WKU Events

 Keynote: Distracted and Disengaged: A Return to Attention - DSU Auditorium 1071
From 9:30 - 11:00am
Many faculty have voiced concerns about rising levels of student disengagement throughout the pandemic; before the spring of 2020, their concerns were more focused on the distractions caused by our ubiquitous technologies. One remedy for both of these ills can be found in the literature on attention, which reminds us that humans have always struggled with the kind of focus that drives deeper learning. This keynote will draw upon scholarship from history, neuroscience, and education in support of the idea that if we want students to engage fully in their learning, we must create educational experiences that support and cultivate attention. Participants will learn about a variety of potential pathways to developing such experiences for their students.

Workshop 1 from 1:00 - 2:00pm: 
Inclusive Teaching: The Power of High Structure - DSU 3024
In this workshop, participants will be offered additional ideas for creating attention-based classes, and then be invited to work with each other to revise or develop new classroom strategies for their current or future courses. In addition to small group brainstorming, the workshop will offer plenty of time for questions and discussions with colleagues.

Workshop 2 from 2:30 - 3:30pm
Creating and Re-Creating Major Assessments in the Age of AI - DSU 3024

In this workshop, participants will be offered additional ideas for creating attention-based classes, and then be invited to work with each other to revise or develop new assessment strategies for their current or future courses. In addition to small group brainstorming, the workshops will offer plenty of time for questions and discussions with colleagues.