Newswise — KINGSTON, R.I. – March 4, 2025 – The University of Rhode Island Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning will host its second annual on Wednesday, March 26, exploring global issues college students are facing and the best practices educators can use to foster inclusive dialogue to work toward common solutions.
With the theme “Navigating Wicked Problems Through Higher Education,” this free, virtual conference aims to equip instructors with effective skills and strategies for engaging the many complex concerns and challenges facing our world today, by convening higher education instructors and faculty development specialists to share strategies that cultivate democratic engagement. The daylong conference is free, but .
Last year’s inaugural conference attracted more than 170 attendees, bringing together URI faculty and educators with colleagues from across the state, region and nation, to discuss best practices in teaching, learning, faculty development and support in higher education. In today’s polarized political environment, collaboration is needed to overcome isolation and address the complex issues of the day, said Christopher Lavan, associate vice provost for the and co-chair of this year’s conference.
“We read the headlines. Higher education is at an inflection point. So, how do we gather colleagues from different states and regions of our country, to talk about these things in a safe environment and a way where multiple perspectives will be heard?” said Lavan. “Here’s an opportunity for us to fulfill our role as the flagship, land-grant and sea-grant university in Rhode Island and bring educators together in a way that’s positive.”
The conference will feature keynote speaker Nancy Thomas, executive director of the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education and senior advisor to the president for democracy initiatives at the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Thomas, an expert in educating for a more aspirational democracy, college student voting, academic freedom, and campus climates for political learning and engagement to democracy, holds a law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a doctorate in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She will discuss “Imaginative Strategies, Educating for Democracy in Question.”
“She’s a champion in the use of classrooms as a laboratory for democracy going back 20 years or more,” said Todd Dresser, associate director of the Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and co-chair of this year’s conference. “Her input to our discussion will be vital for educators to hear.”
Attendees can take part in more than 30 sessions – numerous workshops, presentations, poster sessions and panel discussions – across five tracks, including discussions on online and blended learning, generative AI in the classroom, inclusive and accessible teaching, studying the effectiveness of innovative teaching approaches, and supporting faculty vitality and well-being. Sessions will feature URI presenters and colleagues from colleges and universities across the region, the U.S. and beyond.
“This is a unique and viable professional development opportunity for instructors of all types as well as for all members of our campus community,” said Lavan.
The conference’s virtual setting provides for greater accessibility and flexibility for presenters and attendees, while also allowing plenty of opportunities for attendees to network in the virtual lounge with colleagues from near and far. “We want to make use of the ability to allow people to connect,” said Dresser. “Rather than the conference being simply a content delivery vehicle, we have special time dedicated to networking and talking with new colleagues.”
The Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning conducts regular programming for URI instructors. But to be able to include educators from other institutions in a free, daylong conference is a unique opportunity – especially for instructors who may not have that programming available to them otherwise, Lavan said.
“For us to have the University’s support to lean into our flagship mission and bring folks together from across the country to have these types of discussions is a big deal,” he added. “I hope they walk away knowing someone they did not know before they joined us, or with a new idea, a set of skills, or excitement to try something new in their classroom. But I’m also hopeful that those who join us will leave with some hope, having connected with others through this virtual platform around issues that matter today.”
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