Dear Colleagues and Friends,
We are happy to invite you to our 5th Annual Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Conference at Maryville University on September 20-21, 2013. We are also pleased to announce that this year’s program and format will offer some exciting new design elements that we believe fit well with the rapidly changing terrain of higher education. These new elements are captured in our theme: Maryville Talks Teaching and Learning in a Time of Challenge and Change.
All of us in higher education are now being buffeted by strong winds of change fueled by, among other forces, extraordinary technological developments, diverse student populations, and struggling economies. In one way or another, many students are asking why they should come to our campuses, why they should pay so much for their education, and how secure they can be that they will leave well-prepared for future employment. Faculty members are wondering how to engage learners in deep academic study and serious reflection when so many of them are used to instantly accessing factual information on the Internet. Potential employers are complaining that many job applicants today with bachelors’ degrees are ill-equipped to handle the critical thinking and problem-solving demands of the workplace. College and university administrators feel compelled to develop strategic plans for addressing these issues, but, at the same time, know with certainty that the future is highly uncertain.
Given these challenging times, we at Maryville decided to use the occasion of our 5th Annual SoTL Conference to broaden the scope of our program. In addition to our continuing focus on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, we will feature extended opportunities to generate, examine, and discuss from multiple perspectives traditional and innovative responses for supporting thoughtful teaching, active student learning, and meaningful research in the next decade. Here are some of the highlights of our newly designed conference weekend:
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20th
Keynote Speaker: Lee S. Shulman
To address the theme of teaching and learning in a time of challenge and change, we are honored to bring to our campus, Lee S. Shulman, president emeritus of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. We know of no other educator better suited to give us perspective on what we must preserve and what we must change in higher education to insure that our future students experience the highest quality of teaching and learning as they move into a rapidly changing and largely unknowable world. He will bring his extraordinary intellect, achievements, and life-long focus on teaching, learning, and research to bear on the complexities of today and the possibilities of tomorrow.
Lee Shulman is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus and Professor of Psychology Emeritus (by courtesy) at Stanford University. From 1963 to 1982 he served as Professor of Educational Psychology and Medical Education at Michigan State University. It was there he founded and co-directed the Institute for Research on Teaching (IRT). He holds all of his academic degrees from the University of Chicago.
Shulman’s research and writings have dealt with:
- the study of teaching and teacher education
- the scholarship of teaching and learning in K-12 and higher education
- the assessment of teaching
- medical education
- the psychology of instruction in science, mathematics, and medicine
- the logic of educational research
- the quality of teaching in higher education
- the role of pedagogical content knowledge in teaching
- the role of “signature pedagogies” in education in the professions and in doctoral education
A past president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the National Academy of Education, Lee has received many prestigious honors:
- AERA’S Career Reward for Distinguished Contributions to Educational Research.
- American Psychological Association’s E.L. Thorndike Award for Distinguished Psychological Contributions to Education,
- Guggenheim Fellow and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
- 2006 Grawemeyer Prize in Education.
Provocative Panels: Outstanding Community Leaders and Students
Following Lee Schulman’s keynote address, we will feature a panel of community “visionaries” representing the fields of business/economics, arts and humanities, sciences, the health professions and K-12 education to present how they see the future of higher education from outside the system. In addition, we will feature a panel of the ultimate insiders of the higher education system: undergraduate and graduate students. Our conference goal is to link the expertise of a renowned scholar of education with the perspectives of “consumers” of our higher education system in order to have robust conversations and gain new insights into innovative solutions to our most pressing challenges.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st
SoTL Saturday with Lee Shulman
Although Lee Shulman’s leadership has left an indelible imprint in a multitude of educational arenas, many of us believe that his greatest single achievement was the creation, in collaboration with Carnegie Foundation colleagues Pat Hutchings and Mary Huber, of the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL). It was his vision that took Ernest Boyer’s exciting but underdeveloped concept of the Scholarship of Teaching and developed it into a program that has transformed the way in which many higher education institutions and academics, nationally and internationally, think about teaching, learning, and research. On Saturday morning, we will be privileged to hear Lee talk about his commitment to the power of SoTL and the pivotal role it can play in the future of higher education.
Please make plans with colleagues to join us for what is sure to be a unique and memorable experience and consider submitting a proposal for presentation as well.
Registration, Conference Fees and Schedule of Events:
Registration for the conference is open. You can see the tentative schedule on our website.
Registration Fees
Early Registration (by August 15) for Individuals: ($300.00, same as last year)
- Registration for Groups of 4 or more from the same institution: ($225.00 same as last year)
- Registration Fee for Students: $80.00 (same as last year)
- Late Registration Fee (after August 30): $50.00 (same as last year)
Registration Fee includes:
- Friday Breakfast, Lunch, and Late Afternoon Reception
- Saturday Breakfast and Box Lunch
- All conference materials
- Snacks throughout the conference
If you have questions concerning the conference, please direct your questions to the following email address: musotl@maryville.edu
We look forward to greeting you at the conference and exploring with you these critical issues of our time.
Marilyn M. Cohn, Director, Finch Center for Teaching and Learning
2013 Conference Coordinator; SoTL Facilitator
Maryville University
