Upcoming LEC Conference to Offer Celebration of Teaching Collaboration
Mon, 02/06/2012 - 02:05pm | By: Amy Thornton
Exploring innovative teaching strategies will be the primary focus of the 2nd Annual Learning Enhancement Center (LEC) Connects conference set for Tuesday, Feb. 21, at the Thad Cochran Center on The University of Southern Mississippi's Hattiesburg campus.
The free conference, scheduled for 8 a.m.-5 p.m., will feature resources to connect faculty to innovative reaching strategies by allowing faculty members to experience, communicate and collaborate with others while exploring effective teaching and learning strategies. Breakout sessions will focus on topics such as distance education teaching strategies, YouTube in the classroom and cross-disciplinary teaching and learning in the 21st Century.
“I walked away from the LEC Connects 2011 conference with specific technology tools for teaching and learning and new cross-department relationships,” said Dr. John Bishop, assistant professor of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education at Southern Miss.
Bishop will be presenting “Design Thinking: Cross-Disciplinary Teaching and Learning for the 21st Century” at this year's conference along with two of his colleagues.
Dr. Eric Clark, executive director of the Mississippi Community College Board, will deliver the morning keynote address. Clark previously served for 12 years as the Mississippi Secretary of State and 16 years as a member of the Mississippi Legislature. He currently serves on the boards for the Jobs for Mississippi Alliance, Mississippi Public Broadcasting and on the Advisory Council of Mississippi Economic Council's Blueprint Mississippi 2011.
Dr. Lenny Scott-Webber, director for Educational Environments at Steelcase Solutions, will provide the keynote address during lunch. Her expertise is focused on environments for sharing knowledge – higher education and corporate learning centers.
Her philosophy incorporates the generation and integration of her research and others to inform design resolutions intentionally. As an environment behaviorist, her research centers on how the built environment impacts behavior, particularly educational scenarios.