#POD21: Evolving Beyond Crisis–Connecting to the Future

We cordially invite you to participate in the POD Network’s 46th Annual Conference. This year’s conference is planned as a virtual event. Sessions are now available on-demand until ??.

How to Start Your Conference Experience

It’s easy! Login to the conference website with your POD membership credentials or the POD account login details you created when registering for the conference as a non-member. ALL sessions must be accessed directly from the POD Conference website. If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, you may still do so anytime.

Watch a quick video that demonstrates the conference login process.

 If you don’t remember your login credentials, you can follow the prompts in the “Settings” tab on the POD Network Login page to reset your password.

Questions?
Please email: [email protected]  In your email please include a phone number in case we need additional information.

 

Our theme is ??

Even before Covid-19 caused major interruptions, higher education had been experiencing significant budgetary, policy, and cultural challenges that are prompting institutions to reflect upon, justify, and adjust their practices and processes—and sometimes their values. To create flexible responses to these shifting and complex times, it is imperative that we “look inward and think forward:” that we critically examine our current contexts, narratives, and traditions while keeping in mind the future goals and needs of our institutions, our disciplines, and the communities we serve.

Because of our unique and longstanding partnerships with faculty, students, and administrators, educational developers are uniquely situated to facilitate important and necessary changes, from amplifying and supporting research-based teaching and learning practices to advocating for campus policies beyond the classroom that create more inclusive learning environments. As we strive to understand and articulate the internal and external challenges we currently face, storytelling can be a powerful means of advancing collective visions for change and strategy.

Please plan to join us this year in conversations that address challenges, successes, as well as concrete applications and strategies for looking inward and thinking forward during turbulent times.

Claudia Cornejo Happel, Conference Co-Chair
German Vargas Ramos, Conference Co-Chair
Tammy M. McCoy, Program Co-Chair
Jerod Quinn, Program Co-Chair
Hoag Holmgren, POD Network Executive Director

Conference registration fees do not include membership dues. If you would like to register at the lower, POD Network member rate, you must already be a member or you must renew or join before you register for the conference.

Refund Policy:  A full refund, minus $25 USD processing fee, will be made if a cancellation is received by October 1, 2021. A $50 USD cancellation fee will be retained for cancellations received from October 2–15, 2021. Other than in the case of personal emergency, no refunds can be made after October 15, 2021. Substitutions in attendees may be made at any time.

After a difficult year, we are tired, stressed, and worried about making mistakes—and that’s just our personal lives. We’ve also been working beyond our usual comfort zone by helping our institutions navigate transitions and pivots in response to current health, social, and political crises. Big or small, colleges and universities have always had to respond to unforeseen situations, fast-moving challenges, and unexpected opportunities. So, if change is constant, how do we formulate our responses? How do we leverage our strengths during difficult transitions while still building capacity for the future of our campuses?

We want #POD21 to be a space to showcase, discuss, and grow the potential that exists among educational developers and those with similar roles as institutional leaders and change agents.

We especially want to advance and deepen the conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion. Our goal is to build upon the awareness, knowledge and capacity of all who are being called upon to navigate these transitions so that our individual and collective action reflects our organizational priorities and values for social justice and equity.

We hope you will join us and invite you to submit proposals inspired by the following questions:

How do we grow the potential that exists among educational developers and those with similar roles and situate ourselves and our centers as institutional leaders and change agents?

• How do we support the development of organizational stability without rigidity?
• How do we cope with a crisis without upending everything?
• How do we plan for the expected and prepare for the unexpected?
• How can we act proactively in the face of uncertainty?
• How can we reconcile current institutional resources and capabilities with broader changes in culture, infrastructure, policy, and other social contexts?

How do we evolve beyond crises to co-create a future that centers, promotes, and advances diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work?

• How do we facilitate access to and the accessibility of digital media, learning technologies, and material resources across virtual and face-to-face classrooms and workspaces?
• How do we increase the capacity and DEI competencies of individuals to equip them to support and continuously improve equity and inclusion online and on campus?
• How does our work with the campus community impact the experience of underrepresented and/or historically marginalized students?
• How do we promote and navigate conversations on campus or online regarding race, systemic racism, and the experience of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) faculty, staff, and students in a way that is meaningful and inclusive?
• How do we confront misinformation, conspiracy theories, and hate speech?

In light of the changing higher education landscape, what are effective approaches to support instructors, administrators, and future faculty to

• promote and sustain work-/home-life balance, wellness, and self-care?
• develop equitable and inclusive learning spaces and curricula?
• anticipate and respond to emerging institutional and student needs?
• leverage and use technology responsibly and fairly?
• thrive in a range of teaching contexts (e.g. online, hybrid, hy-flex, etc.)?
• maintain academic rigor and accountability while being fair/flexible/kind with students?

Please review the submission guidelines prior to submitting your proposal.

Submissions must be received by Monday, April 26, 2021.

The annual POD Network conference has been recently attracting over 1000 people, and primarily targets practitioners in the fields of educational and organizational development, both novice and experienced. The conference appeals to administrators, faculty, educational developers, graduate and professional student developers, graduate students, independent consultants, members of higher education organizations, and publishers for these communities.

2021 Virtual POD Conference

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 POD Network Conference will be hosted as a virtual event combining interactive synchronous sessions and roundtables with asynchronous, on-demand workshops and presentations.

Concurrent and plenary conference sessions are scheduled from November 10–13, 2021.

Conference materials and session recordings will be accessible to conference attendees until January 31, 2022.

The POD Network

The POD Network supports a network of over 1,400 members who have an interest in educational and organizational development. While POD Network members come primarily from the USA and Canada, the membership also represents 18 other 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.

Mission

The POD Network exists to provide professional development and a community of practice for scholars and practitioners of educational development, and to serve as a leading voice on matters related to teaching and learning in higher education.

Values

The work and decisions of the POD Network are informed by its commitments to:

• • • Collaboration: The POD Network strives to be collaborative and collegial, with distributed leadership as the basis for governance structures and operations. Sharing resources and expertise are hallmarks of member interactions.
    • Equity: The POD Network strives to be transparent and inclusive, with ongoing efforts to promote equitable access and involvement, eliminate systemic inequities that result from biases, and support members in advancing social justice. The organization is strengthened by and committed to expanding diversity among and on behalf of members.
    • Evidence: The POD Network strives to ground practices and decisions in evidence, adapt and reuse proven methods, and innovate to improve upon prior work. Diverse forms of evidence, a variety of inquiry methods, and a basis in theory are recognized as valuable and essential.

Read more about POD Mission, Vision, and Strategic Goals