ELON COLLEGE – College and university faculty members from across the nation will gather at Elon College Sept. 23 – 25 for a conference focusing on trends in teaching and learning in higher education. The second biennial conference is titled “Challenge & Response: Rethinking Key Issues in College Learning. ”
Keynote speakers are James L. Ratcliff, senior scientist at the Center for the Study of Higher Education and professor in the higher education program at Penn State University, and John McDermott, distinguished professor of philosophy and humanities and the Abell Professor of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University.
Faculty members, individually and in teams, will make presentations on the changing environment in higher education classrooms. “Teachers are dealing with new technology, changing student expectations and the challenge of connecting learning to the post-graduate world,” said Fred Rubeck, conference chair and assistant professor of performing arts at Elon. “This conference will explore innovative teaching techniques, changes in college curriculum and tactics to help faculty members adapt to trends in the academy.”
Faculty teams from four colleges and universities will make major presentations on the conference’s main topics. Elon College faculty members will present on the challenge of connected learning on Thursday. Faculty from the New College of the University of South Florida in Sarasota will discuss the role of the academic major on Friday morning. On Friday afternoon, a group from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., will examine the impact of technology on teaching and learning, and faculty from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., will discuss the changing roles of students and faculty on Saturday.
Faculty groups from 15 colleges and universities from across the nation will gather for roundtable discussions on various subjects within each topic area. Topics include the following:
Connecting classroom experiences to out-of class experiences
Enhancing classroom instruction through technology
Using a student ombudsman to enhance communication in the college classroom
Rethinking the student-teacher relationship
Preparing seniors for their transition from campus
The conference is open to the public. The registration fee is $90 if paid before Sept. 9; after Sept. 9, the fee is $100. For more information or to register, visit the Elon College Website at www.elon.edu/c&r99 , or call Fred Rubeck, assistant professor of performing arts, (336) 584-2114.
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