Conference Welcome and Keynote: Embodying a Pedagogy of Hope

Zoom Keynote Room

Higher education finds itself in a fraught and uncertain moment; the last year has laid bare many of the inequities and injustices which shape the world in which we and our students live. It might seem counterintuitive to talk about a pedagogy of hope in the midst of the anxieties we face, but not doing so leads us to hope's opposite—fear. As we enter our "new normal" in higher education, grounding our practice in an ethic of hope offers the opportunity for us to center our students and their success, meaningfully promote equity, and foster learning environments in which all of us can be fully present and in community with one another. This session will challenge us to think about the ways in which we frame our design choices and teaching practices in order to sustain hope for us and our students.