The VSCS Academic retreat, located both on the Castleton Campus and held virtually on May 24th, had a record attendance. The split between virtual and in-person attendance was about 50/50. The subject matter of the retreat asked attendees to engage with the changing face of education and explored how to create equity and accessibility through the use of technology. This is exactly the kind of work we are building with transformation.
Keynote speaker Sarah Lohnes Watula proposed some questions to think about when creating a hybrid learning environment. One was “who is my imagined student” and another was “who is being centered in my design?” As we strive for equity in teaching models, it is important to create systems that will benefit all students – whether those students are in-person or accessing everything virtually. This will take intentionality across our campuses to think of ways to create universal design in our systems for the benefit of all our students.
Thank you to everyone who attended from across the state, and to all the presenters and workshop leaders. This was a unique opportunity to engage in work that will continue to expand. I want to thank Sarah Corrow, Sarah Chambers, and all the members of the Teaching & Learning Technology Committee once more for their work in coordinating the retreat.