International Forum on Active Learning in Classrooms

Join us for the 2024 International Forum on Active Learning in Classrooms on August 1-2 at the University of Minnesota Rochester. 

The IFALC features session formats designed to provide opportunities for participants to demonstrate innovative practices and research that leverage the advantages of active learning pedagogies and learning spaces that may or may not be technology-enhanced.

The IFALC brings together a wide variety of institutions to:

• Examine common challenges relevant to the effective implementation of active learning, and chart a path for their resolution;
• Share successful practices that have enriched the active learning experience of students and their instructors in higher education;
• Build and deepen networks with colleagues and industry partners in order to advance efforts across strategic and capital planning, curriculum design, and evidence-based classroom practices;
• Use evidence to support and encourage success for a diverse cohort of learners; 

This forum is framed by the alignment between the use of evidence-based active and  inclusive learning pedagogies in classrooms, and achieving the academic priorities of many universities and colleges such as increased inclusion, engagement, learning, retention, graduation rates and greater equity in outcome measures. Since these priorities are of broad interest to all working in higher education, international participation is most welcome.

Registration Information

Rates:

• Early Bird (available until June 15): $300
• Regular: $350
• Student/Trainee: $75

Keynote Speakers

Dr. George Veletsianos is a professor at the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and teaches in the learning technologies program. He holds the Bonnie Westby Huebner chair in education and technology and pursues a socially responsible and critical research agenda aiming to respond to complex education problems in online and blended contexts, such as inequitable access, participation divides, and online harassment. As possible solutions to these difficult problems cut across multiple disciplines, his research is collaborative, interdisciplinary, and method agnostic (though he has a soft spot for interpretive and creative approaches). This research agenda focuses on the (1) design, development and evaluation of online and blended learning environments, (2) study of learning experiences and participation in emerging online environments, and (3) investigation of learning futures. He blogs ongoing research and thoughts at http://www.veletsianos.com.

Jill Ackers is an influential educator with nearly three decades of experience across a broad spectrum of the educational sector. She holds a B.S. in Applied Learning and Development and Elementary Education, an M.Ed. in School Leadership and Administration. Her expertise in designing learning environments was recognized with the Accredited Learning Environment Planner (ALEP) certification in 2021.

She was a key founding member of a K-12 International Baccalaureate STEM school in Dallas, Texas. Her impactful work continued in higher education, significantly contributing to the development of Southern Methodist University’s first urban principal Master’s Degree program. She also established the city's first dual-language Project-Based Learning (PBL) elementary school, serving as its Elementary Director. As the Director of Education at VS America, her current role focuses on transforming learning environments, a crucial aspect of impacting student lives daily. This role involves collaborating with architectural firms, interior designers, and furniture vendors globally to create adaptable, flexible and dynamic learning spaces.