Suzanne Bessette, NMC Biology faculty member, recently attended the Association of College and University Biology Educators (ACUBE) Annual Meeting at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She also took Swoop with her. Check out the incredible Swoopy’s Conference in Milwaukee photo album she put together. Here’s what Suzanne had to say about the experience: 

What was the name of the conference/PD opportunity you attended?

Association of College and University Biology Educators Annual Meeting

When and where did the event take place?

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Oct. 18-19.

Please share details from a memorable keynote speaker, conference session, or something else notable from the event:

Keynote speaker Dr. Julia Metzger did not merely lecture on the merits of creating engaging and inclusive classes. Rather, she challenged us in a guided way to create our own teaching “manifestos” in three areas (engagement, inclusiveness, and self-care,) emphasizing that there is no “one size fits all” approach to these goals but it’s up to every teacher to consider how best to support and grow toward them. Evidence from many studies suggests that students need three things to optimize learning outcomes: (1) highly structured classes (minimizing uncertainty regarding expectations and outcomes), (2) targeted supports (additional resources in and out of the classroom to give students the tools/skills they need to succeed), and (3) educator mindset (the educator must BELIEVE students can do the work and succeed.)

How likely are you to recommend this opportunity to a colleague? 

Neutral

Do you have any big takeaways that you’ll be applying to your pedagogy in the near future?

The conference presentations supported my ongoing efforts to include active learning in every class session and my PASSION for highly-organized syllabi and course structure, so I’ll continue to do those things. I am going to think carefully about some better ways for me to link students directly to student services (NMC’s targeted supports), which I recently learned more about during NMC’s fall conference.

Is there anything else you’d like CIE or your colleagues at NMC to know about this experience? 

I expected this conference to focus exclusively on teaching methods and pedagogy, but a significant number of sessions were focused on graduate student development and improving student access to higher education. Interesting topics, but not relevant to me. They also gave a lot of time to two educational service companies to do presentations/pitches, which I didn’t really care for.