Jill McSweeney, assistant director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, speaks as keynote at the Best Practices in Teaching and Learning Conference (BPTL) in the United Arab Emirates, sharing the magic of Elon as number one in undergraduate teaching.
Jill McSweeney, assistant director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and assistant professor of wellness, was welcomed in April by the American University of Sharjah (AUS) to speak at their Best Practices in Teaching and Learning Conference. The annual conference is a partnership between AUS, Khalifa University, and Amity University, spans Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dhabi, and welcomes faculty across the United Arab Emirates to share and learn about evidence-based and scholarly teaching.
Over three days, more than 500 faculty and students engaged in deep discussion about topics that centered student learning in the face of an evolving higher education landscape.
McSweeney started the second day of the event with her keynote, “Igniting Innovative Teaching: Elon University’s Blueprint for Transforming Undergraduate Education.” The session focused on how teaching innovation is not always about dramatic shifts in our practice, but it can emerge through deliberate, intentional, and even disruptive approaches from an institution that collectively nurtures a culture of teaching excellence.
Framing innovation through the lens of Elon’s teacher-scholar-mentor ethos, she talked about the institution’s deep investment in faculty development, and the recognition that teaching excellence thrives when faculty are supported, valued and empowered to take risks and experiment in their classrooms. The session offered actionable strategies for institutions seeking to embed and sustain a culture of teaching excellence, through leveraging existing strengths, and intentionally investing in faculty leadership and the growth of teaching and learning centers, like Elon’s own Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning.
Across the three days of BPTLC, McSweeney participated in three panel discussions with faculty and deans and spoke to the impact of AI on pedagogical assessments, the impact of AI in STEM, and how institutions and faculty can reimage the future of learning through a lens of wellness.