EDUCAUSE Teaching and Learning Summit

Join your fellow Summit attendees at an informal breakfast for a relaxed opportunity to grab a bite, connect with colleagues, and ease into the day’s conversations.

Kim Arnold, Director, Teaching and Learning Community Program, EDUCAUSE

We’ll kick off the Summit by laying the groundwork for a day of learning, inspiration, and community solutioneering. We’ll establish a shared understanding of instructional continuity, surface key considerations for institutional readiness, and introduce the questions and challenges that will guide our work together throughout the day.

Tom Cavanagh, Vice Provost for Digital Learning, University of Central Florida

Allan Chen, Vice President for Institute Technology and CTO, California Institute of the Arts

Gloria Niles, Chief Academic Technology Innovation Officer, University of Hawaii System

Olena Zhadko, Interim University Executive Director of CUNY Online, CUNY

What can past disruptions teach us about preparing for the next one? Hear from higher education leaders who have navigated a range of disruptions as they share lessons learned, emerging practices, and challenges that remain. The conversation will explore what makes disruption uniquely complex for teaching and learning professionals, how institutions have responded, and what these experiences can teach us about moving from reactive response to proactive instructional continuity.

Tom Cavanagh, Vice Provost for Digital Learning, University of Central Florida

Allan Chen, Vice President for Institute Technology and CTO, California Institute of the Arts

Gloria Niles, Chief Academic Technology Innovation Officer, University of Hawaii System

Olena Zhadko, Interim University Executive Director of CUNY Online, CUNY

Together we’ll explore what disruption looks like through a teaching and learning lens. We will identify common instructional continuity challenges and vulnerabilities, consider which elements are uniquely relevant to teaching and learning, and compare experiences across institutional contexts. Together, this work will begin to build a shared map of the challenges institutions need to anticipate and address as they strengthen instructional resilience.

Chad Fulton, Associate Director Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Texas at Austin

Josie Miliken, Dean of Distance Education, Pima County Community College

Salina Randall, Associate Director of Strategic Communication and Learning Analytics, University of West Florida

How can institutions better prepare faculty and students to navigate disruption before it happens? This panel will explore what proactive instructional continuity looks like from both the faculty and student perspectives. Panelists will consider faculty and student expectations, specifically exploring resources and support necessary to support needs during disruption.

Chad Fulton, Associate Director Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Texas at Austin

Josie Miliken, Dean of Distance Education, Pima County Community College

Salina Randall, Associate Director of Strategic Communication and Learning Analytics, University of West Florida

Together, we will identify what faculty and students need in order to successfully navigate disruption. We’ll distinguish between faculty and student needs, surface common gaps, and explore tactics for addressing them. From there, we’ll identify practical actions institutions can take to move beyond reactive response and build a culture of shared readiness.

Marlena Brown, Senior Research Analyst, Gartner Inc.

Sean Hauze, Chief Operating Officer, San Diego State University

Isaac Makin, Communications Chief, Utah Valley University

Stephanie Moore, Assistant Professor, University of New Mexico

Bethany Smith, Director of Instructional Support and Training, North Carolina State University

It’s time to move from challenges to possibilities. In this series of inspiration talks, higher education leaders will share real–world experiences, lessons learned, and practical approaches to strengthening instructional continuity. Hear how institutions are proactively planning for teaching and learning needs, developing communication strategies for times of disruption, and building resilient digital ecosystems. Each talk will offer concrete ideas and fresh perspectives designed to spark thinking, providing fuel for the collaborative solutioneering that follows.

Drawing on ideas and insights surfaced throughout the day, participants will rotate through three rounds of collaborative solutioneering focused on key dimensions of instructional continuity. Choose where you can contribute, learn from different perspectives, and work alongside speakers and fellow participants to explore challenges, exchange approaches, and develop practical solutions. Along the way, we will be building community resources as well as developing next steps to take back your institution.

Tom Cavanagh, Vice Provost for Digital Learning, University of Central Florida

Allan Chen, Vice President for Institute Technology and CTO, California Institute of the Arts

Gloria Niles, Chief Academic Technology Innovation Officer, University of Hawaii System

Olena Zhadko, Interim University Executive Director of CUNY Online, CUNY

Take an opportunity to reflect on the day’s learning and commit to what comes next. Participants will consider how they can carry insights and ideas back to their own institutions while also identifying the challenges and opportunities that require continued attention and collective action across the higher education community. We’ll end with parting perspectives from some of our panelists.