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Professor Dr John Zubizarreta - Professor of English, Director of Honors, and past Director of Faculty Development and Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Columbia College, United States

One of the perennial questions in honors education is the thorny issue of what defines excellence in honors teaching and learning. We invest much of our work in the notion that honors is somehow different or richer than traditional pedagogies and types of learning, an adjustment that leads to excellence and to enhanced talent development. This keynote presentation, underpinned by learning theories, collaborative discussion, and shared experiences is a hands-on, interactive opportunity to address the uniqueness of honors teaching and learning philosophy and strategies. Our work together will give participants a better understanding of how and why honors education is valuable and special in promoting and sustaining excellence and enriched talent development in a time when honors and higher education worldwide face increasing challenges. Come prepared to listen, reflect, write, and collaborate.

Excellence in Honors and Talent Development:

What Is It and Why Is It Even More Important Today?

John Zubizarreta is a Professor of English, Director of Honors, and past Director of Faculty Development and Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Columbia College. Recognized as one of the country’s top “2017 Innovators: Ten Classroom Trailblazers” by the Chronicle of Higher Education, he is the 2010 Carnegie Foundation/CASE U.S. Professor for Baccalaureate Colleges and recipient of several other national and international teaching awards. He is the author of The Learning Portfolio: Reflective Practice for Improving Student Learning (2nd ed., 2009) and co-author of Breaking Barriers in Teaching and Learning (2018), Inspiring Exemplary Teaching and Learning: Perspectives on Teaching Academically Talented College Students (2008), and The Robert Frost Encyclopedia (2001). John is a Past President of the National Collegiate Honors Council, the Southern Regional Honors Council, and the Popular Culture Association in the South.

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