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25th Annual Faculty Conference on Teaching Excellence

Joyful Practice: Nurturing Curiosity and Connection in Teaching

January 6 & 7, 2027  

Howard Gittis Student Center, Temple University

Join us to celebrate 25 years of bringing faculty together to recognize excellent teaching, share new practices and amplify voices in the field of higher education! This year, the Temple University Center for the Advancement of Teaching's 25th Annual Faculty Conference on Teaching Excellence will center the theme of nurturing our students' and our own sense of curiosity, playfulness and love of learning. Learning happens best in spaces of experimentation and spirited exploration of the new and unfamiliar. Conference sessions will explore how we can re-engage with aspects of the teaching experience that are exciting and fulfilling. What are strategies for creating spaces of joyful engagement with learning, regardless of our teaching context? How can we effectively manage stresses and confront inevitable challenges to maintain the time and energy for meaningful connection with students? And how can we ignite students’ innate human curiosity, sparking more significant and lasting learning?   

Day one keynote speaker Isis Artze-Vega, lead author and editor of The Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching and co-author of Connections Are Everything: A College Student's Guide to Relationship-Rich Education will make the case that human connection with both students and one another is a source of joy in teaching and also a practical strategy for sustaining it, offering concrete ways to build trust and belonging in our classrooms while attending to our own well-being as educators. Day two will celebrate 25 years of the Annual Faculty Conference by featuring a panel of faculty members from throughout the region who have been recognized for their excellence in teaching. They will share what they have discovered about learning, how they translate those lessons into practice, and how they have fostered curiosity and experimentation in their own learning environments

We invite you to submit proposals to share your ideas, insights, research, and strategies so that we can all learn together how to re-engage with aspects of the teaching experience that are exciting and fulfilling, create spaces for joyful engagement, and spark more significant and lasting learning.

Please consider submitting a proposal for a breakout session, teaching innovation exhibition, or lightning talk. Proposal reviewers will not see identifying information. Remember to anonymize your proposal by removing institutional or personal identification information (i.e. XX University instead of Temple University). Your proposal should be grounded in the research on teaching and learning, be applicable to a variety of disciplines, and be non-commercial. 

Please note that presenters must register for the conference. 

Proposal submissions are due on October 5, 2025.

Breakout Session Submission Details

Interactive 1-hour breakout sessions should present creative and effective ways to engage students, deepen learning, harness emotion in the classroom, teach with technology, and maximize the benefits of different modalities of teaching in higher education. Proposals should be grounded in the research on teaching and learning.

Apply with this Submission Form

Lightning Talk Session Submission Details

Lightning Talks are 15 minute opportunities for faculty to learn about a teaching idea that you have implemented. The talk should be designed to provide a brief (no longer than 7 minutes) introduction and explanation of the idea followed by Q&A. The facilitator will give the same talk four times during the session, providing participants the opportunity to visit four different talks. Note that lightning talks take place in a small group presentation format at a round conference table. Presenters may bring a device if technology is needed. 

Apply with this Submission Form

Teaching Innovation Exhibition Session Submission Details

We invite submissions that showcase innovative approaches to teaching and learning, demonstrate meaningful student engagement, explore the application of educational technologies, or present research focused on instructions and student learning. This exhibition is designed as a gallery-style showcase, providing an opportunity for participants to share their work in a common exhibition space and engage attendees through conversation, demonstrations, and visual displays. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore projects, posters, and interactive exhibits while connecting directly with presenters. 

Applicants are encouraged to submit exhibits in a variety of formats, including but not limited to assignment designs, teaching materials, demonstrations, interactive activities, digital media, videos, podcasts, technology-enhanced projects, creative works, and traditional research posters. We are particularly interested in submissions that lend themselves to visual display, informal discussion, and hands-on engagement. 

Please include a detailed description of installation needs in your submission. As all exhibits will be displayed in a shared gallery space, audio/visual equipment will not be provided. If your exhibit requires technology or specialized materials (such as a laptop, monitor, tablet, or other equipment), presenters will be responsible for providing those items. For questions regarding exhibition setup or installation requirements, please contact . 

Please Note:  

  • This event is not structured as a series of formal presentations. Instead, presenters will be stationed with their exhibits during the exhibition period, allowing attendees to move freely throughout the exhibition space and engage in discussion about projects, practices, and research.  

  • All showcase materials should fit on a 6' rectangular table. At least one of the presenters must be present during the session at the conference to have discussions with participants about their work as they circulate through the showcase. 

Apply using this Submission Form

Learn more about submitting a proposal, including submission guidelines, presentation information, review criteria, and the link to the submission form. 

We look forward to receiving your proposals! Thank you for your interest in the Annual Faculty Conference for Teaching Excellence and for your contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning.

For questions about the call for proposals, please contact

For questions about the conference, please contact Sara Vann at

Keynote Speaker Information

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Isis Artze-Vega

Isis Artze-Vega, Ed.D. is a research professor at American University’s Advancing College Teaching for Student Success National Center, where she provides leadership for the Alliance for Better College Teaching, a national initiative to improve college teaching at scale and thereby advance student learning and success. She is the lead author and editor of the The Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching and co-author of Connections Are Everything: A College Student’s Guide to Relationship-Rich Education and the forthcoming Scaling Relationship-Rich Education: How Institutions Build Cultures Where Students Thrive. Most recently, Isis served as college provost and vice president for academic affairs at Valencia College.