Educators Connect Conference to Feature Innovative Teaching Techniques

The fifth annual Educators Connect conference, set for Tuesday, Feb. 17 at The University of Southern Mississippi, will offer sessions highlighting innovative strategies and practical resources for educators. The 2015 conference theme, Faculty Practices for Engaging Learners, emphasizes both traditional and innovative methods that have shown potential to improve student learning outcomes.

The complimentary event will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Thad Cochran Center on the Hattiesburg campus.

“We are excited to once again host an event that brings new and fresh opportunities to the classroom. This conference continues to offer faculty motivation as well as practical solutions for improving student success in higher education,” said Sheri Lyons, Learning Enhancement Center Director.

The conference will feature resources to connect faculty to explore effective teaching and learning approaches by allowing faculty members to experience, communicate and collaborate with colleagues. Breakout sessions will include strategies such as active learning, engaging students in online courses, building strong learning communities, and other instructional models.     

Dr. Todd Zakrajsek, executive director of the Center for Faculty Excellence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will be the keynote speaker for the conference. Zakrajsek was previously the Inaugural Director of the Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching at Central Michigan University and the founding director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Southern Oregon University, where he also served as a tenured associate professor in the psychology department.

Zakrajsek directs the Lilly Conference on Teaching and Learning at Traverse City, Mich., and the International Conference on Improving University Teaching. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Ohio University and has published and presented widely on the topic of student learning, including workshops and conference keynote addresses in more than 30 states and 4 countries in the past several years.  His latest book, co-authored with Dr. Terry Doyle, “The New Science of Learning: How to Learn in Harmony With Your Brain” is written to help students learn how learning occurs and how they can prepare for successful learning experiences.

The conference will include breakfast and lunch.