CELT opens registration for annual Fall Teaching Conference

Registration is open for the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching’s annual Fall Teaching Conference at Purdue University Fort Wayne. The conference will be held Aug. 21 in the International Ballroom at Walb Student Union.

Peter Felton, executive director of the Center for Engaged Learning at Elon University in North Carolina, will deliver the keynote address titled “Relationship-Rich Education.” A professor of history and assistant provost for teaching and learning, Felton has published seven books about undergraduate education, including “Connections are Everything: A College Student’s Guide to Relationship-Rich Education.” He’s currently working with two co-authors on a book about scholarship of teaching and learning. It’s scheduled to be published later this year.

“Peter offers highly practical and time-efficient strategies that faculty can use to accomplish their goals for relationship-rich teaching,” said Rachel Ramsey, assistant director for faculty teaching development at PFW. “Our faculty tend to enjoy speakers who help them expand their knowledge and foster their passion for teaching and learning, but they especially like presenters who can help them put their ideas into practice. Based on our assessment of Peter's work, we are confident he'll deliver on this need for actionable approaches to relational teaching.”

The event also includes breakout sessions featuring PFW faculty and staff.

• Kristin Barker, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Human Services, will headline “Choice and Connection: Enhancing Student Engagement with the Power of Relationships.”
• Austin Rausch, assistant professor in the Department of Theatre, and Andrea Bearman, CELT instructional designer, will present on “Bridging Creativity and Connection: UDL-driven Gamification for Powerful Analysis.”
• Sarah LeBlanc, associate professor in the Department of Communication, and Naomi Gurevich, associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, will lead “Syllabus as an Onion: Kickstarting Student-Instructor Relationships from Day 1.”
• Suin Roberts, CELT teaching development fellow, will discuss “The Educator’s Presence: Cultivating Relationship-Rich Classrooms.”
• Kevin Stoller, CELT instructional designer, will speak on “When Connection Costs: Exploring the Tensions of Relationship-Rich Education.”
• Bearman will also hold an interactive session on “Bridging the Feedback Gap: Strategies to Cultivate Feedback Literacy.”

Admission is free, and participants can sign up for two of the six options. Last year, 135 attended the event.

“This brings faculty together and generates energy and excitement for the semester,” said Adam Dircksen, CELT’s executive director. “It gives them things that they can walk away with and implement Day 1 of the semester.”

The CELT team partners with any of PFW’s teaching staff to address whatever is asked for. If a professor wants to redesign a class, work on engaging students more effectively, or become more proficient at online presentations—or any other teaching-related needs—CELT will work to offer suggestions and implement the faculty’s choices.