Connection: Closing the Distance

POD Member
44th Annual Conference
Registration

Non-Member
44th Annual Conference
Registration

Educational developers are expert connectors. By bringing together the right people, ideas, and resources, we advance our most cherished cause: expanding access to higher learning.  As they work to accomplish this goal, today’s educational developers can draw on a massive and still-growing base of knowledge on how people learn. But is our field truly taking advantage of this evidence base, as consistently and as powerfully as it could? Missed opportunities for bringing theory to practice happen because of critical disconnections between the research base and the entities with the power to act on that research. In this interactive keynote presentation, Dr. Michelle Miller will identify these gaps, explain why they exist, and invite participants to take action to close these gaps for good.

Dr. Michelle D. Miller is Director of the First Year Learning Initiative, Professor of Psychological Sciences, and President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow at Northern Arizona University. Dr. Miller completed her Ph.D. in cognitive psychology and behavioral neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests include memory, attention, and student success in the early college career.

Dr. Miller co-created the First Year Learning Initiative at Northern Arizona University and is active in course redesign, serving as a Redesign Scholar for the National Center for Academic Transformation. She is the author of Minds Online: Teaching Effectively with Technology, and she has written about evidence-based pedagogy in scholarly as well as general-interest publications including College Teaching, Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and The Conversation.

Dr. Miller is passionate about helping instructors create more effective and engaging learning experiences, and helping students become more effective learners, all through the application of principles derived from cognitive psychology and learning sciences.

$160

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Breakfast on Thursday is included for participants of W1. In addition, participants of W1 receive a copy of Faculty Development in the Age of Evidence by Andrea Beach, Mary Deane Sorcinelli, Ann E. Austin, and Jaclyn K. Rivard.

• Debra Rudder Lohe, Saint Louis University
• Amber Young-Brice, Marquette University
• Daniel Mann, UCI Irvine
• Suzanne Tapp, Texas Tech University
• Leslie Ortquist-Ahrens, Berea College
• Deandra Little, Elon University
• Jim Berg, Borough of Manhattan Community College

This highly interactive workshop orients new(er) educational developers to the field. Participants will consider selected educational development research and foundational practices and will reflect on priorities for their own contexts. Specific components of the workshop include skill-building for: consulting with individuals and groups; developing effective programming; and assessing educational development work at the individual and program/center level. Participants will leave the session with a big-picture view of educational development, enhanced educational development skills, a set of resources to guide continuing development, and a support network to help them achieve their goals.

Audience: New/Recent Educational Developers (5 years or less)

$120

Details

• Eric Fournier, Samford University
• Lindsay Bernhagen, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point

THIS WORKSHOP IS NOW CLOSED:  POD Writes initiative is a collaborative research and writing program that brings together POD members to collectively create a SoTL publication. The program involves a full day of face-to-face work immediately prior to the annual POD conference and includes remote collaborative work before and after this hands-on workshop. Ultimate goal for each group is to create a manuscript suitable for publication in To Improve the Academy. We welcome researchers at all stages and will lead participants through steps designed to generate and refine ideas, stimulate diverse avenues of inquiry, and work together to produce scholarly articles.

Note: In order to be considered for one of the writing teams, participants must pre-register for this workshop by October 4, 2019 (the early bird deadline for conference registration). Registration is limited to 30 participants.

Audience: POD Network Members

$120

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• Chandani Patel, New York University
• Cheryl Richardson, University of Delaware
• Daniel Guberman, Purdue University
• Riley Caldwell-O’Keefe, Amherst College

How do our identities and positionalities as educational developers within specific institutional structures impact our ability to support and advance inclusive academic cultures? This session explores research in educational development, critical pedagogy, intercultural competence, and affect theory to examine the interplay of identity, emotions, and power for the professional development of educational developers. We will explore relational frameworks through the lens of identity, power, and privilege, unpack the practical implications of these dynamics within affinity groups, and build institutionally specific and identity-based strategies to create more equitable educational development career pathways for participants fueled by ongoing critical self-awareness.

Audience: POD Network Members

$120

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• Zala Fashant, Minnesota University
• Stewart Ross, Minnesota State University

Faculty and instructional designers understand the importance of delivering quality courses. Through team-based learning activities, participants will apply the elements of design to their courses, use hands-on materials to integrate course design and develop the alignment of course outcomes, assessments and learning activities. Evolving beyond integrating the course design, participants will expand their course design blueprint to include developing course communication plans, creating ADA-accessibility learning materials, integrating learning technologies, and assessing course design quality to deliver significant learning. Having delivered 175 workshops and courses, the presenters will share examples of how faculty used the taxonomy to create high-quality courses.

Audience: Faculty and faculty who are also part-time educational developers; Center Directors; Instructional Designers, Technologists, and Technology Integration Specialists

$70

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• Douglas Jerolimov, Indiana University—Purdue University Indianapolis
• Thomas McManus Fox, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
• Mandy McGrew, Kennesaw State University
• Sarah Oliver, Creighton University
• Laurie Grupp, Providence College

Adjunct faculty make-up more than 50% of the teaching force in American higher education. Therefore, it is essential that faculty developers think about and create programming for this population. Using the Delphi Project model, facilitators from the Adjunct/Part-Time Faculty SIG will walk participants through their understanding of adjunct faculty needs, sharing that understanding with stakeholders, and offering strategies in response. The workshop will provide opportunities for participant collaboration to develop an action plan for their institution. Participants will explore programming options to help integrate their adjunct faculty into a culture of teaching using workshops, learning communities, etc.

Audience: Adjunct & Part-time Faculty; Administrators (Assoc. Deans, Deans, Vice Provosts, Assoc. VPs); POD Network Members

$70

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• Esther Jordan, Kennesaw State University
• Michele DiPietro, Kennesaw State University
• Joshua Eyler, Rice University
• Anna Flaming, University of Iowa
• Claire Lamonica, Illinois State University
• Julia Metzker, Stetson University
• Kimberly Whiter, Jefferson College of Health Sciences

Congratulations—you’re doing educational development! What are the opportunities, challenges, and risks before you: reaching all constituents, budgeting, prioritizing, advocating, establishing professional identity, evaluating your program, meeting increased demands? This session offers early and mid-career educational developers an opportunity to consult with peers and experienced mentors. Prior to the session, participants select an issue they want to examine closely. The session provides a safe place to collaborate with colleagues, reflecting on their specific issues, and together, identifying strategies. The process helps professionals build a sense of efficacy as leaders and establish relationships with colleagues across the career spectrum.

Audience: New/recent educational developers (5 years or less); Administrators (Assoc. Deans, Deans, Vice Provosts, Assoc. VPs)

$70

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• Bonnie Mullinix, Walden University
• Carol Hurney, Colby College
• R. Todd Benson, Harvard Graduate School of Education

This workshop engages participants in considering what data is most useful to inform educational development practices. Grounded in strategic planning constructs, participants will examine how national datasets inform assessment and program development (e.g., FSSE-Faculty Survey of Student Engagement and COACHE-Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education). Participants will analyze a dataset from POD/COACHE partnership that includes items designed for educational developers. Additionally, participants will explore institutional and center data sources that support assessment and planning efforts. Finally, participants will review recent tools (e.g., syllabus rubrics, classroom observation protocols, and other instruments) that can complement their data portfolio.

Audience: Administrators (Assoc. Deans, Deans, Vice Provosts, Assoc. VPs); Center Directors; Experienced Educational Developers

$70

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• Esther Zirbel, Educational Coaching Consultant

This workshop of leading with soul, heart, and mind combines five research-based leadership models into one coherent framework.  The soul section focuses on identifying core values and strengths; the heart section on using the emotional and social/conversational intelligences to understand leadership practices; and the mind section on applying results from cognitive neuroscience to lead consciously, deliberately, and responsibly.  Through a series of exercises, faculty developers will learn how leading with soul, heart, and mind will foster meaningful connections among faculty, staff, and students. By transforming themselves and influencing others, they will enhance teaching and learning at their institution.

Audience: Experienced Educational Developers; New/recent educational developers (5 years or less); Administrators (Assoc. Deans, Deans, Vice Provosts, Assoc. VPs)

$70

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• Lori Ann Mumpower, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• James J. Pembridge, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Michael Berta, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Gamification, the use of game mechanics and experiences in non-gaming environments, can motivate faculty to instructional behavior changes. This workshop draws upon faculty motivations to redesign a faculty development program, using gamification as a framework. Participants will learn about gamification, select game mechanics based on user motivation types, generate program activities based on game mechanics, initiate design plans for a faculty development experience, and develop their own gamified faculty development experience.

Audience: Center Directors; Experienced Educational Developers

$70

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• Melanie Bahti, University of Pennsylvania
• Alison Cook-Sather, Bryn Mawr College
• Anita Ntem, Democracy Prep Public Schools

Numerous academic developers who have launched student-faculty pedagogical partnership programs contributed to a soon-to-be-published resource: Student-Faculty Pedagogical Partnerships in the Classroom and Curriculum: A How-To Guide for Faculty, Students, and Academic Developers in Higher Education (Elon University Center for Engaged Learning Open-Access Series). In this session, participants will draw on this resource to explore: key questions and assumptions about pedagogical partnerships; the logistical, cultural, and emotional challenges of partnership; and launching and evaluating partnership work. Through individual reflection, engaging activities, and group dialogue, participants will consider how to develop partnership programs in their respective contexts.

Audience: Faculty and faculty who are also part-time educational developers; Center Directors;  New/recent educational developers (5 years or less)

$70

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• Emily Daniell Magruder, California State University
• Nika Hogan, California Community Colleges Success Network

Working with academic texts is an “insider’s” game. Students, particularly those from historically underserved and underrepresented populations, often feel outside disciplinary traditions, conventions, and practices. How can faculty help students learn from each other to embrace difficult academic texts and view reading as problem-solving? In this workshop, participants will examine the Reading Apprenticeship instructional framework, practice three classroom routines for building academic literacy through deeper reading, and review how two- and four-year institutions are providing networked professional learning to change faculty teaching practices and create equitable learning opportunities for students with varying levels of academic preparation.

Audience: Faculty and faculty who are also part-time educational developers; Center Directors; POD Network Members

$70

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• Teresa A. Johnson, The Ohio State University
• Stephanie Rohdieck, The Ohio State University

Educational developers are frequently asked to consult with units or departments on curriculum design or renewal.  We will share our structured process for curriculum design and assessment planning which is based on a scaled-up version of Backward Design. Participants will work through aspects of curriculum design, both as faculty and facilitators, using a model curriculum. They will engage in role-plays, case studies, and reflection about their role in facilitating a process where multiple stakeholders and interest groups can successfully leverage unit-level change through collaborative participation of the entire instructional community.

Audience: POD Network Members; Experienced Educational Developers

$70

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• Harriet L. Schwartz, Carlow University

How do we help faculty and graduate students engage intentionally in teaching interactions and relationships? In this session, faculty developers will explore teaching as a relational practice, with a focus on power, position, and relational clarity as foundational and strategic approaches to understanding and navigating the very human endeavor of teaching. Participants will engage with the material by applying concepts to their own teaching or supervision experiences and then working in small teams to outline a relevant training session or practice coaching via role plays. This session is based on Relational Cultural Theory and the presenter’s program of research.

Audience: New/recent educational developers (5 years or less); Faculty and faculty who are also part-time educational developers; Graduate and Professional Students and Postdocs (and those who work with them)

Sunday Anchor Session

Sunday, 8:30–10:00 am

The Anchor Session, a blind-reviewed accepted session that has particular importance and/or broad interest to POD Network membership, is chosen by the Conference Committee.

This year’s Anchor Session, “Honey Bees, Social Neuroscience, & Team Dynamics: Lessons for Building Community,” will be led by Sarah Rose Cavanagh and will be held on Sunday morning, 8:30–10:00 am. A sense of community in the classroom contributes to effective learning. While traditional pedagogical literature speaks to methods of building community within the classroom, we can also look outside our intellectual silos to other academic disciplines studying effective collaborative groups. In this interactive session, we’ll consider powerful research investigating team dynamics in simulated space missions, the social neuroscience of how the brain embeds our social others in our very sense of self, and even how honeybees make collective decisions together. Through interactive activities, we will work together to understand and apply these lessons to the work of the classroom.

About the presenter:

Sarah Rose Cavanagh is a psychologist, professor, and Associate Director of the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption College. 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. She gives keynote addresses and workshops at a variety of colleges and regional conferences, blogs for Psychology Today, and writes essays for The Chronicle of Higher Education. She’s also on Twitter too much, at @SaRoseCav.

POD Unconference (POD-U)

Co-chairs Diane Boyd ([email protected]), Enoch Hale ([email protected]) and Patty Payette ([email protected]).

The POD Unconference (POD-U) track provides conference participants with opportunities to engage in peer-to-peer learning, collaborative activities, and creative experiences. Similar to unconferences held at other events, POD-U sessions are a primarily participant-driven track, allowing participants to decide what topics and discussions take place. These just-in-time learning experiences are an excellent opportunity for individuals to share what they know or to learn about something new.

These sessions facilitate a range of activities, including discussing challenges members are facing at their institutions, sharing resources, discussing ideas or issues that emerge during the conference, solving a problem, developing new resources, or simply meeting others with similar (and diverse) interests. Look for POD-U interactive sessions identified throughout the program.

Birds of a Feather

Birds of a Feather (BoFs) sessions are informal conversations designed to foster relationships between experienced educational developers and colleagues new to the field, and are intended to promote more meaningful interaction and deeper relationships than can sometimes occur during regular conference sessions. Each BoFs session is facilitated by an experienced educational developer with expertise in a particular topic. All sessions take place on Friday from 7:30–8:45 am. More information on specific BOFs will be available late summer 2019, as well as in the Conference Program.

Please contact BOF coordinators for more information: Adriana Streifer, University of Virginia ([email protected]) and Teresa Focarile, Boise State University ([email protected]).

$8

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Bring your family to explore the Carnegie Science Center, a fun-filled destination guaranteed to ignite the “Wow!” in everyone with four floors of interactive exhibits. Marvel at astronomy in Buhl Planetarium, discover the science behind robotics in roboworld®, and learn about the human body in BodyWorks. Take a step back in time aboard our Cold War-era submarine, or watch model trains chug through western Pennsylvania in our Miniature Railroad & Village®.

Getting There: Participants will have the option to walk as a group leaving from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center East Lobby or meet us at the Carnegie Science Center (you will be responsible for transportation; taxi and Uber/ Lyft available). This is a 1.5 mile walk (approx. 30 minutes) along the Three Rivers Heritage trail.

• Date: Thursday, November 14
• Time: 9:30 am–1:00 pm (Meet in the Convention Center East Lobby at 9:30 am; if arranging your own transportation to the Carnegie Science Center meet in the museum lobby at 10:00 am).
• Cost: $8 admission (children under 3 have free admission)
• Maximum/minimum registration: 60/15

$11

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Discover over 250 years of Pittsburgh history on a guided tour of the Heinz History Center. The tour will include the From Slavery to Freedom exhibition.This long-term exhibit, presented by BNY Mellon, highlights the enslavement of Africans and its impact on the American economy, the history of the anti-slavery movement, the Underground Railroad, and the impact of 19th century activism on the modern quest for civil and human rights in Pittsburgh. Following the tour you will have additional time for independent exploration.

Getting There: Participants will walk 5–6 minutes to the Heinz History Center (taxi and Uber/Lyft also available).

• Date: Thursday, November 14
• Time: 1:30 pm–4:00 pm (meet in convention center lobby at 1:15 pm)
• Cost: $11 (admission and private group tour)
• Maximum/minimum registration: 25/10

$47

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Taste your way through the Burgh! The Strip District Market tour features a behind-the-counter look at a variety of eateries in Pittsburgh’s historic market district. This tour links local history with the eating establishments peppered along Penn Avenue with taste samples from around the world including Italian pastries, Mediterranean and Polish specialties, European meats and cinnamon bread. Connecting people to communities through food is what we love to do!

• Date: Friday, November 15
• Time: 1:30 pm-4:00 pm (meet in Convention Center East Lobby at 1:15 pm)
• Cost: $47
• Maximum/minimum registration: 50/12

$15

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Join your colleagues for nature and networking at Frick Park. “Known as Pittsburgh’s woodland park for its extensive trails throughout steep valleys and wooded slopes, Frick Park is an ideal escape from the noise of the city.” You will have a great chance to chat with colleagues while enjoying either the 4.9 or 3.2 mile Frick Park Tour Loop Trail (each hike will have a group leader) featuring a great forest setting. The trails are rated as moderate and you can select the trail on-site.

• Date: Saturday, November 16
• Time: 2:00 pm-5:30 pm (meet in Convention Center East Lobby at 2PM)
• Cost: $15 (bus transportation to Frick Park)
• Maximum/minimum registration: 45/15

$40

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Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ greatest album, Abbey Road, with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Revolution: The Beatles Symphonic Experience features new arrangements of “Come Together,” “Because,” “Here Comes the Sun,” “Hey Jude,” and many more hits from their catalogue, plus hundreds of rare and unseen photos of the Fab Four!

Getting There: Participants will walk 10 minutes to the Pittsburgh Symphony (taxi and Uber/Lyft also available).

• Date: Saturday, November 16
• Time: TBD (meet in Convention Center East Lobby to walk to the Symphony as a group)
• Cost: $40 (reserved balcony seating)
• Maximum/minimum registration: 25/10

$158

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THIS EXCURSION HAS BEEN CANCELLED Fallingwater, designed in 1935 by renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959), is one of Wright’s most widely acclaimed works and best exemplifies his philosophy of organic architecture: the harmonious union of art and nature. Fallingwater is located in the mountains of Southwestern Pennsylvania, also known as the Laurel Highlands, in Mill Run, Pa. in Fayette County, which is about 70 miles east of Pittsburgh. The tour includes lunch.

• Date: Sunday, November 17
• Time: 10:15 am–5:00 pm (meet in Convention Center East Lobby at 10:15 pm)
• Cost: $158 (includes admission to Fallingwater, transportation, and lunch)
• Maximum/minimum registration: 25/10

First-time POD Attendees

Expectations

• Follow-up with your assigned buddies prior to the conference
• Meet with buddies early in the conference
• Ask questions and be open to engage with new and experienced buddies
• Share insights into your work and projects

Benefits

• Have a special contact person at the conference
• Get your questions answered
• Build your professional network

Returning POD Attendees

Expectations

• Contact your assigned buddies prior to the conference
• Dedicate time to meeting with your buddies early in the conference
• Offer advice on sessions to attend, conference events, ways to become more involved in POD, etc.
• Share insights into your work and projects
• Connect your buddies with other colleagues

Benefits

• Personify the welcoming spirit that characterizes the POD Network
• Have the option of mentoring a new colleague beyond the conference

$100.00–$400.00

$100.00 – $400.00Details

The Exhibit Hall will be held all day (roughly 8:00 am to 5:00 pm) on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Exhibitor tables and Exhibitor Sessions are the only places and times at the conference when items or services may be promoted or offered for sale. We welcome publishers, consultants, and others. If you wish to purchase a table at this event, you must reserve your place from one of three options:

• Individual (3 days): $150 (for a self-employed person)
• Individual (2 days): $100 for a self-employed person)
• Corporate (3 days only): $400 (for businesses/corporations)