Pathways to Motivation: Pedagogical Strategies for Cultivating Student Success
Temple University’s 23rd Annual Faculty Conference on Teaching Excellence
January 8 & 9, 2025
Howard Gittis Student Center at Temple University
The Annual Faculty Conference is hosted by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and co-sponsored by Temple Libraries, Office of Digital Education, Information Technology Services and the General Education Program.
Our theme this year is Pathways to Motivation: Pedagogical Strategies for Cultivating Student Success.
This year’s Annual Faculty Conference will explore new and tried-and-true approaches to inspiring and sustaining student engagement in today’s evolving educational landscape. Attendees will learn practical strategies that enhance student motivation and success, including the application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, integrative course design, and effective use of generative AI tools. Key themes will include the vital role of relationships, resilience, and reflection in motivating learners, inspired by insights from keynote and plenary speakers Tom Tobin and José Bowen. From reducing student anxiety to fostering more meaningful classroom interactions, conference sessions will equip you with actionable techniques to support student success with an eye to balancing your own professional responsibilities. Join us to discover how we can collectively cultivate motivated, resilient learners and create more effective, compassionate educational environments.
If you have any questions regarding our conference please contact cat@temple.edu
About the CAT
The Annual Faculty Conference on Teaching Excellence is hosted by Temple University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching.
Learn more about the CAT by visiting the CAT webpage.
Guest Speakers
Dr. Thomas Tobin
Keynote Speaker
Thomas J. Tobin helped found the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Teaching, Learning, and Mentoring, and he is an internationally recognized scholar, author, and speaker on technology-mediated education—especially copyright, evaluation of teaching practices, academic integrity, accessibility, and universal design for learning. He holds a master’s and Ph.D. in English literature, an information science master’s, and certifications in project management (PMP), online teaching (MOT), Quality Matters (QM), accessibility (CPACC), and academic leadership (Penn State). On Ed Tech Magazine’s 2020 Influencers “Dean’s List,” honored with the 2022 Wagner Award for Leadership in Distance Learning Administration, and one of Eduflow’s 2023 global Top 100 Learning Influencers, Tom serves on the boards of Advances in Online Education, InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, and the Oklahoma University Press Teaching, Engaging, and Thriving in Higher Ed series.
Dr. José Bowen
Plenary Speaker
José Antonio Bowen has been leading innovation and change for over 40 years at Stanford, Georgetown and the University of Southampton (UK), as a dean at Miami University and SMU and as President of Goucher College. Bowen has worked as a musician with Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck, and many others and his symphony was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Music (1985). Bowen holds four degrees from Stanford and has written over 100 scholarly articles and books, including the Cambridge Companion to Conducting (2003), Teaching Naked (2012 and the winner of the Ness Award for Best Book on Higher Education), Teaching Naked Techniques withG. Edward Watson (2017) and Teaching Change: How to Develop Independent Thinkers using Relationships, Resilience and Reflection (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2021). Bowen has appeared in The New York Times,Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and has three TED talks. Stanford honored him as a Distinguished AlumniScholar (2010) and he has presented keynotes and workshops at more than 300 campuses and conferences 46 states and 17 countries around the world. In 2018, he was awarded the Ernest L. Boyer Award (for significant contributions to American higher education). He is a senior fellow for the American Association of Colleges And Universities.
What Past Attendees Have Said
“Loved the practical tips I can incorporate into my teaching right away, as well as the more ponderable thoughts I can digest over time. A nice mix of both!”
“As always, this is my third, the conference is well organized with awesome selections for the guest speakers, breakout sessions, and lightning talks.”
“The presentations were engaging, informative, and well articulated.”