TEACHxWSU 2023 Registration Open for Oct. 20 Events

PULLMAN, Wash.—Washington State University faculty and teaching staff and graduate students are invited to register by Mon. Oct. 9 for the second annual TEACHxWSU set for Friday, Oct. 20, with the theme of “Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education.” A morning keynote address and several afternoon sessions are offered in-person at WSU Pullman as well as virtually for participants systemwide.

“We welcome educators across the WSU system to come together at TEACHxWSU to learn about the latest information available from our guest speakers and session leaders,” said Kara Whitman, chair of the WSU Teaching Academy, part of the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President and event host.

“We have excellent in-person and virtual events throughout the day, and participants are welcome to attend as many as they can, as their schedules allow. Registration is open online and we are anticipating great attendance this year, so we encourage everyone to sign up soon.”

Morning Keynote

The keynote address kicks off TEACHxWSU 2023 at 9:30 a.m. in the Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center for in-person participants at WSU Pullman, and via Zoom for others. Guest speakers from the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash (UCBA) campus are Rita Kumar and Brenda Refaei. They are co-authors of the book Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education, which is the Teaching Academy Book Club text this year. Refaei is co-director of the UCBA Learning and Teaching Center; Kumar is the former executive director of the UC Faculty Enrichment Center. Both are professors in the UCBA Dept. of English and Communication.

Afternoon Sessions

There will be a lunch break from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., with food available for in-person participants at WSU Pullman.

An in-person, design workshop is limited to 15 participants with registration closing when that number has been reached:

• “Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education: Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment,” with Kumar and Refaei, offered only from 12:30-2:00 p.m.

Additional workshops, both in-person and virtual, will be offered from 12:30-2:00 p.m. and 2:10-3:40 p.m. Participants should register online for sessions they plan to attend. The workshop schedule, and details about session content and leaders, is on the webpage. Those sessions and hosts are:

• “Handle with Care: Practical Strategies to Support Trauma-sensitive Training,” with Laura Holyoke and Heather Ebba Maib. Holyoke is department chair and associate professor of leadership and counseling at the University of Idaho. Maib is director of an educational opportunity program at the University of Idaho.
• “Human Subjects Research in Education,” with Heather Brackett, Tija Tippett, and Joe Crossno. Brackett is with the WSU Human Research Protection Program (HRPP). Tippett is the human subjects review coordinator for HRPP. Crossno is the assistant director of HRPP in the WSU Office of Research Assurances.
• “What Does It Mean for AI to be a Tool or Resource in Your Course?,” with Kate Watts, Dee Posey, and Erika Offerdahl. Watts is a career-track professor and director of composition in the Department of English. Posey is a scholarly professor in the Department of Psychology. Offerdahl is director of the Transformational Change Initiative in the provost’s office, and professor and associate director of undergraduate programs in the School of Molecular Biosciences.
• “Accessibility as Inclusivity: Syllabus and Classroom Strategies,” with Amy Petersilie Heile, access advisor in the WSU Access Center.

For more information and answers to questions, reach out to Whitman by email.

Media contacts:

Kara Whitman, Official Title, WSU Teaching Academy chair, kmwhitman@wsu.edu

Bev Makhani, Director of Marketing and Communications, Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement (DAESA), makhani@wsu.edu