Higher Ed Disrupted: Upcoming virtual conference addresses the future of learning
OVERLAND PARK (May 12, 2021) – The KU Edwards Campus is host of this year’s Virtual Big 12 Teaching and Learning Conference. Higher education educators are invited to this conference to engage in discussion around how to enhance student learning, the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning, inclusive teaching practices, the latest educational research and more.
Many colleges and universities have reported difficulties in knowing how to build upon today’s ability to collaborate with individuals across the globe and access diverse opportunities to learn from each other. Big 12 colleagues will share how to best keep students engaged through alternative course delivery formats and its potential lasting impact on the future of higher education.
The conference features two days full of presentations, interactive workshops, lightning rounds, keynote speakers and more, all offered online. For a full schedule of the two-day conference, visit the conference schedule.
The conference is a timely event for higher education educators to connect with peers and dive into strategies to create enriched learning opportunities and to engage students. “This conference will provide a platform for faculty, staff, and administration to come together and talk about best practices related to assessment, teaching and student learning,” said Ben Wolfe, associate dean of the School of Professional Studies. “This is especially prudent as we navigate the changing landscape of higher education and student learning as brought about by the pandemic.”
The two main events of the conference will be the keynote speaker Brian Beatty, associate professor of instructional technologies at San Francisco State University, and the plenary session by Adrianna Kezar, Wilbur Kieffer Endowed Professor and Dean's Professor of Leadership, University of Southern California, director of the Pullias Center and director of the Delphi Project.
Beatty will focus on the Hybrid-Flexible (HyFlex) Course Design, which is currently being used in many institutions around the world to teach both classroom and online students in the same classes, with the same instructor, and allow students the choice of participation mode. He will highlight the strategic values of HyFlex delivery, four fundamental design principles, and a recommended design process.
Kezar’s session will explore some of the unintentional lessons from the COVID-19 crisis, during which campuses ramped up professional development for teaching online. One of the byproducts of this effort was enhanced support for lecturers and adjuncts at many campuses.
The Virtual Big 12 Teaching and Learning Conference takes place on June 10-11 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Those interested in attending this year’s Virtual Big 12 Teaching and Learning Conference, can visit the registration page.
About The University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. Its mission is to lift students and society by educating leaders, building healthy communities and making discoveries that change the world. The KU Edwards Campus at 127th Street and Quivira Road in Overland Park brings the high-quality academic, professional and continuing education programs as well as research and public-service benefits of KU to the Greater Kansas City community in order to serve the workforce, economic and community development needs of the region.
