Plenary Sessions

Teaching Professor
Online Conference

Live Access: October 24–26, 2023
On-Demand Access: October 27–December 31, 2023

Claire Howell Major
Claire Howell Major

Employing the Principles of Engaged Teaching to Advance Student Learning

Claire Howell Major, The University of Alabama
October 25, 2022

Never has teaching at the college and university level been tougher or mattered more than at this moment. Today’s teachers face era-defining challenges. Yet teaching also remains one of the world’s most rewarding professions. And it’s a profession that those of us who do it care deeply about. In this presentation, participants will learn about the concept of Engaged Teaching, a model of the intellectual effort involved in effective teaching that deepens student learning.

Know your presenter:


Claire Major, PhD is a professor of higher education at The University of Alabama. Her teaching and research interests center on instructional approaches and instructional technology. She has authored and co-authored eleven books, including five with Elizabeth Barkley: Engaged Teaching, Interactive lecturing, Learning assessment techniques, Collaborative learning techniques, and Student engagement techniques. In addition to these, she has published Teaching for learning: 101 intentionally designed instructional activities to put students on the path to success, with Michael Harris and Todd Zakrajsek, and Online learning: A guide to theory, research, and practice. She has published her research in top-tier journals and presented at national and international conferences. Major has also presented public lectures and faculty workshops, as well as online workshops and webinars, for dozens of colleges and universities in the United States and abroad.

Flower Darby
Flower Darby

Feeling Part of the Group: The Importance of Belonging for Student and Faculty Success

Flower Darby, University of Missouri
October 26, 2022

As social beings, we have a deep and fundamental need to be part of the group. When we feel like we belong, we are willing and able to cognitively engage, take intellectual risks, and learn more deeply and effectively. We’ll explore how promoting connections and belonging with and among our students fosters increased academic achievement, engagement, and persistence, all of which lead to better and more equitable learning outcomes in all class modalities. As we identify evidence-based practical strategies to promote student well-being and success, we’ll discover how these techniques support our own well-being and success, too.

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Flower Darby celebrates and promotes effective teaching in all class formats to include, welcome, and support all students. She’s taught in higher education for over 26 years in English, technology, leadership, dance, and pilates. Darby enjoys applying learning science across the disciplines and helps others do the same. She’s the author, with James M. Lang, of Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes (2019). Her new book project is on emotion science and teaching with technology.