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2024 HILT Conference Logo

“Open Minds in Dialogue”
Presented by the Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning

An in-person event at Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE)
Friday, September 20, 2024

Please refer to the conference program and breakout sessions for more details.

About the 2024 Conference Theme

Open inquiry and the ability to engage constructively in challenging dialogues about important topics is essential to teaching, learning, and research. The Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning (VPAL)’s 2024 HILT Conference will center this year’s theme on “Open Minds in Dialogue,” focusing on challenges to free inquiry and how best to foster open, rigorous conversations in academic settings. Join us for a day of interactive workshops, thought-provoking insights, and inspiring discussions designed to grapple with hard challenges encountered in our classrooms, and to explore effective tools and pedagogical approaches for engaging in meaningful, impactful dialogue in our classrooms.

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Background: HILT Annual Conference

The Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching annual conference is an event designed to engage Harvard faculty, students, and academic professionals in a university-level dialogue about teaching and learning innovation.

The goals of the HILT Annual Conference are to:

  1. promote dialogue across Harvard’s campuses about educational innovation, including constructive discussion of provocative, thoughtful, and contrasting perspectives;
  2. provide examples of experimental approaches and research studies that generalize across academic fields, in particular, those that help faculty think through how to experiment in their own teaching with the practical insights that come from those examples; and
  3. expand the network of Harvard scholars, instructors, senior leaders, academic professionals, and students who are improving educational practice.

The Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching strives to make our programs and activities inclusive for everyone. If you have questions about accommodations or access, please contact us via email to hilt@harvard.edu at least two weeks in advance of your participation.

See content from previous events:

Teaching in the Age of AI: Nurturing Connections and Empowering Learners (September 22, 2023)

HILT’s twelfth annual HILT Conference, held on September 22, 2023, at the Harvard Business School, explored how AI can be designed, implemented, and governed in a way that prioritizes human relationships and connection in education. Our morning plenary session explored the future role of generative AI in higher education, its impact on the lived experiences of educators and learners, and the structures that institutions and educators will have to create to realize their potential. Our afternoon plenary session explored the influential role and unique contribution of Harvard to these conversations. Breakout sessions highlighted current discourse around AI in education by drawing insights from previous innovations and disruptive educational technologies, the risks and rewards of specific AI enhancements that complement and amplify student-educator relationships and peer-to-peer interactions, various student perspectives, and how AI will reshape the work of our disciplines and professions.

Teamwork: Facilitating Group Dynamics and Encouraging Student Collaboration (September 23, 2022)

HILT’s eleventh annual HILT Conference, held virtually on September 23, 2022, explored various approaches to collaborative learning and the successes and challenges in facilitating group dynamics. Our plenary session demonstrated the importance of psychological safety as a foundation for successful teamwork. Breakout sessions showcased practices from Harvard faculty across the University on topics related to the effective design and implementation of group projects and collaborative learning. Breakout sessions also highlighted students’ first-hand experiences engaging with the learning and teaching environment.

Tackling Global Challenges from the Harvard Classroom and Beyond (September 24, 2021)

HILT’s tenth annual HILT Conference, held virtually on September 24, 2021, explored how we can best prepare students to address global challenges in thoughtful and creative ways. The plenary session considered how our collective experiences in remote teaching and learning allowed us to rethink our models of instruction, community building, and curriculum. Breakout sessions explored the various ways instructors can equip students to confront ongoing world-wide challenges through active learning, collaborative groups, and engaged scholarship.

Championing Equitable Instruction and Inclusive Classrooms (October 16, 2020)

HILT’s ninth annual conference, held virtually on October 16, 2020, brought together a diverse, engaged, and engaging set of speakers and panelists to share their successes and challenges in building equitable learning opportunities, facilitating charged or difficult class discussions, and supporting students as they navigate rapidly shifting circumstances.

Peer Learning: Everyone’s a Teacher, Everyone’s a Learner (September 27, 2019)

HILT’s eighth annual conference, held on September 27, 2019, in Wasserstein Hall, explored various approaches to peer learning at Harvard and beyond: in the classroom (residential and online) and outside the classroom.

Implementing the Science of Learning to Advance the Art of Teaching (September 21, 2018)

HILT’s seventh annual conference, held September 21, 2018, in Wasserstein Hall, focused on insights from the science of learning and gave participants opportunities to apply concepts to their own contexts.

Evaluating Teaching (September 20, 2017)

HILT’s sixth annual conference explored various facets of evaluating teaching effectiveness at Harvard, and beyond, that incorporate partnerships between academic professional staff and faculty toward improving teaching and learning.

Interactivity (September 30, 2016)

HILT’s fifth annual conference showcased varied interactive instructional approaches and considerations for Harvard in an evolving education landscape.

Designing an Assessment for Learning (September 25, 2015)

HILT’s fourth annual conference was constructed to build on prior themes but reflected HILT’s strategically phased approach to its work. Specifically, a shift from “launching and catalyzing” to “deepening and documenting” the impact of innovative teaching and learning. With that goal in mind, HILT extended invitations to all tenured- and tenure-track faculty at Harvard, targeting those who are a) teaching a new course, b) overhauling an existing course, or c) new to the University.

Engagement and Distance (September 16, 2014)

HILT’s third annual conference was designed around a motivating question: How does distance affect student engagement?

Essentials (May 8, 2013)

HILT’s second annual conference was focused on the framing question: In this time of disruption and innovation for universities, what are the essentials of good teaching and learning?

Inaugural HILT Symposium (February 3, 2012)

The inaugural HILT Symposium opened a Harvard-wide conversation, engaging over 300 faculty and students in dialogue, debate, and the sharing of ideas about pedagogical innovation. The event convened members of the Harvard community and presenters from within Harvard and externally who offered interesting and informative perspectives on teaching and learning in higher education, with an emphasis on evidence-based approaches.