30th Annual Fall Conference on Teaching and Learning (2024)
![30th Annual Fall Conference Logo with drawn picture of an oyster with pearl](/cms4/asset/4E1EDE14-CCD7-E36A-C1461EF14C472362/pearl_logo[1719598103].jpg)
Join us for the 30th Annual Fall Conference on Teaching and Learning. This milestone event promises a day filled with insightful discussions, innovative teaching strategies, and networking opportunities. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with fellow educators and enhance your teaching practice!
Thursday August 15, 2024
8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
L.V. Eberhard Center
Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Schedule
Time |
Agenda |
---|---|
8 a.m. |
Breakfast Available |
8:30 – 9 a.m. |
Welcome Remarks |
9 – 10:30 a.m. |
Keynote Presentation by Dr. Lauren Barbeau |
10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. |
Faculty-led Concurrent Sessions: Teaching Excellence & Experiential Sessions |
12 – 1 p.m. |
Lunch and Book Raffle Winner Announcement |
1 – 2:30 p.m. |
Keynote Presentation by Dr. John Warner |
2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. |
Faculty-led Concurrent Sessions: Disciplinary AI Breakout Discussions |
MORNING KEYNOTE
Six Essentials of Effective Instruction: Using Critical Teaching Behaviors to Transform Conversations about Teaching
How can we effectively communicate about and collaborate on teaching with our colleagues and students? In this presentation, we introduce the Critical Teaching Behaviors (CTB) framework, a tool that synthesizes research on effective teaching practices in higher education into six categories of observable behaviors. Definitions and behaviors listed on the CTB framework help faculty develop a shared understanding of good teaching. This foundation prepares faculty to have productive conversations about teaching with colleagues. When we speak a common language, we can claim agency in telling our teaching stories, share and recognize effective teaching practices, and collaborate to develop more equitable measures for evaluating teaching. In this session, we will lay the foundation for these discussions by exploring the framework, using it to reflect on our teaching, and sharing our strengths and strategies with colleagues.
Dr. Lauren Barbeau is the Assistant Director for Learning and Technology Initiatives at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She earned her Ph.D. in English, specializing in 19th century American Literature with a certificate in American Culture Studies, from Washington University in St. Louis. Before becoming an educational developer, she taught writing and literature courses. She began her educational development career at Georgia Southern University and subsequently served as the Assistant Director for Faculty Development and SoTL at the University of Georgia. Her research interests include teaching with technology as well as documenting and assessing teaching.
![Dr. Lauren Barbeau](/cms4/asset/4E1EDE14-CCD7-E36A-C1461EF14C472362/barbeau_headshot[1718397502].jpg)
Dr. Lauren Barbeau
AFTERNOON KEYNOTE
A former college instructor with 20 years of experience across multiple institutions (University of Illinois, Virginia Tech, Clemson, College of Charleston), Warner now works as a writer, editor, speaker and consultant. In addition to his work in education, for over a decade he’s been a weekly columnist for the Chicago Tribune, writing about books and the habits of reading as his alter ego, “The Biblioracle.” In 2021 he started an associated Substack newsletter, The Biblioracle Recommends, which was a Substack Featured Publication for 2021.
Warner is the other of five other books, including the Washington Post #1 best seller, My First Presidentiary: A Scrapbook of George W. Bush (Crown, co-authored with Kevin Guilfoile), a parody of writing advice books, Fondling Your Muse: Infallible Advice from a Published Author to the Writerly Aspirant (Writer’s Digest), a novel, The Funny Man (Soho), and a collection of short stories (Tough Day for the Army (LSU Press). His fiction, humor, essays and commentary have been published in dozens of outlets including Slate, The Washington Post, and Salon.
From 2005 until 2009 he was editor of the McSweeney’s website (mcsweeneys.net), winning two Webby awards in the process. He continues an association as an editor-at-large for the site. Every year he joins his friend Kevin Guilfoile in the commentary booth for The Morning News Tournament of Books, an annual March Madness tournament to find the “best” work of fiction in a given year. A native of Chicago, Warner lives with his veterinarian wife Kathy in the Charleston, SC area. He is a faculty affiliate at the College of Charleston.
![Dr. John Warner](/cms4/asset/4E1EDE14-CCD7-E36A-C1461EF14C472362/warner-john-300x300[1718400263].jpg)
Dr. John Warner
A.M. Concurrent Session Types
This year's conference will feature 45min sessions around four themes as well as hands-on sessions that provide an experiential window into our classrooms.
ONE – Student Engagement Refresh: Successful change instructors have made in the last few years to better engage students in learning
TWO – Reclaiming a Liberal Education: Deeply and explicitly engaging students in a liberal education
THREE – Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Telling the story of teaching excellence at GVSU
FOUR – Equity-Minded Approaches: Meeting the needs of all students, multicultural approaches to course design
Experiential Sessions: Hands-on sessions wherein participants can experience a colleague's classroom firsthand and learn how instructors are tackling common questions, such as the following. Each session will feature two faculty providing ~15min instructional demonstrations, followed by a debrief and Q&A.
- How can I encourage students to contribute to class discussions?
- How can I make the most of small group activities in class?
- What are ways to ensure that students do the reading?
- How can I help students think more conceptually?
- What are ways to establish a welcoming learning environment?
- How can I better engage students with the syllabus?
- What are ways to have a productive dialogue on a challenging topic?
- How can I balance structure and flexibility in my course?
- How can I best assess and build upon students’ prior learning?
- What are ways to adopt a more multicultural approach in my classes?
- What are ways to set the stage for experiential learning, whether in or outside of the classroom?
- How can I make the most of the fixtures and features in an active learning classroom?
- How can gamification of aspects of my course increase engagement and learning?
Faculty are invited to propose a concurrent session by completing this webform. Proposals that involve multiple facilitators, staff and/or students are welcomed. Priority will be given to Pew FTLC funded/supported projects. Session proposals deadline: Friday July 12.
Submit a Session Proposal
BOOK RAFFLE
The following books are not only wonderful resources, but will also be raffled during the 2024 Fall Conference on Teaching and Learning and added to the Pew FTLC Library (068 JHZ). To the extent possible, these books will also be made available in eBook form through University Libraries.
Past Conferences on Teaching & Learning
2022
BECOMING A STUDENT READY COLLEGE: SHIFTING MINDSETS AND CHALLENGING NORMS
DR. TIA BROWN MCNAIR
2021
TEACHING FOR EQUITY WHEN WE'RE TOGETHER AGAIN: EMBRACING CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
DR. ISIS ARTZE-VEGA
2020
A NEW 3RS OF EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE
DR. JOSÉ BOWEN
2019
LIBERAL EDUCATION IN ACTION
DR. MONA HANNA ATTISHA
2018
IMPACT OF NARRATIVE ON TEACHING AND LEARNING
MICAELA BLEI OF THE MOTH