May 1 Teacher-Scholar Forum to explore experiential learning

The second annual Teacher-Scholar Forum will be held on Friday, May 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Farrell Hall. The event brings together the Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT), the Office of the Provost, and the leadership of Wake Forest’s new experiential learning initiative, Deacs Do. Serving as the kickoff for Deacs Do, the forum will explore experiential learning techniques and a central question: how do we help faculty do their best work?

“Participants will come away with a clear understanding of what experiential learning means at Wake Forest, practical frameworks for designing experiential elements into their courses, and concrete next steps they can act on,” said Center for the Advancement of Teaching Executive Director and Assistant Provost Betsy Barre.

Last year’s Forum grappled with some of the hardest questions facing higher education right now, including AI, academic integrity, and digital distraction. It also explored what it means to keep teaching genuinely human-centered. This year’s Forum is, in many ways, a response to those questions. The keynote speaker, Randy Bass of Georgetown University, will argue that experiential learning is one of the most powerful tools we have for rehumanizing the university by placing human experience, relationships, and complex problem-solving back at the center of education.

“At its heart, our hope is a simple one: that faculty and staff leave the day feeling more connected to their colleagues and more energized about their work,” said Barre. “Teaching can be an isolating endeavor, and events like these are a reminder that we share a mission, and that the questions we’re wrestling with individually are ones our colleagues are navigating too.”

The forum will include: 

• Twenty Wake Forest faculty serving as panelists across five disciplinary areas: Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, STEM, and Graduate and Professional Education.
• Extended workshops led by colleagues from across the university, focusing on topics such as community-engaged teaching and course-based undergraduate research.
• Three external scholars offering a broader perspective and national context on experiential learning, including Randy Bass (Georgetown University), Alexandra “Lexie” Cooper (North Carolina State University), and Jessie L. Moore (Elon University). 

Those interested in attending the forum are encouraged to register as soon as possible, as seating is limited at many sessions. 

View the full schedule and register to attend.