KU Teaching Summit Focuses on Building Classroom Relationships

Photo by Mike Welchhans

Peter Felten issued a clear call to action at this year’s Teaching Summit: Connect with students and help them connect with one another.

Felten, executive director of the Center for Engaged Learning and assistant provost for Teaching and Learning at Elon University, delivered the keynote address at the Summit, which brought together over 300 University of Kansas faculty and instructional staff in Budig Hall on Aug. 17. The annual event was co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching Excellence, the Provost’s Office, and the KU Medical Center.

This year’s event aimed to underscore the significance of building strong relationships within the educational community, and Felten drew on his research on the impact of relationships on students' educational experiences in making a case for building community.

"In a world of challenges, it's distinctly hard to be a student these days," said Felten, who highlighted the vital role of fostering connections within the classroom to navigate these difficulties.

A strong sense of belonging in college is crucial to student success and well-being, Felten said and influences students’ lives for years afterward. These connections, which he said were part of relationship-rich education, “is preparing them not only to be successful in college; it’s actually preparing them to live longer and happier lives."

Dea Follmer (Greehoot), director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, emceed the event, laying the foundation for a day centered on community building and professional development, with more than 30 breakout sessions led by faculty and staff. Following Follmer’s opening remarks, Chancellor Doug Girod addressed the challenges and opportunities presented by a “really strong freshman class," noting that it may be the largest in the history of the university.

Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer presented the Chris Haufler Teaching Award to the Jewish Studies department during the event. The Haufler Award acknowledges the innovative work of academic departments in developing or transforming exceptional core courses, aligning with the assessment of KU Core learning outcomes.

The keynote resonated with attendees who engaged with Felten's ideas through an interactive activity, sharing insights on student engagement and challenges. Notably, "time" emerged as a recurring obstacle, illustrating the delicate balance between effective teaching and other commitments.

Breakout sessions delved into strategies for fostering connections and community within the classroom.

Lisa Sharpe Elles, an associate teaching professor in Chemistry, found resonance with the summit's theme of returning to community. She expressed enthusiasm about aligning her teaching goals with the event's discussions.

"It was really kind of exciting to have a lot of the topics today centered around doing the thing that I've already started thinking about doing," Elles said.

Jonathan Hagel, an assistant teaching professor in History,  said Felten’s breakout session on providing feedback to students resonated with him and reminded him of an assignment he used early in his career.

"I'm going to go back to my office and start jotting down some notes about how I can revive that tool," Hagel said.

Felten urged attendees to cultivate classrooms where students engage with peers and course material. He emphasized that such interactions fuel students' motivation to learn.

"If our classes can be places where students are interacting with lots of their peers, they're going to find those people who are going to ignite the fire, who are really going to spark them to be motivated and learn,” Felten said.