Keynote Address

Lisa R. Lattuca Center for the Study of Higher Education The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA lattuca@psu.edu Dr. Lattuca studies the intersections of curriculum, teaching, student learning, and faculty work in higher education, addressing questions such as how faculty attitudes and behaviors related to curricular planning and instruction influence student learning in higher education, why and how faculty adopt new forms of knowledge production (e.g., interdisciplinary research), and how both disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives affect faculty work and student learning in colleges and universities. In her current research projects, Dr. Lattuca is exploring these topics in the context of undergraduate engineering programs.

The thirty-ninth annual conference of the International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning (ISETL) will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from October 8-10, 2009. ISETL encourages college and university faculty and practitioners from all disciplines to develop, study, and apply learner-centered principles of teaching, learning, and assessment in innovative, yet effective and practical ways. The program committee invites proposals for a 50 minute presentations - Interactive Teaching Sessions or Academic Research Sessions - or for a poster session presentation that reflects these goals. We are especially interested in presentations that demonstrate practical and creative teaching and learning techniques based on personal experiences and/or research that will appeal to colleagues in several disciplines. We will also consider presentations on other topics relevant to the mission of ISETL. Preference will be given to presentations that promise to model alternative teaching methods and engage their audiences in activity and dialogue. All conference information is available on the Conference Information sheet.

ISETL is a supportive and inclusive organization of professionals dedicated to the practice and scholarship of teaching in higher education. The rich representation of disciplines from traditional liberal arts and sciences, engineering and the applied sciences, and a diverse set of professional schools gives us all new insights to achieving common goals of improving teaching and learning. ISETL conferences provide a professional forum for those who have something to share, and the informal and interactive nature of the presentations makes learners and teachers of us all. ISETL's listserv provides an online forum for exchanging ideas and innovations in pedagogy, and ISETL's publication, the International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, a peer-reviewed journal, provides faculty with an outlet for sharing their academic endeavors.