Faculty to share IMPACT experiences at CIE conference

The Center for Instructional Excellence will host a conference March 26-27 that focuses on faculty members' methods and experiences in transforming their teaching methods to meet 21st-century students' needs.

"The Changing Classroom Symposium" will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 26 and from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. March 27. Events, including a keynote address, poster sessions, faculty presentations and a library/technology expo, are scheduled to take place in Stewart Center. Attendance is free but registration is encouraged.

Edward Deci, professor of psychology and the Gowen Professor in the Social Sciences at the University of Rochester in New York, will give the keynote address. Deci's talk, titled "Prompting Optimal Motivation in Education," will take place at 9-10:30 a.m. March 26 in Stewart Center, Fowler Hall.

The conference's poster sessions, scheduled for both days, will involve faculty members who have redesigned courses through IMPACT (Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation). Launched in 2011, IMPACT seeks to engage students more fully in their learning through the redesign of large-capacity, foundational courses.

IMPACT faculty fellows and Purdue Polytechnic Institute fellows also will discuss their novel approaches to teaching during separate presentations scheduled for March 26-27.

Giving presentations are:

* Emily Allen, associate dean for academic affairs in the Honors College.
* Ilana Barnes, assistant professor of library science.
* Gary Bertoline, Distinguished Professor of Computer Graphics Technology and dean of the College of Technology.
* Larry DeBoer, professor of agricultural economics.
* George Hollich, associate professor of psychological sciences.
* Daphene Koch, associate professor of building construction management.
* Dawn Laux, clinical assistant professor of computer and information technology.
* Craig Locker, graduate teaching assistant, College of Technology.
* Jim McClure, professor of mathematics.
* Nathan Mentzer, assistant professor of technology leadership and innovation.
* Fatma Mili, professor of computer information technology.
* Melanie Morgan, associate professor of communication.
* Edie Schmidt, professor of industrial technology.
* Regena Scott, assistant professor of technology leadership and innovation.
* Ben Wiles, assistant to the head of the Department of Mathematics.

The conference also will include a performance on March 26 from enCORE Interactive Theatre, an acting troupe that is made up of Purdue students and is part of the Center for Instructional Excellence. The performance, which will take place at 2-3:15 p.m. in Lawson Computer Science building, is titled "Helping Students of Diverse Backgrounds." More information about enCORE is available in a video and on its website.

Registration options for all conference events can be found at www.conf.purdue.edu/marchcelebration.

The conference is part of the Center for Instructional Excellence's weeklong March Celebration for Teaching and Learning. A full list of related events, including an additional enCORE performance, can be found at www.purdue.edu/cie/workshops/events.html.