More than 180 faculty, administrators and staff from 19
institutions of higher education attended the 2011 Midwest Scholars Conference
on March 4 at the Indiana Wesleyan University Indianapolis (North) Education
Center.
The focus of the conference was to create a venue for
adjunct faculty and doctoral students to present research gained from their
academic and professional experiences.
A compelling range of fifty topics included “Demystifying
Phenomenology,” “Walk a Mile in a Muslim’s Shoes,” “The Black Diaspora in
Higher Education: A Discussion of Methods for Engaging and Promoting Student
Success among Black Male Students,” “MyWritingLab: Accelerating Remediation for
Adult Learners,” “Community Based Mentoring and School Attendance” and
“YouTube: Create Your Own E-Learning Videos.”
A new presentation format, the “lightning session,” offered
attendees an alternative to the traditional presentation model. Presenters were
allotted 10 minutes and 10 PowerPoint slides to deliver a topic. Multiple
presenters spoke concurrently from small, intimate stations equipped with a
laptop and data cart strategically positioned in a large classroom. Audience members
rotated to a new station every 10 minutes, enabling them to hear four
presentations in less than an hour.
Attendees experienced new technology such as classroom Smart
Carts, large-screen information monitors in the lobbies and lounge and a video
broadcast of the general sessions.
Dr. Henry Smith, President of Indiana Wesleyan University,
welcomed attendees and reminded them of the value of persistent scholarship.
Keynote speaker Dr. Dennis Hensley, Director of the Professional Writing
Program at Taylor University, shared his passion for effective communication in
the classroom and the marketplace, utilizing dramatic readings and humor.
Higher education sponsors Blackboard, Cengage Learning,
McGraw-Hill, Pearson Education and Triangle Publishing met with curriculum
developers and provided generous giveaways, including gift cards, iPods and an
iPad 2.
To find out more about the 2011 conference or next year’s
conference on March 9, 2012, you can visit the Midwest Scholars Web site, follow Midwest
Scholars on Facebook or Twitter, or contact Mike Mendenhall at 317-374-8886 or mike.mendenhall@indwes.edu.