Conference Program
What will the AFC Include?
Our 2021 conference has passed. Are you curious about what it included? Read the descriptions below of each session.
Keynote & Plenary Speakers
Keynote Session: Dr. Kevin Gannon
Inclusive Teaching Online in Exclusionary Times
Wednesday, January 6
Day one will feature keynote speaker, Dr. Kevin Gannon, Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and Professor of History at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. An historian of race and racisms in US history, he appeared in the 2016 Oscar-nominated documentary 13th. He is the author of Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto, part of the West Virginia University Press series Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, edited by James M. Lang.
These have been difficult times for educators who care about equity and inclusion. Against the backdrop of a problematic political and social climate, our increasing reliance on digital and online pedagogies has highlighted a whole range of inequities—particularly when it comes to access. Whether it’s access to decent internet connections or to the types of support and cultural capital that makes online learning less daunting, we and our students know this is a significant problem. In this session, Kevin Gannon will address these types of disparities regarding access and provide some specific strategies we can use to mitigate their effects in the learning spaces we create with our students. Using the concept of “bandwidth” both literally and metaphorically, he will examine ways in which we can design and teach inclusively even in fully-online courses, and create the conditions in which all of our students have an equitable opportunity to succeed.
In addition to the keynote address, the day featured a poster session with submissions from faculty around the region and interactive breakout sessions. Topics included engaging students, deepening learning, harnessing emotion in the classroom, teaching with technology, and maximizing the benefits of different modalities of teaching in higher education.
Plenary Session: Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanagh
Energizing Learning in Uncertain Times with the Science of Emotion
Thursday, January 7
Day two of the conference will feature plenary speaker Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanagh, a psychologist, professor, and Associate Director of the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption University. Her research considers whether the strategies people choose to regulate their emotions and the degree to which they successfully accomplish this regulation can predict trajectories of psychological functioning over time. Her most recent research project, funded by the Davis Educational Foundation, focuses on whether giving students tools from emotion regulation at the start of class can improve their same-day and semester-long learning. Sarah’s first book, The Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion, was published in 2016 and her second book, HIVEMIND: The New Science of Tribalism in Our Divided World, was published in 2019.
Historically we have constructed our classrooms with the assumption that learning is a dry, staid affair best conducted in quiet tones and ruled by an unemotional consideration of the facts. The pedagogical world, however, is beginning to awaken to the potential power of emotions to fuel learning, informed by contributions from psychology and neuroscience. Moreover, our students were experiencing an alleged epidemic of mental health problems, particularly anxiety, even before 2020’s multiple layers of upheaval. In this interactive presentation, Sarah Rose Cavanagh will argue that if you as an educator want to capture your students’ attention, enhance their motivation, harness their working memory, bolster their long-term retention, and encourage habits related to good mental health, you should consider the emotional impact of your teaching style and course design. To make this argument, she will bring to bear empirical evidence from the study of education, psychology, and neuroscience. The presentation will conclude with practical examples of activities and assignments that capitalize on this research and can be implemented in your very next class.
In addition to the plenary address, the second day of the conference will feature workshops facilitated by Temple University’s Provost’s Teaching Academy faculty and lightning talks led by faculty from Temple as well as other institutions around the region.

Dr. Kevin Gannon
Keynote Speaker
Kevin Gannon is Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and Professor of History at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanagh
Plenary Speaker
Sarah Rose Cavanagh is a psychologist, professor, and Associate Director of the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption University.
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 1 of the conference.
Workshops
Distinguished faculty across Temple who have completed our Provost’s Teaching Academy will be facilitating 75-minute, interactive workshops on day 2 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.
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.
Poster Presentations
This year, the poster session will be held in an on-demand, asynchronous environment. As usual, these peer-reviewed posters will highlight creative and effective teaching and learning practices and projects. Participants will have access to audio/video recorded presentations created by the submitting scholars who will describe their innovative work as if at an in-person conference. In addition, the posters will be available as a resource after the conference.
Networking
Although virtual, 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.
Connect with others Through Gather
As a way to help attendees connect, the conference features Gather, a proximity video chat that allows users to navigate a virtual space with others and join in on conversations large or small. Attendees can chat, share resources, play games, and utilize a white board. Check out the demo on Gather’s webpage and consider joining! Gather will be open from 11:45 – 1:45 on Wednesday, January 6th and from 12:15 – 1:30 on Thursday, January 7th. We will share a link to our virtual space soon.
Social Media
You can also connect with others through social media. Use and look for our hashtag #catfc21 on Instagram and Twitter. We’d love to see your post, so make sure you tag us (@TempleUCAT) on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, too. We encourage attendees to share their thoughts, find new ideas, and connect with others!
Schedule
8:30am – 8:45am | Arrival and Greeting |
8:45am – 9:00am | General Session: Welcome |
9:00am – 10:30am |
General Session, Keynote Speaker: Kevin Gannon Inclusive Teaching Online in Exclusionary Times |
10:30am – 11:00am | Break |
11:00am – 11:45pm | Morning Breakout Sessions |
11:45pm – 1:45pm |
Lunch Break Networking on Gather Poster Session (Asyncronous) |
1:45pm – 2:30pm | Afternoon Breakout Sessions |
2:30pm – 2:45pm | Break |
2:45pm – 4:30pm | Poster Session (Asyncronous) |
8:30am – 8:45am | Arrival and Greeting |
8:45am – 9:00am | General Session & Welcome |
9:00am – 10:30am | General Session, Plenary Speaker: Sarah Cavanagh Energizing Learning in Uncertain Times with the Science of Emotion |
10:30am – 11:00am | Break |
11:00am – 12:15pm | Morning Workshops |
12:15pm – 1:30pm | Lunch Break Networking on Gather Poster Session (Asyncronous) |
1:30pm – 2:45pm | Afternoon Workshops |
2:45pm – 3:00pm | Break |
3:00pm – 4:15pm | Lightning Round |
4:15pm – 4:30pm | Conference Wrap-up |