The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning’s 2026 Conference on Innovative Teaching and Student Success

Student Performance: Let’s be Completely Transparent

Thursday, August 13, 2026, 9:00am-4:00pm, Orange Campus

Do you ever feel like there is a disconnect between what you’ve asked students to do and what they submit?

Do students ever express frustration or confusion about the assignments you’ve given them?

If you could make some low-prep adjustments to your instruction that would address these concerns and significantly increase student performance, would you do it?

In the context of teaching and learning, the level of transparency provided in a classroom will either support student success or result in frustration, self-doubt, avoidance, or even withdrawal. The focus of this year’s conference is transparency, a practice that “unlocks disciplinary and pedagogical codes” so that students understand our motivations, expectations, and aspirations for their work (Felten & Finley, 2019, viii;). This approach has proven to enhance students’ sense of belonging, confidence, retention, metacognition, and critical thinking (Calkins & Winkelmes, 2018).

Join us to learn about how to increase clarity in your assessments without compromising the desired cognitive challenge. Come prepared to work and engage with colleagues from inside and outside your discipline in this hands-on conference.

Register by July 31 to participate in this year’s conference!