BYU–Hawaii’s new Center for Learning and Teaching is hosting its first symposium, themed “All Things Shall Become New: Becoming the Best Teacher in You, Again and Again.” The symposium will be on Thursday and Friday, February 27-28, on the BYU–Hawaii campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Schedule of keynote speakers (all keynotes will speak in the Heber J. Grant Building, Room 275):
Thursday, February 27
8:30-9:15 AM – Russell T. Osguthorpe, general president of the Sunday School of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
“Improving Our Teaching Together: Try Something New”
1:00-1:45 PM – Alan Wilkins, former academic vice president of BYU–Provo and currently the associate director of Faith and Learning at BYU–Provo’s Faculty Center,
“Teaching That Is Spiritually and Intellectually Inspiring: What BYU Students Want”
Friday, February 28
8:30-9:15 AM – Lee Perry, dean of the Marriott School of Management at BYU
“Come Follow Me: A Story of Miraculous Change”
1:00-1:45 – Robert Quinn, Margaret Elliot Tracy Collegiate professor at University of Michigan, currently on sabbatical with the BYU–Hawaii Center for Learning and Teaching,
“Making a Difference: The Legacy of Empowered and Empowering Teachers”
The symposium will also feature discussions of the keynote addresses and panel presentations from faculty across campus.
Announced in 2012 and officially opened in 2013, BYU–Hawaii’s Center for Learning and Teaching is an on-campus and online resource dedicated to the improvement and advancement of learning. The Center is part of the strategic imperatives that have been developing over the last several years to continue to improve the quality of education on campus.
“There are two main purposes of the BYU–Hawaii Center for Learning and Teaching,” explains David Bybee, the director for the Center. “One is to dramatically improve the learning and teaching that goes on at BYU–Hawaii. The other is to help build a foundation of research findings based on the work of our own students and faculty as well as the work of others.” The Center is planning a variety of programs and activities to help students learn and apply the university’s Framework for Student Learning to improve the impact and quality of their education, not just at BYU–Hawaii but throughout their lives.
“The Center for Learning and Teaching supports faculty in honing their craft as designers of learning,” says Chad Compton, associate academic vice president for Instruction. “It supports faculty in their efforts by providing challenges to keep moving, not to get stationary in their craft.” The research, resources, and technology made available by the Center is integrated by instructors into teaching curricula to improve classroom instruction and create innovative learning environments.
The Center organizes and sponsors conferences, seminars, and workshops, which are held in the Center’s conference rooms or at other suitable locations on campus. One specific way the Center has helped teachers is by organizing the Faculty Teaching & Learning Study Group, fostering conversation about quality teaching and the promotion of life-long learning. The group holds study sessions every month, and encourages new members of the faculty to join in the discussions. .
To learn more about innovative learning and teaching, the BYU–Hawaii Framework for Student Learning, and the Center for Learning and Teaching, visit CLT.byuh.edu.