Written by Jen Wrye with the assistance of Generative AI
I had the opportunity to attend the 2024 Professional and Organizational Developers’ Network (POD) conference in Chicago, Illinois. This was my second time going to POD and it is sure to make as big an impact on my practice this time as it did the last!
What is POD?
POD is the largest educational development community in North America, with a focus on supporting the work of teaching and learning centres and good quality student learning and teaching in higher education more broadly. It does this by building professional and scholarly capacity, including offering training, creating and distributing resources, publishing practice- and research-based pieces, and hosting events, including its annual conference. The closest thing to POD in Canada is the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE).
Conference Themes and Highlights
I was struck by three important themes at the conference that I’ll use in my work: AI and technological change, inclusivity, and being reflective and intentional.
Generative AI: There were a lot of sessions on AI, which offered ideas for using the technologies to enhance our work as teachers in the the creation of learning materials, including lessons, activities, and assessments. Practitioners were optimistic about the opportunities for innovation in learning, but still stressed a strong need for ethical and thoughtful adoption. There were many breakouts to dive right into the tech use with colleagues and to imagine possibilities within our own fields.
Inclusivity: POD has worked hard to make the network more inclusive and to acknowledge systemic exclusions and inequalities that exist in this organization, higher education, and society. Several sessions addressed the ways that privileged people can act to advance more just learning and working environments. A session facilitated by Anna Donnell, Alanna Felts, Lillian Nave, Liz Norell focused on neurodiversity among students and challenged participants to rethink the assumptions they may make about neurodivergence. They specifically encouraged us to reject a mindset focused on deficits, people’s “challenges,” and making evaluations about others’ behaviour. I found their advice to focus on descriptions (i.e. seeing the ‘what’ somebody is doing) instead of judgements (what these behaviours ‘mean’) to be most helpful.
Reflective Practice: Several sessions prompted participants to think carefully about some of the ‘tried and true’ things we know. Lauren Barbeau & Claudia Cornejo Happel’s workshop on the critical teaching behaviours (CTB) framework for peer evaluation emphasized the value doing observation and giving feedback within a supportive structure. They also stress the importance of collegiality and showing appreciation for differences in faculty members’ approaches to teaching. Other sessions focused on ways to make our feedback more actionable and helpful for the recipients.
Overall, I left POD thinking more about how in my work I can build community and an environment where students and colleagues feel seen, valued and supported. I am reminded of the transformative power of education. Many sessions reinforced that what we do is not just or really about content delivery, but also about fostering meaningful connections.
Three Reasons to Consider POD 2025
This is a great conference where you can expect:
- excellent quality sessions that are well-designed and engaging;
- learning about topics that are timely and directly related to the work most of us do.
- practical takeaways to use right in your teaching and work straight away.
The sessions at POD are tight and informative. Their pacing, quantity of information, quality of dialogue, and every other element, are brilliant. The presenters are active in the areas in which they’re presenting, and often, some of the world’s most respected experts in them. These presentations address the concerns or questions we have right now. And best of all, participants leave almost every session with resources or guidelines they can use immediately.
Can’t wait for POD in November 2025?
If you’re looking to fill a hole in your PD this year, there are many great teaching conferences before November 2025. Check out this list here. My recommendations for teaching and learning are STLHE, Improving University Teaching, or any of the regional Lilly conferences. You might also have something great specific to your discipline!
Hope to see you in San Diego next November!