Envisioning the Future: Developing Equitable Opportunities for Success

We invite you to join us this year as we Envision the Future: Developing Equitable Opportunities for Success (Educational Developer success → Instructor success → Student success) at our institutions. The 48th annual POD Network conference envisions what the future of educational development might look like amid rapid changes in our lives, institutions, and societies. As educational developers, we are in a unique position to influence the success of faculty, students, institutions, and our own programs. By seeing our work through these multiple lenses, we seek a more holistic view of how educational development (see POD definition of Educational Development) can drive and facilitate the ongoing pursuit of equity in higher education.

The Conference Team has been working to increase access to our conference, and one of the most effective ways to do this is to again offer online and on-the-ground venues; this year in Pittsburgh. Both experiences will offer the same “session types”—workshops, roundtables, the keynote, etc.—and provide opportunities for deep engagement with teaching and learning while interacting with fellow POD members.

A new feature this year is a day of “hybrid” sessions that allow attendees in Pittsburgh and online to connect and learn together. The keynote speaker presentation will also be live streamed to virtual attendees. We are also offering a “dual venue” option: attend both Pittsburgh AND online conferences for a reduced rate. You will have the option to attend the online sessions as they are presented during the conference (November 14-17), or watch the session recordings at a later time. Sessions will be recorded upon the approval of the facilitators and made available for a period of time (TBD) after November 17.

Each venue offers the same session types (see below) and many of the same connecting opportunities to pull you into deep engagement with teaching and learning with fellow conference attendees.

Our First-Time Conference Attendees event will be held prior to both conferences on Wednesday, November 8, from 1:30 to 2:30 PM Eastern time zone via Zoom. This session is an opportunity for all new conference attendees to learn more about the conference, meet leaders in our organization, and receive helpful conference tips from experienced conference-goers in small groups. If this is your first POD Network conference, sign up for this event when you register. If you would like to share your experience as a conference attendee to a small group, please indicate that on your registration form.

November 16–19
The Conference Committee is pleased to announce that Dr. Lorgia García Peña is the keynote speaker for the POD Network 48th Annual Conference.

This program will be livestreamed from Pittsburgh to online attendees.

Dr. Lorgia García Peña is a Latinx Studies scholar, activist and writer. Currently, she serves as Professor in the Effron Center for the Study of America and the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University. Through a transnational, multidisciplinary lens, grounded on humanistic approaches to history and literature, García Peña studies blackness, colonialism, migration and diaspora with a special focus on Black Latinx. Her work is concerned with the ways in which antiblackness and xenophobia intersect in the Global North producing categories of exclusion that lead to violence and erasure. Her research insists on highlighting the knowledge, cultural, social and political contributions of people who have been silenced from traditional archives paying attention to the intersections of blackness, colonialism and migration, and centering Black Latinx lives.

The POD Conference is packed with activities and opportunities to learn and grow, but it can also be a little overwhelming for new members. Both online and Pittsburgh attendees can benefit from making  connections through the POD Buddy Program. This program brings together experienced POD Conference attendees with newcomers. Please consider volunteering to be a Buddy or signing up as a new conference attendee so you can make some friends before the conference starts.

The success of the Buddy Program relies heavily on experienced POD attendees who generously give time, tips, and advice to new attendees. As with any professional organization, the people and social connections are what  really make it special. And making new members feel welcome keeps the organization energized. 

To participate, simply sign up when you register for the POD conference for either venue.

The Conference Team is striving to make the conference events and materials accessible in all venues. Closed captioning and live transcripts will be used for online sessions, which will also be recorded for later viewing.  Live captioning will be provided for the keynote speaker address on Friday afternoon. Please indicate if you have a need for an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter via your conference registration. Childcare is available upon request. Gender neutral restrooms will be located near our meeting rooms.

We will have microphones in every room, and we strongly encourage presenters and participants to use them.

Several mobility rental options are available upon request, with daily rates ranging from $15 to $35. Options include: manual wheelchair, 3- or 4- wheel mobility scooter, portable power wheelchair, manual and transport wheelchair, and rollator/walker. Indicate your need when you register for the conference and the POD Office will reach out to you to make arrangements.

We will share inclusivity and accessibility resources with presenters to help them craft their session materials and practices in inclusive ways.

If you have specific needs or concerns, we are happy to address them. Please provide them on your registration form (or email the Conference Committee at [email protected]) by October 15 to allow time for suitable arrangements. We will take late requests and you strive to meet your needs.

The POD Network is committed to creating inclusive and accessible events, including the Pittsburgh venue. To this end, the Core Committee (Board of Directors) has approved a healthcare precautions policy that strives to  keep attendees healthy and safe, including our most vulnerable colleagues. It also provides a procedure to follow if an attendee tests positive during the conference. Please share any concerns, suggestions, or comments with [email protected].

As in the past, this year the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, the Adjunct/Part-time Faculty SIG, and the Graduate Student, Professional Student, & Postdoctoral Scholar Development (GPPD) SIG are offering grants to attend either conference venue. Each grant will provide funding for the conference registration fee and one year of POD membership. Travel grants of $1,800 may be provided for the Pittsburgh conference grant awardees. Click on the links below to access details and the application.

The Donald H. Wulff Diversity Fellowship Applications closed.

Graduate Student, Professional Student, and Postdoctoral Scholar Development (GPPD) Career Development Grant Applications closed.

Adjunct Faculty SIG Travel Grant  Applications closed.

We are excited to announce that, as part of our efforts to lower barriers to participation in the 2023 POD Conference, the POD Network is piloting a needs-based financial assitance program to support attendance at either the online or Pittsburgh venue. POD’s Core Committee has approved $25,000 to fund conference registration and membership fees, as well as travel and lodging costs for the Pittsburgh venue. Approximately 40% of awards will be given to individuals choosing to attend the online venue and 60% will be given to those choosing to attend the Pittsburgh venue.

Financial need will be determined based on applicants’ self-reports of having access to employer-provided funds and/or other financial support provided through the POD Network. Applications will be awarded on a random basis to those who qualify.

This Call for Applications timeframe is September 8 – October 4, 2023. Those interested in applying must complete the application no later than 11:59 PM PDT on Wednesday, October 4. The application has two sections: Section 1 information will be used to determine eligibility; Section 2 information is optional and will have no bearing on determinations of need. The data gathered in Section 2 will further our understanding of the factors limiting members’ ability to participate in the conference.

Only POD Office staff will have access to the personally identifiable information shared in the application. Summaries of information gathered (with no identifying information) will be shared with POD’s volunteer leadership.

Successful applicants will be notified by October 11 and will be asked to confirm acceptance of the funds, which will be made available within 15 days of the applicant’s acceptance.

If you have any questions, please contact the POD Office: [email protected]

Our conference refund policy aligns with our twin commitments to provide flexibility to participants and to protect the financial security of the POD Network. Please submit all cancellation/transfer requests to [email protected]. Refunds may take 4-6 weeks to process.

All transfers or cancellations or changes in venue will be assessed a $30 processing fee.

Cancellations
All venues: refund of the registration fee minus $30 processing fee

Additional note regarding dual registration: cancellation of either Pittsburgh or online venue will result in the loss of any savings incurred by registering for both; that is, the full registration fee for the venue you choose will be assessed.

Transfers
From Pittsburgh to online: refund of the difference between the two registration fees minus a $30 processing fee

From online to Pittsburgh: registrant will be assessed the difference in the two registration fees plus a $30 processing fee

Refunds for cancellation or transfer requests for any venue will only be processed in case of a personal emergency, minus the $30 processing fee, consistent with the above parameters.

If you are scheduled to facilitate a session in Pittsburgh, you will not be able to change your presentation to an online session if you cancel your Pittsburgh registration or transfer your registration to the online conference.

Note that travel expenses cannot be refunded by POD. Please consider the option of purchasing flight/travel insurance.

Guidebook is the official program guide to the 48th Annual POD Conference for both venues. The email address on your registration form will grant you access to the guide. Download the Guidebook App to your tablet or mobile device, or access the conference program via your internet browser.

Please note that filming, photography, live streaming, and recording are taking place at the Annual Conference for promotional, accessibility, and archival purposes by the POD Network and attendees. The photographs and recordings made are likely to appear on our website and on social media platforms. Please let those filming, recording, or taking photographs know that you would not like to be recorded/photographed. Please contact the POD Office if you have additional concerns.

There will be a number of affinity group meetings offered during both conference venues. Affinity groups provide a forum for individuals who share a common identity as members of a marginalized group.

Meetings are scheduled for the following times:

• Online conference: Wednesday afternoon, November 15 
• Pittsburgh conference: Saturday during breakfast , November 18

To indicate your interest in joining one or more of the affinity groups, please fill out this affinity group registration form. More information will be provided at a later date.

The set of affinity groups available include:

• BIPOC
• Black/African/African American/Afro Caribbean
• Asian/Pacific Islander/Asian American/South Asian
• Latinx/Latine/Hispanic/Latin American
• 2SLGBTQ+
• Disability Group
• Immigrant Group

Sunday, November 19, 9:00 to 10:30 AM

These sessions are designed to provide a place for informal, but guided, conversations about topics that are timely and important to the field. They are intended to promote meaningful interaction between educational developers at all levels of experience, and allow participants to build relationships and make connections. The BoF sessions are not workshops or meetings of POD Special Interest Groups (SIGs), Affinity Groups, or Committees; rather, they are a place for members to come together to share strategies and learn from each other.

Online BoF: Tuesday, November 14, Noon to 1:00 PM EST and 4:00 to 5:00 PM EST

Pittsburgh BoF: Friday, November 17, 8:00 to 9:15 AM EST (during breakfast)

These sessions provide intense professional development opportunities that result in participants acquiring new skills. Workshop proposals identify specific learning goals or outcomes for attendees.

In Pittsburgh, pre-conference workshops will be full-day (6 hours) or  half-day (3 hours) in length and offered on Wednesday afternoon, November 15 and Thursday morning November 16. See the Pittsburgh registration page for more information.

Online workshops may be either two or three hours in length and will be offered Monday afternoon, November 13. See the online registration page for more information.

Participants must register for pre-conference workshops, which incur an extra fee. You may select the desired workshop on the venue registration page when you register or add one or more workshops subsequent to your registration.

These sessions combine presentations with methods that engage all participants, reflecting the POD Network’s long-standing tradition of interactive, collegial sessions—not lecturing or reading papers to passive audiences. For both venues, check the Guidebook program guide for titles, abstracts, facilitators, and dates/times.

These sessions bring together multiple 8-to-10-minute talks, modeled on the format of TED Talks. All POD Talk sessions will be hybrid with a mix of Pittsburgh and online presenters sharing with attendees in both venues simultaneously. They are scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, November 17.

These sessions showcase a research project, program, activity, and/or initiative. Posters may be projects that are completed, in progress, or in their beginning stages. The Pittsburgh poster presenters will discuss their work with circulating-audience members during a 60-minute session on Friday, November 17, late afternoon.

Online presentations include a digital poster and a 2-minute recorded introduction. The presenters will discuss their work with circulating members during a 60-minute session offered on Thursday afternoon, November 16.

Roundtable sessions provide a place for colleagues to discuss important topics in the profession. They can focus on approaches to programming, institutional challenges or initiatives, supporting specific groups of faculty, etc. At the Pittsburgh venue, microphones will be available, but no other presentation technology will be provided.

For both venues, check the Guidebook program guide for titles, abstracts, facilitators, and dates/times.

These sessions model successful workshops educational developers have done on their campuses. Session leaders may incorporate meaningful activities drawn from the actual workshop and include a workshop demonstration, allowing time for discussion. For both venues, check the Guidebook program guide for titles, abstracts, facilitators, and dates/times.

The POD Network is thankful for our sponsors and exhibitors who have provided (or will provide) financial support for the conference. These sponsorships are a win-win-win solution all around:

• They help us reduce our registration fees
• They provide networking opportunities for our sponsors
• Our conference attendees learn about tools and resources that make their jobs easier

In Pittsburgh, the Sponsor and Vendor Exhibit will be open all day on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday excluding times designated for the keynote speaker session. Sponsors and exhibitors of the online conference will be featured in the program guide app (Guidebook).

Sponsors also have the option of presenting a session at the conference that are intended to reflect the engaged and research-based approach of the POD Network while showcasing services or products.

The three-day Vendor Exhibit and individual Vendor Sessions are the only times at the conference when items or services may be promoted or offered for sale.

Interested parties can learn more about our sponsorship opportunities here on our website or by contacting the POD Office directly at [email protected].

The POD Network supports more than 1,700 members who have an interest in educational and organizational development in higher education. While POD Network members come primarily from the USA and Canada, the membership represents more than 20 countries. Through its members, the POD Network leads and supports change for the improvement of higher education through faculty, instructional, and organizational development.

The POD Network seeks to promote the scholarship of teaching, learning, and organizational development that reflects a spirit of inclusion, where all members are invited to collaborate and interact with colleagues across disciplines and borders.

Find out more about POD’s vision, mission and values.