Last spring, in the midst of the worst economy in generations, more than six hundred of your colleagues found a way to attend The Teaching Professor Conference. They traveled from nearly every state, and in some cases, from out of the country.
Why? How?
The "why" was easy. For educators who are passionate about the art and science of teaching, The Teaching Professor Conference is the premiere event in the U.S. It's a "must go," plain and simple.
The "how" was probably a little more complicated. Funding for conferences is tight at some schools, nonexistent at others. Yet all of these people found a way ... and all of their institutions agreed this was one event that had to stay in the budget.
Money will be a challenge again this year. But we're again expecting to welcome delegates in large numbers from campuses nationwide ... and we hope we can count you among them.
There are compelling reasons to attend. Not just "recharge your batteries" and "reconnect with your passion" kinds of reasons ... but real, practical, bottom-line-benefiting reasons like these:
#1 It'll make you a better teacher.
The Teaching Professor Conference is three intensive days of pre-conference sessions, plenary presentations, workshops and more. They're all devoted to the latest ideas in effective pedagogy. Whether you've been teaching forever or just wrote your name on a white board for the first time, you'll find it virtually impossible to leave the conference without a notebook's worth of new and important ideas.
#2 It'll make college a better experience for your students.
When you benefit from The Teaching Professor Conference, your students benefit. Every insight you gain into better teaching can translate into a better learning experience for them.
#3 It'll benefit your institution – tremendously.
If there's irony to be found in schools trimming faculty development budgets, it's this: better faculty create better learning outcomes. And learning outcomes are increasingly being used to determine which colleges get funded ... or even accredited. So faculty development is just about the best investment an institution can make.
There are other good reasons to attend. If you're involved with the scholarship of teaching, this is where you'll find colleagues who share your interest. If you're a young educator seeking to build your teaching portfolio, this is the place to do it. If you're an old hand with a passion for staying current and learning all you can, you belong here. And if you're an administrator dedicated to academic excellence, it's your conference, too.
The dates? May 21-23. The site? Where else ...
We could hardly imagine a better place to hold a conference for educators than Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to a few rather heavyweight academic traditions, and just the other side of the river from historic Boston ... where, by late May, the gardens will be in full bloom.
The cost to attend? Brace yourself ...
The seminar fee may surprise you – as in "pleasant surprise," not "appalling surprise." For the entire three-day event, including access to all plenary sessions, and workshops, plus many of your meals, you'll pay just ... well, click here to find out. And be sure to see which early-registration and/or group discounts you're entitled to!
We hope you'll be able to join us, and many hundreds of your colleagues, for what promises to be the best Teaching Professor Conference yet.
See you in Cambridge? Full registration info here.
