Robin DeRosa is the Director of the Open Learning & Teaching Collaborative at Plymouth State University, part of the University System of New Hampshire. The Open CoLab is a dynamic, praxis-powered hub dedicated to innovative teaching and learning and a community-driven approach to academic professional development; we focus on instructional design, open education, interdisciplinary learning, and increasing the public impact of the academy.

From Supporting to Steering: Why We Should Stop Underestimating Teaching & Learning Centers
Friday, November 18th, 11am-12.15pm PST, Regency B
“Faculty support” and “faculty development” are phrases that are often used interchangeably, and they’re also often used without careful consideration of what it means to support or develop a faculty, or individual faculty members. This can lead us to underestimate the potential of professional development initiatives. In this presentation, Robin will map new structures for institutional leadership that place pedagogical development at the core, and offer a vision for how to create a community-driven model for leading our higher education institutions into a hopeful, learner-centered future. With a critical eye toward the marginalization of support work, Robin will offer pragmatic, paradigm-shifting ideas about the role that teaching and learning centers— and the myriad students, faculty, and staff who animate them— can play in steering our colleges and universities.

NOTE: Keynote will be delivered in person to participants in Seattle and simultaneously livestreamed for online participants. Online participants will have an exclusive Q&A session with Robin following the talk.