Virginia Tech to host international conference on the scholarship of teaching and learning

30 Jan 2015

More than 1,000 people from 50 countries and 46 states as well as the District of Columbia are expected to attend Virginia Tech’s seventh annual Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy.

The conference, which will feature practice, research, conversation, and poster sessions focusing on higher education teaching excellence and the scholarship of teaching and learning, will be held Feb. 4-6 at the Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center.

Registration for the conference is free; however, attendees must sign-up online so organizers can record attendance and communicate properly with participants before and after the event. Without registration fees, academic and corporate sponsors as well as the Center for Instructional Development and Educational Research cover the cost of the event.

“While the conference is free, the content is rich,” said Peter Doolittle, assistant provost for teaching and learning and executive director of the Center for Instructional Development and Educational Research. “We are proud that this conference showcases the best pedagogical practice and research in higher education today.”

The conference begins with a keynote address from Terry Doyle, nationally recognized educational consultant and professor of reading at Ferris State University. His address is titled, “A New Paradigm for Student Learning.” Over the next three days, the conference will feature more than 300 research, practice, conservation, and poster sessions on a variety of higher education pedagogy topics.

After a successful launch of pre-conference workshops last year, the conference will offer a full day once again on Tuesday, Feb. 3. The pre-conference workshop registration fee is $250.

The conference features multiple social events to allow attendees to network. Outreach and International Affairs is hosting an international reception to celebrate participants coming from 50 countries outside the United States. Finally, there are many groups to join or create to bring together conference participants with commonalities.

The conference will conclude on Friday, Feb. 6, with a keynote from Paul Hanstedt, professor of English at Roanoke College. His speech is titled, “Reconsidering ‘Whole Person’ Education: What Do We Really Want for Our Students – and How Can We Get Them There?” Hanstedt is a 2013 SCHEV Outstanding Faculty Award recipient and winner of the 2014 CASE Virginia Professor of the Year Award.

A full schedule of events and session topics can be found on the conference website.