Sixth Annual USU ETE Conference Slated for August 14

All Utah State University instructors are invited to attend the Empowering Teaching Excellence (ETE) Conference, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14, on the Logan campus.

This year’s conference, which will offer 40 breakout sessions and three general sessions focused on teaching, will begin with a keynote speech by Stephen Gavazzi in Taggart Student Center Ballroom 201. A professor in the human development and family science program at Ohio State University, Gavazzi is the author of “Land-Grant Universities for the Future: Higher Education for the Public Good” and will speak on how teaching is integral to the land-grant mission of the university.

The theme of the conference is Learn. Discover. Engage., which coincides with the mission of the university. Many of the breakout sessions will discuss evidence-based strategies behind USU’s teaching methods and how to implement those methods using teaching, research and service.

More than 400 USU instructors are expected to attend this year’s conference.

“The ETE Conference is a great place for instructors to reflect on their teaching practice as we approach a new academic year,” said Travis Thurston, ETE coordinator in Academic and Instructional Services. “I’m impressed every year with the innovative teaching strategies being shared. We have a strong culture of teaching excellence here at USU, and it’s great to see our statewide community come together to improve teaching. Each year, the ETE Conference gives instructors a forum to share their classroom successes, to connect with their peers, and to discover valuable teaching resources.”

Along with the ETE Conference, all new incoming USU faculty are encouraged to attend Foundations of USU Teaching on Monday, Aug. 12. The sessions are designed to introduce faculty to the many teaching resources available and provide effective strategies for helping students succeed in the classroom.

Foundations will take place in the Life Science Building (LSB) Room 231. It will consist of general sessions, a free lunch and hands-on breakout sessions. All new USU faculty will leave the conference with a clear idea of who their students will be and will feel empowered to be successful educators at USU.

To register for the ETE Conference and to see a detailed conference schedule, visit empowerteaching.usu.edu/conference. To register for Foundations and to see a detailed conference schedule, visit empowerteaching.usu.edu/foundations.