Inclusive Teaching Conference drew hundreds of faculty

Unable to make the conference? Session recordings and handouts are available.

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching partnered with the Office of the Provost, the Dean’s Council and a group of faculty and staff planners to host a University-wide inclusive teaching conference.

More than 400 faculty representing the College and all the graduate and professional schools attended the conference held in Farrell Hall on April 21.

When the 2021-2022 academic calendar was planned, April 21 was set aside as a day for an event focused on learning about teaching. Classes were not held that day so faculty could attend.

“This event has been a testament to our collective commitment to doing the hard but necessary work to ensure that all students are able to thrive at Wake Forest,” said Betsy Barre, executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching.  “While many centers for teaching have programming on inclusive pedagogy, few institutions have supported an event of this size and scope. This gathering reinforced our distinctive teacher-scholar ideal by giving faculty an extended opportunity to engage in pedagogical inquiry with their peers and shows how much Wake Forest values both inclusion and high-quality teaching.”

Betsy Barre, executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching

Featuring nationally prominent scholars with expertise on various aspects of inclusive teaching, the conference offered workshops focused on changing classroom culture, building trust, negotiating conflict, cultivating equitable learning, designing engaging courses, incorporating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and other topics.

University of Wisconsin-Madison psychology professor Will Cox presented the keynote session, “Empowering People to Break the Bias Habit.”

The full program, workshop summaries, session recordings and handouts are available on the Center for the Advancement of Teaching website.

Michelle Steward, associate professor of marketing in the School of Business, was one of many faculty who expressed appreciation for the opportunity to spend time learning with colleagues  at the conference.

“The event opened up conversations that will likely continue to have positive ripple effects for some time to come,” Steward said.

Nearly 100 staff also attended. Colleagues from a variety of offices hosted a resource fair during the event to share information about available diversity, equity and inclusion resources on campus and ways to support students.

“I think it came at a perfect time, reminding attendees of why they love doing the work, or as many say vocation, of teaching,” said Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Tony Marsh.

Provost Rogan Kersh encouraged faculty to devote the entire day to engaging around these critical issues. 

“We know that no conference can serve as an answer to the myriad challenges we, like every campus face, but we hope it will provide a meaningful contribution to our ongoing efforts to enhance inclusion and belonging at Wake Forest.”