This year’s Fall Forum on Teaching and Learning will address the complexity and challenges of teaching in a time of increasing political polarization. Based on feedback from previous attendees, this year’s forum will follow an “Unconference” format, giving participants a central role in shaping the day’s events and outcomes. As part of this participant-focused approach, attendees will establish discussion topics and engage in roundtable conversations to identify ways of establishing inclusive, accessible learning environments.

More information is available on the event website

Example agenda from an unconference An example of an unconference agenda. Photo credit: JD Lasica | CC BY 2.0

Example discussion questions include:

How do we create classroom expectations that align with the current level of students’ emotional and intellectual development?
How does our teaching reflect an understanding of social identity development and help us anticipate tensions that may arise?
How can we integrate inclusive teaching practices in courses where questions of student identity, background, and values may seem irrelevant at first glance?

An essential goal of the Fall Forum is to gather as a community to identify ways in which we can address these challenges through our teaching. As educators within the DePaul community, we are called to promote the intentional dialogue and learning that can help us and our students navigate our highly polarized world. By sharing our experiences and insights, we can improve our efforts to bring awareness to social inequality on campus, develop strategies to ensure successful experiences in racially and socially diverse classrooms, and help each other establish a sense of belonging on campus for all students.

Unconference Overview

The Fall Forum will begin with a 45-minute “lightning round” that includes a series of 6-minute presentations followed by roundtable discussions in which attendees will be able to expand on the topics introduced by the presenters. After lunch, attendees will identify additional topics for further discussion and self-organize into groups to share teaching challenges and identify solutions. The unconference will conclude with participants sharing key takeaways from each roundtable discussion with the larger group.

2018 Fall Forum on Teaching and Learning