Teaching Symposium
Welcome to our yearly event where Teaching Excellence takes root—growing ideas, building community, and advancing learning.
Find golden guidance and inspiration in a community committed to evidence-based practices that foster student success and shape the learning experience. Engage with fellow educators in meaningful discussions, explore new teaching strategies, and cultivate lasting professional connections.
Rekindling Connection through Engagement, Belonging, and Deep Learning
Save the date: May 8, 2026
Oakland Center
Our students arrive curious, capable, and eager for meaningful learning. This year’s symposium highlights practices that meet students where they are and build on their strengths—curiosity, diverse perspectives, and digital fluency—to foster deep, sustained engagement.
Join colleagues from across campus and beyond to explore strategies that honor student potential, strengthen belonging, and create learning environments where all students feel empowered to participate and succeed.
James M. Lang is Professor of Practice at the Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Notre Dame and an Emeritus Professor of English at Assumption University. He is the author of seven influential books on teaching and learning, including Write Like You Teach (2025), Distracted (2020), Small Teaching (2nd ed., 2021), and Cheating Lessons (2013). A highly sought-after speaker, Lang has delivered workshops and keynotes for faculty at more than three hundred institutions across the U.S. and internationally. He is a longtime columnist for The Chronicle of Higher Education, and his writing has also appeared in Time, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, and The Conversation. He co-edits a book series on teaching and learning in higher education for Oklahoma University Press.
Keynote Address: Becoming Readers Again: Motivating and Teaching Students to Read Well
The complaints about student reading are heard at every level of education today, including and especially higher education. Faculty lament that students don’t read the assigned materials, and/or read it poorly. Causes for this drop off in student reading are numerous, and this interactive presentation will introduce some of those causes and describe the impact they have had on our students. But the primary purpose of this session is to describe some of the cognitive benefits that accrue from reading, energize faculty to recommit to assigned reading, and empower them to help students read well through classroom activities and course assessments. This session draws ideas from Jim’s next book, The End of Reading?, forthcoming from W.W. Norton in 2027.
Welcoming Remarks: 9:00 AM
Concurrent Sessions 1: 9:30 AM-10:35 AM
Break: 10:35 AM -10:45 AM
Keynote: 10:45 AM - 11:55 AM
Lunch: 12:10 PM - 1:15 PM
Concurrent Sessions 2: 1:15 PM - 2:20 PM
Break: 2:20 PM - 2:30 PM
Concurrent Sessions 3: 2:30 PM - 3:35 PM
Wrap-up: 3:35 AM - 4:00 P
Faculty, staff, and students are invited to share teaching approaches, innovations, and educational research across all modalities and disciplines. Important Dates: Proposal Submission Deadline: March 2, 2026. Notification of Acceptance: March 13, 2026.
Proposal Themes
- Leveraging Student Strengths for Reading and Critical Thinking
- Creating Inclusive Learning Communities
- Assessment as a Learning Partnership
- Active Pedagogies That Build on Student Capabilities
- Supporting Student Success Through Connection
- Technology as a Catalyst for Deep Engagement and Critical Thinking
This symposium celebrates inclusive teaching and innovative practices that help students rediscover the joy and power of deep learning. Sponsorship ensures registration fees remain accessible while giving your department visibility across OU and external audiences. Your support helps sustain the event and reflects our shared commitment to engagement, belonging, and innovation.
Departments or individuals may participate as sponsors at the levels outlined below or offer a contribution of any amount to support the symposium.
- Symposium acknowledged as “Presented by [Department]”
- Logo featured prominently on all symposium materials (website, program, emails, social media, slides)
- Recognition in keynote introduction and post‑event communications
- Featured in CETL newsletter post‑event summary and symposium report (annual report)
- Showcase opportunity: sponsor slides or videos displayed on event monitors or exhibit table
- Logo featured on website, program, emails, social media, and opening slides
- Recognition in opening remarks
- Mention in post‑event communications and symposium summary report (annual report)
- Showcase opportunity: sponsor slides or videos displayed on event monitors or exhibit table
- Symposium acknowledged as “Presented by [Department]”
- Logo featured prominently on all symposium materials (website, program, emails, social media, slides)
- Recognition in keynote introduction and post‑event communications
- Featured in CETL newsletter post‑event summary and symposium report (annual report)
- Showcase opportunity: sponsor slides or videos displayed on event monitors or exhibit table
- Logo included on website and program
- Recognition in thank‑you email and social media spotlight
- Mention in CETL newsletter post‑event summary
Principal Sponsor
School of Business Administration
Supporting Sponsors
e-Learning and Instructional Support
Contributing Sponsor
School of Education and Human Services
The symposium has now concluded—thank you to everyone who participated. For those interested, the agenda remains available and includes full abstracts and detailed information about each presenter.
Missed a session or want to revisit your favorite talks? You can now watch recorded sessions on our official YouTube channel. Watch the sessions now.
Looking for slides, handouts, or other materials from the sessions? All resources provided by our speakers are available to view or download. Access the materials here.
Keynote Highlights:
- Dr. Todd D. Zakrajsek: Presented "Making Every Voice Count: Rethinking Engagement in Higher Ed," offering practical, research-informed strategies to foster inclusive participation. Emphasized the need to rethink classroom engagement by addressing barriers that prevent students—especially introverts and reflective thinkers—from contributing. Shared tools to build learning environments that support confidence, accessibility, and diverse forms of student interaction.
Faculty and Student Presentations:
- Forging Paths to Partnership - Exploring Ways to Deeper Faculty and Student Pedagogical Partnerships at OU - Cynthia Miree, Red Douglas, Payton Bucki, Dominique Hormillosa
- Engaging Student Learning with Public Service Announcement - Patricia Cameron
- Queering Curriculum: Integrating LGBTQ+ Perspectives into Teaching - Brie Desmond
- The Power of Stories: Transforming Composition I through Inclusive Storytelling and Creative Collaboration - Brittany Kelley
- Building Interactive Classrooms: Evidence-Based Strategies for Adaptive Learning and Real-World Skill Development - Sai Deepthi Yeddula
- Team Learning Outside and Inside: A Synergistic Approach to Student Engagement and Skill Development - Suzan Kamel-ElSayed
- Reviving Classroom Discussions with AI: Implementing Breakout Learning in ORG3310 - Hanna Kalmanovich-Cohen
- Starting College During COVID: Examining Whether Summer Bridge Programs Translate to a Remote Environment - VaNessa Thompson
- Reimagining Accreditation: Faculty-led Strategies for Moving Beyond Compliance - Virgina McMunn
- Eradicating Racism through Community-University Partnerships - Danielle Ligocki, Greg Bartley, Robert Martin, Chaunda Scott
- No Textbook Required: Converting courses to no-cost course materials - Julia Rodriguez
- From Static to Dynamic: Elevate Your Moodle Course with H5P - Nic Bongers
- Innovative Pathways to Inclusive Global Learning: Enhancing Accessibility and Intercultural Competence through COIL VE - Hana Moudallal
- Creating a Community of Learners through Reading - Greg Allar
- Data Talks: Evidence That Current Online Assessments Lack Integrity - Charlene Hayden
- Transparent Teaching in Three Simple Steps - Molly Gustafson
The 2024 symposium brought together teaching and research faculty, graduate students, and staff to explore strategies for fostering student connections with their community, classroom, and campus. The event featured engaging keynote presentations, insightful faculty talks, and discussions on inclusive and innovative teaching practices.
Keynote Highlights:
- Dr. Julie Dangremond Stanton: Shared research on metacognitive development and the academic experiences of underrepresented students in STEM.
- Birook Mekonnen: Discussed his work as a health services officer and contributions to public health emergency preparedness.
Faculty Presentations:
- How to Train Your Algorithm: Responsible AI in the Classroom — Dr. Bridget Kies
- Promoting College Readiness in Low-SES Learners — Dr. Kyeorda Kemp
- Interviews as a Learning Activity — Dr. Helena Riha
- Campus Farms: Teaching STEM Through Food and Farming — Dr. Fay Hansen
For recordings, session slides, and additional resources, view the Symposium Handout.
Over 70 people joined us throughout the day to reflect on teaching, learn about the engaging teaching work happening on our campus, and evaluating our assessment and grading practices. If you missed part or all of the day, or would like to revisit a talk or activity, look through our symposium handout, which includes links to a YouTube playlist of the day’s events plus resource documents and slides associated with each event.
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
100 Library Drive
Rochester, Michigan 48309-4479
(location map)
(248) 370-2751
[email protected]
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
100 Library Drive
Rochester, Michigan 48309-4479
(location map)
(248) 370-2751
[email protected]
