2026 WV ACTE Summer Conference

We know we exist in a world our personal and professional lives often overlap, sometimes creating opportunities for chaos. During this session, we will explore these occurrences, examine some research-based techniques to address them, and provide opportunities to connect with others. 

Located in southwest Ohio, the Butler Tech Aviation Center offers students career exploration, hands-on training, and industry-recognized credentials. Through partnerships with local businesses and the FAA, students gain practical skills and certifications, preparing them for careers in aviation. This presentation will highlight how the center fosters workforce development and creates pathways to success in the growing aviation industry.

Simulated workplaces create powerful opportunities for students to build real-world skills, but how students experience those environments can vary in ways we don’t always see.
In this interactive session, participants will learn a design thinking approach for exploring their program from the student perspective. Through guided examples and practical tools, educators will learn how to uncover how students experience their program, surface insights about voice and ownership, and better understand how learning environments are perceived by students.
Participants will leave with a clear, adaptable process they can use to elevate student voice, strengthen buy-in, and deepen ownership of learning within simulated workplace settings and beyond.
This approach is applicable across grade levels and roles, offering teachers, counselors, and administrators a practical way to gather meaningful student insight and use it to inform program design and improvement.
This session focuses on seeing more clearly first, so that changes are developed with students and grounded in their experiences.