2027 University Teaching & Learning Symposium

Save the date!
The University Teaching and Learning Symposium is Wednesday, January 6, 2027 at the Bone Student Center

Call for Proposals

The Center for Integrated Professional Development invites faculty, staff, and graduate students to submit proposals for the upcoming 2027 University Teaching and Learning Symposium. The event will be held at the Bone Student Center on Wednesday, January 6, 2027.

The theme for this year’s Symposium is By Design, Not by Chance: Connecting Ideas, People, and Disciplines for Transformative Learning. Illinois State University’s strategic plan, Excellence by Design 2026-2030, challenges us to create learning experiences that prepare students to become informed, engaged, and responsible members of society. As our world connects and changes through social and envionrmental challenges, how we learn, work, and communicate continues to evolve. Universities can intentionally design learning opportunities that enable students to develop the skills to navigate complexity, collaborate across differences, think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, and adapt to change.

We invite proposals that showcase how faculty, staff, graduate students, departments, programs, centers, and community partners are intentionally creating learning environments that help students develop these essential capabilities. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

Interdisciplinary teaching and learning
Course-based research and creative expression
Community-engaged learning
Collaborative partnerships across campus units
Initiatives that connect curricular and co-curricular experiences
Programs and partnerships that support student success and belonging

All proposals related to scholarly approaches to teaching and learning are welcome. Scholarly teaching is an intellectual, rather than an instinctual act, incorporating evidence-informed practices that support student learning at the heart of course design and delivery efforts. Scholarly approaches to teaching can be used to develop course learning outcomes and content, apply high-impact practices in learning contexts, design equitable or innovative pedagogies, create assessments that capture student learning, or communicate effectively with students.

We encourage proposals that:

Showcase evidence-informed teaching practices that enhance student learning.
Describe scholarly approaches to any aspect of teaching and learning (e.g., course content, student engagement, equity/diversity/inclusion, incorporating instructional technology).
Demonstrate how research or data have informed your instructional design or delivery.
Share insights from Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) projects.
Align with the Framework for Inclusive Teaching Excellence (FITE), Illinois State University’s signature pedagogy.

Presentation Formats

Individual: A 30-minute presentation (maximum 2 presenters) that includes sharing of information and Q&A.
Panel: A 50-minute presentation (minimum 3 presenters; more than 5 not recommended). Panel can structure the time as they see fit and include time for Q&A.
Poster: A 60-minute session that coincides with lunch. Posters will be produced by The Center at no charge, using your design.

Submission Deadline – Sunday, October 11

Proposals must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 11. Please prepare the following information

Presentation Title
Names and emails for all the co-presenters
A session description, no more than 200 words in length
A shortened description of 25-50 words

Peer Review Process

All submissions are reviewed by a panel of teaching and learning experts using the posted rubric: Proposal Review Rubrics  It typically takes several weeks to review the submissions. You will be notified of your status by November 6, 2026.

Submit Proposal

Questions? Contact Dr. Dana Karraker, Assistant Director for Educational Development Programs, or call (309) 438-5110.