Conference Program
What will the AFC Include?
Schedule
8:15am – 9:00am | Check-in (Lobby, 200BC) |
9:00am – 9:15am | General Session: Welcome (200BC) Dr. Stephanie Laggini Fiore, Associate Vice Provost and Sr. Director, Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Temple University Dr. Jennifer Wood, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Temple University |
9:15am – 10:45am | General Session, Keynote Speaker: Dr. Joshua Eyler: Ariadne’s Thread: Finding Our Way Through Challenging Times by Focusing on Human-Centered Learning, (200BC) |
10:45am – 11:00am | Break |
11:00am – 12:00pm | Morning Workshop Sessions (217A, 217B, 217C, 217D, 220, 223) |
12:00pm – 1:00pm | Lunch Break (200ABC) |
1:00pm – 1:45pm | Teaching Innovation Exhibition (the Underground) |
2:00pm – 3:00pm | Afternoon Workshop Sessions (217A, 217B, 217C, 217D, 220, 223) |
3:00pm – 3:15pm | Break |
3:15pm – 3:30pm | General Session Wrap up (200BC) Announcement of Teaching Innovation Exhibition Winners (200ABC) |
8:15am – 9:00am | Check-in (200BC) |
9:00am – 9:15am | Opening Remarks (200BC) Dr. Stephanie Laggini Fiore, Associate Vice Provost and Sr. Director, Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Temple University President John Fry, Temple University |
9:15am – 10:45am | General Session, Plenary Speaker: Dr. Tia Brown McNair: Delivering on Pathways to Promise: Intentionality, Inclusion, and Innovation (200BC) |
10:45am – 11:00am | Break |
11:00am – 11:45pm | Morning Breakout Sessions (217A, 217B, 217C, 217D, 220, 223) |
11:45pm – 12:45pm | Lunch Break (200ABC) |
1:00pm – 1:45pm | Afternoon Breakout Sessions (217A, 217B, 217C, 217D, 220, 223) |
1:45pm – 2:00pm | Break |
2:00pm – 3:15pm | Lightning Round (200BC) |
3:15pm – 3:30pm | General Session Closing (200BC) |
Keynote & Plenary Speakers
Keynote Session: Dr. Joshua Eyler
Ariadne’s Thread: Finding Our Way Through Challenging Times by Focusing on Human-Centered Learning
Wednesday, January 7
Higher Education finds itself at an inflection point right now. Internal and external pressures, ongoing crises, and existential questions about our mission threaten to derail our central focus: working with students to help them build meaningful lives. We can find our way through the labyrinth of the moment by recentering our efforts to help students learn effectively. As we seek to find out more about the ways in which human beings learn, we often run into misconceptions and neuromyths that muddy the waters much more than they help us to understand what is happening when we learn something new. In this talk, we will explore some of these misconceptions and then look toward the science of learning for more productive answers by exploring intersections between anthropology, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and educational research that can yield important insights into student learning–particularly in terms of curiosity, sociality, emotion, empathy, authenticity, and failure.
Plenary Session: Dr. Tia Brown McNair
Delivering on Pathways to Promise: Intentionally, Inclusion, and Innovation
Thursday, January 8
Fulfilling the promise of postsecondary student success requires approaches to teaching and learning that are intentional, embrace inclusion, and foster innovation. In this session we will explore strategies for designing learning environments where all students can thrive, grounded in evidence-based practices that promote engagement and academic excellence. You will experience how intentional curriculum design, inclusive pedagogies, and innovative instructional strategies work together to create clear and supportive pathways from enrollment to completion. Through real-world examples and collaborative dialogue, you will learn how to align your teaching and learning practices with institutional promises of opportunity, achievement, and lifelong success.
Workshops
Distinguished faculty across Temple who have completed our Provost’s Teaching Academy will be facilitating 60-minute, interactive workshops on day 1 of the conference. The workshop topics will build on the theme of the conference and on the topics presented by our keynote and plenary speakers. In the workshops, you will have the chance to take a deeper dive into select topics and apply what you have learned to your own courses.
Breakout Sessions
These peer-reviewed 45-minute interactive sessions generally include a “mini-lecture” format with activities and demonstrations of teaching methods, as well as guided discussions about the topic at hand. Topics include engaging students, deepening learning, harnessing emotion in the classroom, teaching with technology, and maximizing the benefits of different modalities of teaching in higher education. Breakout sessions will take place on day 2 of the conference.
Lightning Talks
Lightning Talks are 15-minute peer-reviewed mini-sessions to learn about creative teaching ideas that colleagues have implemented. The talks are designed to provide brief introductions and explanations of the idea followed by a question and answer period. Talks are presented multiple times, providing participants the opportunity to hear multiple presentations. Lightning Talks will take place on day 2 of the conference.
Teaching Innovation Exhibition (New Format)
Highlighting novel classroom-based research and creative teaching and learning projects, attendees will have the opportunity to view exhibits and discuss with their presenters while interacting with peers in the Underground.
Networking
This year’s Annual Faculty Conference remains a fully interactive event with opportunities to network, catch up with colleagues, and find space to discuss exciting topics.