Over the past decade the eLearning Academy has been a place for us to come together and share our teaching from the prior year to grow our practice with our peers. Our theme this year is "Finding the Human in the Classroom." We're focussing on the teaching practices, design practices, and support practices that humanize our classrooms, reveal our humanity as instructors, and value the humanity in our learners. We have two amazing keynote speakers lined up that will approach this important topic in interesting and complimentary ways.
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanagh is a psychologist, professor, and Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning at Simmons University in Boston. She teaches classes on affective science and mental health, researches the intersections of emotion, motivation, and learning, and provides educational development for faculty. Sarah regularly writes for Psychology Today and The Chronicle of Higher Education. She has published three books, most recently Mind Over Monsters, an investigation into the mental health crisis affecting young adults, and an impassioned argument for creating learning environments characterized both by compassion and challenge. You can learn more about Sarah and read some of her work at sarahrosecav.comLinks to an external site..
Dr. Michelle Pacansky-Brock is a noted leader in higher education. Michelle’s work has helped online instructors across the nation and beyond understand how to craft relevant, humanized online learning experiences that support the diverse needs of college students. She is the author of Best Practices for Teaching with Emerging Technologies and has received national recognition for her excellence in teaching and faculty development from the Online Learning Consortium. Michelle is Faculty Mentor for Online Teaching and Learning with the Foothill-DeAnza Community College District in California. She is also leading a California Learning Lab grant project that is scaling humanized online teaching across California and researching its impact on STEM students from minoritized communities. You can learn more about Michelle and read some of her work at brocansky.comLinks to an external site..