Fairfield University's Center for Academic Excellence Conference to host conference on innovation in teaching and learning | Press Releases

Image: S Klaff Fairfield University's Center for Academic Excellence will present its 13th annual Innovative Pedagogy & Course Redesign Conference, themed "Collaborations for Empowerment & Learning," from Thursday, May 29 to Friday, May 30, 2014. The conference is designed for those who work in higher education. Last year, it drew 120 participants, some traveling from all over the United States, and as far away as Qatar.

The goal of the conference reflects the mission of the Center for Academic Excellence, which strives to support innovation and scholarship in teaching and learning across Fairfield University. To register, visit data.fairfield.edu/academic/cae/evals/survey.lasso?survey=ev0141 .

Laurence Miners, Ph.D., the Center's interim director and professor of economics, said the event will celebrate and showcase excellence and innovations in all areas of teaching, faculty support and development, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and community-engaged teaching and scholarship. "We see this annual conference as an opportunity to learn from each other, to build connections and collaborations and to reflect upon the meaningfulness and impact of our work as educators and scholars."

Featured presenters include Peter Felten, Ph.D., who plans an interactive session on "Partnering with Students," exploring practical approaches to student-faculty partnerships in teaching and learning, based on research that demonstrates the importance of student engagement in learning. Dr. Felten is the assistant provost of Elon University, where he is executive director of the Center for Advancement of Teaching and Learning and of the Center for Engaged Learning. Dr. Felten, also an associate professor of history at Elon, is co-author of the new book, "Engaging Students as Partners in Learning and Teaching: A Guide for Faculty" (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2014).

Katie Linder, Ph.D., director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Suffolk University in Boston, Mass., will engage participants in the closing plenary session, "Helping Students Learn in an Age of Digital Distraction." She'll explore how to break through the cognitive overload and discuss how to help students develop effective strategies for learning in the midst of this age of digital distraction.

New this year is a one-day e-learning pre-conference on Wednesday, May 28, involving a partnership with the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium (CTDLC) and Fairfield University's Office of Academic Computing. Entitled, "E3: Engagement, Empowerment & E-Learning," its featured presenter is ‌Rob Robinson, Ph.D., principal strategist at Blackboard, where he focuses on strategic consulting engagements in higher education and online program management.

Image: This year's Center for Academic Excellence conference is themed "Collaborations for Empowerment & Learning," taking place Thursday, May 29 to Friday, May 30, 2014. Pictured is Suzanna Klaf, Ph.D., associate director of the Center for Academic Excellence, center, at a previous event.