolutionary Robotics Course for Undergraduates
  • Corné van Leuveren — Soup of Life: Watch Life Unfold in your Browser
  • Stephen Kelley — Evolutionary Reinforcement Learning in C++
  • Matthew Andres Moreno — Building Cohort Community in a Virtual Classroom: Lessons Learned from the WAVES Workshop  Slides ↗
  • Imy Khan — Overview of ALife Online Expo
1:55 PM

Day 1 Wrap-Up & Feedback Exchange Intro

Jason Yoder · Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Day 2 Tuesday, May 19, 2026 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Eastern

"How to teach ALife?"

10:00 AM
Opening

Opening Theme: How to reach the goals?

Jason Yoder · Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

10:10 AM
Activity

Peer Feedback Exchange

Workshop your own teaching ideas and artifacts with peers in small groups

10:55 AM
Break  ·  5 min
11:00 AM
Talk

Creating Space to Grow Intrinsic Motivation for ALife

Jason Yoder · Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

11:20 AM
Talk

Grading as it could be: Aligning Incentives with Intellectual Curiosity

Anya E. Vostinar · Carleton College

11:40 AM
Break  ·  25 min
12:05 PM
Talk

Hosting a Public-facing Class Blog with GitHub Pages and Jekyll

Matthew Andres Moreno

12:25 PM
Activity

Building Shared Resources

Imy Khan · University of Warwick

12:50 PM
Break  ·  10 min
1:00 PM
Discussion

Discussion: Future Goals for ALife Educators

Facilitated by Imy Khan · University of Warwick

1:45 PM

ALIFE 2026 Workshop — Preview & Next Steps

Jason Yoder · Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

1:55 PM

Closing

Jean Alfonso-Decena