OPID| 2024 Spring Conference for Wisconsin Educators

Thursday, April 18 & Friday, April 19, 2024

Memorial Union, Madison

Our teaching and learning practices begin and end with students. Engaging students in learning is an ongoing challenge and doesn’t happen without thoughtful, intentional efforts. Every class is different and requires nuanced approaches depending on the students, the class modality (in-person, online, or hybrid), and context. The Covid pandemic exposed the complex lives of our students, and instructors, and the multiple stressors that impact our lives. The pandemic may be under control, but some stressors remain. As educators, how are we ensuring that all of our students are engaged and supported to succeed? What strategies and approaches have you found effective or promising? We invite you to share your experiences engaging students in the joys of learning, and look forward to seeing you and your systemwide colleagues together at OPID’s annual conference.

Dr. Bryan Dewsbury

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Engaging Students in Dialogue

College classrooms hold the promise of providing students with rich experiences to help them thrive, in spite of differences in backgrounds, ideologies, histories. To realize this promise, we must complicate our notion of what it means to teach, regardless of subject matter. Using examples from the historical relationship between education and social progress, and an equity-minded approach to a science classroom, we will collectively re-envision ways to engage students in fruitful, respectful, and meaningful dialogues.

Dr. Bryan Dewsbury is Associate Professor of Biology and Associate Director of the STEM Transformation Institute at Florida International University. He is the Principal Investigator of the Science Education and Society (SEAS) research program, a team blending research on the social context of teaching and learning, faculty development of inclusive practices, and programming to cultivate equity in education. Previously, he was at the University of Rhode Island. Bryan is a Fellow with the John N. Gardner Institute, where he assists institutions of higher education cultivate best practices in inclusive education.

Flower Darby

Friday, April 19, 2024

Engaging Students Online and In Person

Feeling connected with other people in a class predicts increased motivation and better engagement with course concepts, other students, and the instructor. Increased motivation and engagement lead to better learning, greater retention of new information, enhanced persistence, and improved academic performance for all students. As we seek to advance equitable learning outcomes among students, especially those from historically underrepresented or marginalized groups, a deliberate focus on fostering connections, rapport, and a sense of belonging can make a powerful difference in students’ learning and success. We’ll explore evidence-based practical strategies for both in-person and online courses to help students engage, connect, and learn.

Flower Darby is an Associate Director of the Teaching for Learning Center at the University of Missouri. In this role she builds on her experience teaching in person and online for over twenty-six years, as well as experience gained in her previous roles as Director of Teaching for Student Success and Assistant Dean of Online and Innovative Pedagogies, to empower faculty to teach effective and inclusive classes in all modalities. Flower is the author, with James M. Lang, of Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes (2019), and she is an internationally sought-after keynote speaker.