Meeting Tracks and Session Formats

Meeting Tracks

• Curricular, Pedagogical, and Digital Innovation

  This track will focus on improving student outcomes, advancing equity goals, and addressing the implications of AI through innovations in teaching, learning, and assessment; curricular design; and the application of digital technologies in the liberal arts and STEM fields.

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

  This track will focus on reclaiming the narrative on equity and what it means to support the success of all students.

• Engaged Learning

  This track will focus on advancing the public purposes of higher education by leveraging engaged forms of learning—global, civic, STEM-related, and community-based learning.

• Liberal Education, Workforce Preparation, and Scientific Vitality

  This track will focus on links between liberal education outcomes and workforce readiness and on how integrating the arts and humanities with the sciences can empower students and promote economic growth and global competitiveness.

• Mental Health and Well-Being

  This track will focus on ways colleges and universities can support the mental health and well-being of their students, faculty, and staff.

Session Formats

• "HEDs UP" Sessions

  Multiple 10-minute presentations, within a one-hour session, modeled on the format of TED Talks. Each presentation should focus on an innovative project or program, compelling research, or “lessons learned.” HEDs Up presentations should be provocative, challenging, entertaining, and above all, interesting.

• Discussion Sessions

  Explore current work, recent findings, or new perspectives and allow at least 20 minutes for discussion.

• Panel Presentations

  Follow a traditional format with a presentation(s) followed by discussion among the speakers and with the audience.

• Research Sessions

  Present findings, works in progress, or new methodologies pertaining to the meeting themes.

• Roundtable Discussions

  Provide opportunities for participants to share successful strategies and examples of effective academic and institutional leadership and/or change at all levels. For these informal discussions, participants are welcome either to rotate among several discussion topics or to focus on one only.

• Seminar Sessions

  Active-learning sessions—limited to 25 participants each—that focus on topics currently being discussed and debated within higher education. Seminar leaders pose provocative questions and introduce activities that engage participants in workshop-style activities.