Focus on Teaching and Learning
Focus on Teaching and Learning
August 2025 Focus on Teaching and Learning Conference: Foundations of Teaching and Learning: Exploring Our Teaching in 2025
During the August 2025 Focus on Teaching and Learning (FOTL) conference we will reflect on what knowledge, skills, values, and practices we consider foundational to our teaching at a Jesuit, Catholic university. Developing and enhancing skills in fostering discussion, creating and grading assessments, designing inclusive learning experiences, teaching with technology, and engaging students are examples of foundational teaching skills. Are these foundational skills still the skills we need in 2025, as we make sense of higher education post covid-19 pandemic and amid increased attention to student mental health and instructor well-being? What have we been doing in our classrooms and in other learning spaces for years that we think is working well to support student learning, and what do we need to revisit? What do we consider to be our teaching foundation, and how has that foundation evolved over the years in response to multiple changing contexts?
The 2025-2026 year-long Focus on Teaching and Learning Conference will create space to explore these big questions in community with our colleagues. Conference sessions explore these questions.
- What knowledge, skills, and values do we consider foundational to our teaching, and what do those look like in your teaching?
- How have we had to adjust or expand our fundamental teaching skills in the aftermath of covid-19 and in the midst of global unrest?
- How do we make Jesuit, Catholic values like cura personalis and accompaniment part of these teaching foundations?
August 2025 FOTL Schedule
We are pleased to announce the schedule for the August 13, 2025 Focus on Teaching and Learning (FOTL) Conference. Additional details and registration information will be shared in the coming weeks.
Registration for the Focus on Teaching and Learning (FOTL) is now open!
Don't miss the chance to register for the 2025 Focus on Teaching & Learning (FOTL) Conference on August 13. This exciting event brings together faculty and educators to delve into innovative teaching strategies, exchange best practices, and engage in impactful discussions aimed at enhancing student learning. This year's conference will showcase a prominent keynote speaker, along with interactive workshops and numerous networking opportunities, all designed to inspire and equip educators with practical insights they can use in their classrooms.
View resources from the January 2025 FOTL Conference
Explore presentation slides, session recordings, and helpful materials from the January 2025 Focus on Teaching and Learning (FOTL) Conference. Whether you attended or couldn’t make it, these resources offer valuable insights and practical strategies to support your teaching.
Photo Gallery
View our Photo GalleryFocus on Teaching and Learning from 2007-Present
The 黑料门University Chicago bi-annual Focus on Teaching & Learning (FOTL) conference is dedicated to the belief that as educators, we can grow and develop by learning through one another. We seek to contribute to a faculty and staff life that involves active scholarship, candid and vibrant collaboration, and innovative activities that reflect the University’s mission. Our hope is that FOTL can support faculty activity at all stages of development, and that work begun through this gathering can continue in myriad ways in faculty life.
August 2025 Focus on Teaching and Learning Conference: Foundations of Teaching and Learning: Exploring Our Teaching in 2025
During the August 2025 Focus on Teaching and Learning (FOTL) conference we will reflect on what knowledge, skills, values, and practices we consider foundational to our teaching at a Jesuit, Catholic university. Developing and enhancing skills in fostering discussion, creating and grading assessments, designing inclusive learning experiences, teaching with technology, and engaging students are examples of foundational teaching skills. Are these foundational skills still the skills we need in 2025, as we make sense of higher education post covid-19 pandemic and amid increased attention to student mental health and instructor well-being? What have we been doing in our classrooms and in other learning spaces for years that we think is working well to support student learning, and what do we need to revisit? What do we consider to be our teaching foundation, and how has that foundation evolved over the years in response to multiple changing contexts?
The 2025-2026 year-long Focus on Teaching and Learning Conference will create space to explore these big questions in community with our colleagues. Conference sessions explore these questions.
- What knowledge, skills, and values do we consider foundational to our teaching, and what do those look like in your teaching?
- How have we had to adjust or expand our fundamental teaching skills in the aftermath of covid-19 and in the midst of global unrest?
- How do we make Jesuit, Catholic values like cura personalis and accompaniment part of these teaching foundations?