At the Ball State University Teaching Innovation Blog, we focus on providing our readers at Ball State University (and beyond) with research, thoughtful reflections, and innovative ideas about all things teaching. Still, our work isn’t confined to the webpage. The Division of Online and Strategic Learning offers a variety of workshops and seminars throughout the semesters, and our largest annual events are just over the horizon in the spring—our Spring Summits.

2026 Provost’s Faculty Summit: Cultivating Kindness and Belonging in Higher Education

A collaboration between Ball State University’s Division of Online and Strategic Learning, Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, and the Office of Strategic Plan Support, the virtual Provost’s Faculty Summit is an annual event showcasing the meaningful work of faculty, staff, and students at Ball State University and other regional institutions. At this summit, presenters will share valuable teaching practices, particularly those that cultivate kindness and create a sense of belonging for both teachers and learners.

The Provost’s Faculty Summit is free to attend and takes place virtually on the following days.

Thursday, February 5, 2026
Noon–4:30 p.m. Eastern

Friday, February 6, 2026
8:30 a.m.–Noon Eastern

Register today to save your seat.

Attendees can expect both individual presentations and full panel presentations, and some potential subject areas include:

  • Assessment Practices: Assessment data, strategies, and/or tools that inform practices in and out of the classroom space
  • Pedagogy of Belonging Practices:  Pedagogical approaches that support a sense of belonging 
  • Empowering and Supporting Faculty: Strategies that empower and support faculty in their work with learners
  • Trends in Higher Education: Strategies for addressing current and emerging influences in higher education 
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2026 Teaching and Technology Summit

The virtual Teaching and Technology Summit is a free event hosted by Ball State University’s Division of Online and Strategic Learning and University Libraries. It showcases innovative work that exists at the intersection of teaching and technology, providing attendees with an opportunity to connect with colleagues and share creative ways to use technology to enhance teaching and learning.

The Teaching and Technology Summit is free to attend and takes place virtually on the following days.

Thursday, March 19, 2026
8:30 a.m.-Noon Eastern

Friday, March 20, 2026
8:30 a.m.-Noon Eastern

Register today to save your seat and submit a proposal (Proposals are due by January 30, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. We accept proposals only from Ball State employees, faculty, and graduate students.)

Attendees can expect engaging and informal sessions that range from quick hits (5 minutes) to deeper dives (20 minutes), all hosted in a single Zoom room and designed to be easy to leave and return to, so they fit into busy schedules. Additionally, all sessions will be recorded and made available for 90 days following the summit.

The Teaching and Technology Summit will feature an opening keynote by Flower Darby, “Teaching for Authentic Student Learning in an AI Age,” exploring practical strategies to help students develop critical AI literacy and ethical approaches to working and learning with AI.

Read Interviews with Past Keynote Presenters:

Conclusion

The end of the fall semester is in sight, and just beyond that are our two Spring Summits. At their core, both summits focus on the important, innovative work being done by the professionals in and around our university—the rockstars our team has the privilege of working with every day. Every year, spring is an exciting time for us, because we love being able to facilitate a space for these rockstars to shine—and we hope you’ll join us so you can get to meet them too.

Have you attended one of our summits before? If so, what was the most exciting thing you saw? If not, are you planning on attending one this coming Spring?

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  • John Carter joined the Division of Online and Strategic Learning in August 2022. With a background in composition and creative writing pedagogy, he has a particular enthusiasm for the role of communication in pedagogical processes, whether that be oral communication via class discussions, written communication via course documents, or visual/electronic communication via document design and instructional technologies. His graduate work focused on poetry, the environment, and sustainable agriculture, and, because of that, he has a keen interest in and awareness of the value of interdisciplinary work. When he isn’t thinking or talking about pedagogy, he can be found at the edge of a cornfield, writing about this strange, in-between region that is the Midwest.

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