Course Hero's Fourth Annual Education Summit Convenes Faculty Focused on Pedagogical Research and Innovations

Growing community of practice fosters discussion among faculty navigating the complex intersection of equity, assessment, and academic integrity in the digital age

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Course Hero

Jul 01, 2021, 10:15 ET

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., July 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Course Hero, an online learning platform that enables students and educators to contribute and access academic resources, today published the program for its fourth annual Education Summit, which is attended by more than 3,500 college faculty focused on innovations in the science of teaching and learning. Typified by a commitment to surfacing and giving voice to often divergent perspectives on controversial topics, this year's summit, which will be held virtually from July 28–30 will focus on returning to the heart and science of learning after a year of challenge and change.

"Following a year of unprecedented changes that have affected every facet of the student and educator experience, this is an opportunity to reflect on what's working—and where we go from here," said Andrew Grauer, Co-founder and CEO of Course Hero. "We are eager to listen to and learn from all educators, not only those who are collaborating with us to reimagine instruction and assessment -- but also those who may be unsure about platforms like ours."

Over the last year, Course Hero's educator community has attracted nearly 70,000 verified educators, an increase of nearly 30,000 over the previous year. The educator community has access to over 60 million learning and teaching resources all aimed at helping educators develop effective teaching practices that cultivate engaged students. Over the past year, Course Hero reports a 62% increase in the number of teaching resources uploaded by faculty as the shift to remote learning created new pressures -- and opportunities -- for faculty that were, in many cases, teaching online for the first time. Earlier this month, Course Hero announced the acquisition of LitCharts, the creator of popular literature resources used by over 3 million K-12 and college educators to help students develop and support a better understanding of literary texts.

"The education summit was the most diverse group of individuals that I've encountered at a conference focusing on higher education," said Shanina Sanders-Johnson, Assistant Professor, Spelman College, reflecting on her past experience at the 2020 Education Summit. "As a chemist, I didn't think I had that much in common with accountants or economists but it turns out that we can use some of the same strategies in the classroom to connect with students. It was a refreshing change of pace."

Summit participants will build on their experiences within the educator community by joining keynotes, fireside chats and presentations on student-centered teaching and assessment and learn about the latest research, learning science and pedagogy workshops, and more. In addition to the main events, educators will have the opportunity to participate in smaller workshops led by faculty and experts, Q&A sessions in response to main events, and reaction rooms that allow for guided discussions around pedagogy.

The 2021 Education Summit features speakers on student success and well-being, learning science, and assessment, including:

Darryl DMC McDaniels, Author of Ten Ways Not to Commit Suicide and Advisor, Uwill
Dr. Barbara Oakley, Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering, Oakland University and Author of Learn Like a Pro: Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything
Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, Professor of Sociology & Medicine, Temple University
Dr. Jesse Stommel, Executive Director, Hybrid Pedagogy and Co-Founder of the Digital Pedagogy Lab
Dr. Jessica Rowland Williams, Director, Every Learner Everywhere
Dr. J. Luke Wood, Vice President of Student Affairs & Campus Diversity and Dean's Distinguished Professor of Education, San Diego State University
Dr. Kelly Pope, Associate Professor of Accounting, DePaul University
Michael Collins, Vice President, Jobs for the Future
Greg Toppo, Author of The Game Believes in You: How Digital Play Can Make Our Kids Smarter and The Equity, Innovation and Ethics: Perspectives on Academic Integrity in the Digital Age
Dr. Benjamin Wiggins, Manager of Instruction of Biology, University of Washington

About Course Hero: Course Hero is on a mission to help students make every study hour count, and graduate confident and prepared. Our online learning platform now offers more than 60 million course-specific study resources created by and for students and educators, as well as 24/7 tutor help. The range of learning materials include practice problems, study guides, textbook solutions, videos, class notes, and step-by-step explanations for every subject. More than 65,000 faculty across the U.S. and Canada use Course Hero to share their resources with the community, collaborate with other faculty, and hone new strategies for instruction.

SOURCE Course Hero