Some dance in excitement. Some are jittery from too much coffee and not enough sleep. Some are snapping photos for social media love. Some simply are there to cross off another to-do on the list.

When Taylor Bousfield ’13MEd strolled up to claim her doctoral regalia as she breastfed her 5-month-old and cared for her nearly 3-year-old while maintaining a Zen-like calmness, the regalia distribution staff took in the scene before them and wondered: is Wonder Woman real?

“Most of the time I’m a mess,� Bousfield said with a laugh.

Bousfield was born and raised in Orlando and attended The First Academy through middle and high school. After earning her bachelor’s degree from the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Mississippi, she taught for three years in Louisiana before moving back to Central Florida to teach at Lake Howell High School.

She had an itch to further her education, and when a grant opportunity arose to do so at UCF, she took the chance to earn her master’s degree in exceptional student education with a certificate in autism spectrum disorder.

While she was in graduate school, Bousfield learned of a doctoral grant from Lisa Dieker, a UCF professor and Lockheed Martin eminent scholar chair.

“I figured, why not try?� Bousfield said. “We have an incredible education program that has faculty members who are so innovative. Not to mention the opportunity to work with TeachLivE. That is something I wouldn’t have been able to do anywhere else.�

A month after starting the doctoral program, she learned she was pregnant with her almost 3-year-old, Luke.

“He literally went to every single class, one way or another – whether it was in person, in utero or on Skype,� she said. “There’s no way I could have been able to accomplish everything without the support of our special-ed faculty and my chair, Lisa Dieker.�

Bousfield’s interest in special education and teaching was instilled at a young age. Her aunt, Charlotte Day, is the county coordinator for Special Olympics in Orange County. Bousfield said from the time she could walk she was volunteering at events.

She will graduate on Aug. 5 with her doctorate in education, and her children and husband will be in attendance. She hopes that her family’s immersion in her university experience will instill a drive and a passion for education in her sons.

She plans to stay at UCF as a Teach Live liaison as she works with associate professor Rebecca Hines, PhD.

“Taylor will be an amazing addition to our program. Her doctoral work included research methods in TeachLivE that we will use to help prepare future teachers,� Hines said.

Bousfield said her biggest challenge over the years has been balancing her roles as a mother, a wife and a student, but she wouldn’t have traded the experience for the moment when she learned she had accomplished her goal.

“Hearing ‘Dr. Bousfield’ after passing my dissertation defense – with my husband and both of our boys there in the room — was amazing. It’s probably the best moment I’ve had in a while,� she said. “My advice to anyone is find a support system and don’t wait. Don’t put it off. Now is the time. Somehow it will always work out. Don’t put off life for school, and don’t put off school for life.�

The teachers were part of the College of Education and Human Performance’s second national TLE TeachLivE conference, and the students are named Maria, Ed, CJ, Sean and Kevin. They’re all students in the virtual classroom simulator known as TeachLivE, which was developed at UCF to better prepare teachers to handle the rigors of leading a classroom.

Teachers-in-training and existing teachers can step into the simulator to practice targeted skills, such as classroom management and content pedagogy, in what’s called “virtual rehearsal.� An “interactor� from UCF controls all five avatars, which each have distinctive personalities that mirror what teachers might see in the average classroom.

Actress Cheryl Hines, a UCF alumna, kicked off the conference with a presentation about improvisation and how those skills can be applied to the classroom.

“It would be very difficult as a teacher to communicate anything with a student without connecting with them. The only way you can improvise is if you’re a good listener, so you have to listen to what someone else says, because there’s no script,� said Hines, a graduate of the Groundlings, the revered improv comedy troupe based in Los Angeles.

Hines, the star of television shows including “Curb Your Enthusiasm� and “Suburgatory,� spoke about the importance of playing along, assuming a relationship and making bold choices to both actors and teachers.

“With teaching, if a student has an idea or a thought or a question, you can’t shut them down and say ‘That’s a bad question,’ ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about’ or ‘Why weren’t you listening,’ any of those things. It has to keep moving in a positive direction,� said Hines. “In improv, you have to stay in the moment. You can’t plan what’s going to happen next because you don’t know. I think it’s that way with teaching.�

Throughout the two-day conference, educators attended workshops and discussions about how TeachLivE can be used as a stimulating way to prepare all different kinds of teachers.

Breakout sessions targeted math, science, preschool, counselor and other educators. New developments in TeachLivE, including a parent-teacher conference scenario and the creation of an avatar with Autism Spectrum Disorder, were also introduced.

Just 10 minutes in the simulator forces teachers to think more about their practice, said Karla Auzenne, a science instructional specialist for the Houston Independent School District, which has used TeachLivE as a preparation tool for rookie and veteran teachers.

“Even when I first met the TeachLivE students through Skype, I forgot I was talking to avatars,� said Auzenne. “They become kids to you. They come off the screen into real life. It’s a game-changer, right then and there.�

TeachLivE was created eight years ago by education professors Mike Hynes and Lisa Dieker, College of Engineering & Computer Science professor Charles Hughes, and an interdisciplinary team that included members of the Synthetic Reality Lab at UCF’s Institute for Simulation & Training.

Today, TeachLivE is delivered to more than 10,000 teachers at 37 partner universities and at other sites including the school districts in Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia counties. A team of more than 25 at UCF supports the technology, development and partnerships.

The theme for this year’s TeachLivE conference was ludic convergence, or playful collaboration, a celebration of what the TeachLivE team calls “sandbox technology.� One group of children could come into a sandbox and create distinct castles or shapes. When they’re done, another group of kids could come in, tear down what was there and build something completely different.

That’s the nature of TeachLivE, which can be completely customized depending on the user’s objectives. What stays the same, however, is the realistic nature of the classroom.

“I’m not great at technology, but what I saw today was fascinating,� said Hines. “This is so great. You’re actually talking to a real person—different characters, but a real person.�

You’re trying to calm your nerves and deliver content clearly and compellingly when you catch C.J. in the back row texting on her cell phone. Sean, another student, interrupts your pre-calculus lesson to tell you about a TV show he watched the night before.

Suddenly, you’ve lost your place entirely.

It is a scenario that’s typical for teachers, but thanks to an innovative teacher preparation tool developed at the º£½ÇÖ±²¥, it is something that practicing teachers and teachers-in-training can work through without impacting any actual students.

That’s because C.J., Sean and their classmates are avatars in a virtual classroom. The program, called TLE TeachLivE is a mixed-reality simulation environment that provides users the opportunity to practice a targeted skill, whether classroom management or content pedagogy.

Similar simulation technologies are common in medicine and aviation, but TeachLivE is the only one of its kind in education, providing a personalized learning environment customized to the unique needs of teachers-in-training or practicing teachers looking to brush up on their skills or try out new techniques.

“Suspension of disbelief is a key aspect of simulation and training. When a subject steps into the simulator that cognitively they know is not a ‘real’ situation, they begin to accept the simulation as real in a short period of time. The subject is experiencing suspension of disbelief,� said Mike Hynes, a member of the TeachLivE team and professor in UCF’s College of Education and Human Performance. “It never ceases to amaze me when I see subject after subject experience suspension of disbelief in TeachLivE.�

Hynes created TeachLivEwith education professor Lisa Dieker, College of Engineering & Computer Science professor Charles Hughes, and an interdisciplinary team that included members of the Synthetic Reality Lab at UCF’s Institute for Simulation & Training.

Last month, TeachLivE took the top prize at the NewSchools Venture Fund’s annual summit. The Learning to Teach Impact Award is given annually to a teacher-preparation program that connects teachers with opportunities for practice in real-world settings.

In 2013, TeachLivE earned the 2013 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Modeling and Simulation from the National Training and Simulation Association, an honor that’s typically awarded to military applications of modeling and simulation.

“The various awards, and especially this most recent, recognizing our impact on learning, are such a celebration of the over 25 people who are part of our team,� said Dieker. “UCF, too, should be celebrated in each award the TeachLivE team has received in that the university has a culture and climate of true partnerships, not within, but across disciplines.�

Hughes said: “This latest recognition of our collaborative work as members of the TeachLivE team is wonderful in itself, but even more so as it motivates us to continue ignoring disciplinary walls to help make a positive difference for all aspects of society.�

The TeachLivE concept began more than eight years ago. Today, TeachLivE is delivered to more than 10,000 teachers at 37 partner universities and at other sites including the school districts in Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia counties. A team of more than 25 at UCF supports the technology, development and partnerships.

The current version of TeachLivE requires only a typical computer, a large display and a Microsoft Kinect to allow users to move about the environment and have “natural� interactions with the avatars.

The TLE TeachLivE team says the “sandbox� nature of the program—its ability to be used in different ways and for different purposes—could also have uses in areas outside of education.

Up next for the TeachLivE team is the program’s second annual conference, which will be held at UCF May 22-23.

The conference will include presentations by institutions that use TeachLivE with opportunities to share teaching and research ideas. Actress Cheryl Hines, a UCF alumna, will kick off the conference Thursday at 3:45 p.m. in the Morgridge International Reading Center with a keynote presentation about improvisation.

Other conference sessions will focus on how “virtual rehearsal� can be used to curb teacher anxieties, train counselors and prepare early childhood educators.

Nanoscience and nanotechnology are the study of extremely small things — detectable only with very strong microscopes — and how they can be used in a variety of fields from biology to engineering.

Examples include micro cameras used in surgery, liquids used to repair scratches on cars, stain-resistant clothes and stealth technology that cloaks planes from radar.

Thursday’s approval comes nearly 10 years after UCF opened the , which will run the new program. Students will develop the scientific knowledge necessary to make discoveries, along with the business and entrepreneurial skills they need to take those discoveries to the market.

Government agencies and academic researchers have been working hard to unravel how the nano world works. It’s one of the hottest growth industries with a worldwide market estimated at $1.2 trillion by 2020, according to Global Industry Analysts.

Students will work closely with industry partners, and the NanoScience Technology Center is interested in recruiting additional partners. The center’s faculty members already work with 21 companies. Interested companies can contact center director Sudipta Seal at sudipta.seal@ucf.edu.

The new program is expected to begin this fall with 10 students.

In other action Thursday, the Board of Trustees:

Approved a new bachelor’s degree in Writing and Rhetoric housed in the , which UCF established in 2010. The program, the only one of its kind in Florida, will address employers’ needs by producing graduates who are proficient in analyzing, creating, editing and adapting text. Students will have opportunities to work with community and business partners. The program is expected to begin this fall.

Participated in a demonstration of , which improves teacher practice and student learning by giving educators the opportunity to instruct a virtual classroom full of avatar students. The experience allows teachers-in-training to perfect their skills without impacting any real students and helps veteran teachers hone their expertise or try out new techniques. Mike Hynes, a professor in UCF’s College of Education and Human Performance, created the program with education professor Lisa Dieker, College of Engineering & Computer Science professor Charles Hughes, and an interdisciplinary team that included members of the Synthetic Reality Lab at UCF’s Institute for Simulation & Training. About 40 universities around the country now use TLE TeachLivE to train future educators, and the program has been nationally recognized by both education and simulation and training associations.

Thanked student body president Melissa Westbrook for her service as a trustee during the past year. Westbrook’s term as president ends in early May. She will be replaced on the board by newly elected student body president Weston Bayes.

Approved changes to four student fees beginning in the fall. Following the recommendations of a committee made up of a majority of students, trustees voted to increase the activity and service fee and athletic fee each by 88 cents per credit hour, to reduce the Health fee by 5 cents per credit hour, and to increase the Capital Improvement Trust Fund fee by $2 per credit hour to help pay for Library renovations. The proposed CITF fee increase will take effect only with the approval of the Florida Board of Governors.

Agreed to host the the 10th annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney at Bright House Networks Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 31. UCF was asked to host the game to keep it in Orlando while the Citrus Bowl is being renovated.

TLE TeachLivE earned the 2013 NTSA Governor’s Award for Excellence in Modeling and Simulation from the National Training and Simulation Association.

The UCF software first was chosen as the winner in the NTSA’s training category and then was picked for the top prize from among other competing categories because of its noteworthy, significant and innovative contributions.

The award ceremony was held during the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference– or I/ITSEC– the modeling, simulation and training industry’s largest international trade show held each year in Orlando.

“The focus of I/ITSEC in the past has been the military applications of modeling and simulation. Awarding TLE TeachLivE with the Governor’s Award is an indication that the industry is recognizing that there are other applications, such as education. It’s an honor to be awarded for being on the cutting edge,� said Mike Hynes, a member of the TLE TeachLivE team and professor in UCF’s College of Education and Human Performance.

Hynes created TLE TeachLivE with education professor Lisa Dieker, College of Engineering & Computer Science professor Charles Hughes, and an interdisciplinary team that included members of the Synthetic Reality Lab at UCF’s Institute for Simulation & Training.

TLE TeachLivE improves teacher practice and student learning by giving educators the opportunity to instruct a virtual classroom full of avatar students.

The experience allows teachers-in-training to perfect their skills without impacting any real students. For veteran teachers, practice in a virtual classroom allows them to hone and refine their expertise or try out new techniques.

Since its creation in 2005, TLE TeachLivE has expanded to more than 20 partner sites, including the school districts in Lake and Volusia counties. A $1.5 million grant received in 2012 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is helping the program expand its reach to universities across the country.

This summer, the computer-generated classroom added three new avatars that represent middle schoolers learning English as a second language.

The TLE TeachLivE team says that the “sandbox� nature of the program— its ability to be used in different ways and for different purposes— could also have uses in areas outside of education.

The summit, in its third year, brings together leaders in education, government, business, philanthropy and media to discuss challenges, solutions and innovations in education. Presenters at last year’s summit included President Bill Clinton, former First Lady Laura Bush and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Dieker, a professor and Lockheed Martin Eminent Scholar in the College of Education, is one of the creators of TLE TeachLivE, an innovative teacher simulator developed at UCF that uses avatars in virtual classrooms to train future educators. The program, developed in collaboration with UCF Professors Michael Hynes and Charles Hughes, is currently being used by more than 15 universities across the country. In addition, a three-year research study is being conducted with teachers in mathematics and literacy across 10 universities annually to look at the impact of the simulator on teacher practice and student learning.

The “Education Nation” Summit will take place in New York City on Sept. 23-25. Portions of the education conversation will be showcased through NBC News platforms, including MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, social media, and local affiliates.

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education selected the College of Education’s TLE TechLivE Lab  for its 2012 Best Practices Award, which recognizes the innovative use of technology. The project’s creators will be honored at the association’s 64th annual meeting in Chicago this month.

The lab is unique because student teachers can use it to learn a range of skills or veteran teachers can try out innovative techniques with a group of avatar students in a mixed-reality classroom. Teachers can perfect their skills without working with any real students.

A trained “interactive actor� at UCF controls the avatars whose personalities include shy, defiant and attention seeking. The actor watches the teachers in action. If a teacher fails to use best practices the avatars act up and create a very realistic classroom environment.

The Lab started as a pilot study at UCF in 2003 and has blossomed into a network of universities using labs to give education majors the opportunity to practice what they are learning on virtual students before they face real kids in a classroom.

Partner universities include Florida State º£½ÇÖ±²¥, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Kansas, West Virginia º£½ÇÖ±²¥, Old Dominion º£½ÇÖ±²¥, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Miami º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Ohio, Pace º£½ÇÖ±²¥ in New York City, Western Michigan º£½ÇÖ±²¥ and º£½ÇÖ±²¥ Center of Greenville’s SimHub (which serves all South Carolina schools). Educational institutions in Africa and the United Arab Emirates are considering setting up labs this year.

The innovative “mixed realityâ€� experience augments — not replaces — the classwork and intense internships that are required before student teachers can earn their degrees, so all teachers still have prolonged experiences with actual students as part of their preparation program, said Professor Lisa Dieker, one of the creators of the program.

“We’re often told that, once in the environment, it feels real and then the teachers at all levels want to go back in to practice, to work on something until they get it right,� Dieker added.

Dieker and College of Education Professor Michael Hynes developed TeachLivE with an interdisciplinary team that included UCF’s Institute for Simulation and Training, Synthetic Reality Lab and Computer Science. Professor Charles Hughes of Computer Science works with student actors from IST’s Interactive Realities Lab.

The AACTE selection committee reviewed the Lab’s integration of technology, and also recognized that the lab supports the development of transition skills for students with disabilities and the preparation of teachers in the use of instructional technologies in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“I am pleased to acknowledge this special recognition of the outstanding work of Drs. Dieker and Hynes of the College of Education, Dr. Hughes of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the entire UCF team that helped champion the TLE TeachLivE project,” said UCF President John C. Hitt, President. “Their innovative and collaborative application of research and technology to the profession of education will reverberate with students and educators for generations to come.â€�

The equipment necessary to create a virtual classroom in which the student-teacher interacts with virtual students costs about $6,000 and makes use of some innovative, inexpensive technology, including Skype. Regardless of where the student-teachers are based, the avatars are always controlled at UCF.

Each of the 10 partner universities has signed on to establish a lab on its campus and to track its effectiveness.

Dr. Dieker was nominated by Dr. Kathlene Shank her graduate advisor and she attended the award ceremony in Charleston, Illinois along with her parents Barbara and Scottie DeWitt.

Dr. Dieker received her bachelors and masters degrees from Eastern Illinois º£½ÇÖ±²¥ and her Ph.D. from º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Illinois. She is currently a professor in the College of Education at UCF and the Lockheed Martin Eminent Scholar.