7:30am - 9:00am   Coffee & Registration

9:00am -  9:30am   How the Science of Learning can Inform Effective Instructional Strategies - Putting it all together

Speaker(s): All

9:30am - 10:30am   Attention
Speaker:  Domenic Screnci, Ed.D., Senior Advisor for Academic and Emerging Technologies, Boston University

The first session will focus on how to gain our students’ attention. Teaching relies heavily on communication, and a big component of it is visual. In this session, participants will explore the research and principles of visual literacy and information design and their application to a variety of instructional design contexts. We will discuss the theories and practices involved in the construction and presentation of visual information. These theories and practices will then inform the development of instructional materials that can influence learner’s attention and facilitate knowledge acquisition. By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

 - Explore the integration of visual design practice into the instructional design process to facilitate attention and enhance learning.
 - Understand the role of perception, attention, and direction in visual learning and information design using Gestalt principles.
 - Consider the influence instructional designers can have in designing and developing effective visual content that supports learning.

10:30am - 10:45am   Break

10:45am - 11:45am   Motivation
Speaker: AJ Scognamiglio, Instructional Designer, Johnson & Wales University

Building upon Attention, we will discuss how effective instruction can be augmented and sustained by Motivation. In this workshop, we will discuss how instructional designers can leverage the principles of self-determination theory to develop effective instructional materials. We will look at how providing learners with autonomy, competence, and relatedness can have a substantial effect on your students’ motivation and engagement. In addition, this session will take a holistic look at the many factors that have the potential to affect students’ motivation in higher education.

11:45am - 12:00pm   Check-in/Debrief

12:00pm - 1:00pm   Lunch

1:00pm - 2:00pm   Memory
Speaker: Ricardo Poza M.Ed. , Senior Instructional Technologist/Instructor, University of Massachusetts Medical School

Continuing with the learning process, once we present our learners with information and they are motivated - What’s next? Join us for a conversation on what research literature says about how students store and retrieve information. We will discuss topics such as:

 - The testing (or retrieval) effect
 - The spacing effect (spaced, interleaved, and varied practice)
 - Embracing difficulty
 - An overview of CATS (Classroom Assessment Techniques)

In addition, we will explore instructional design applications that promote students’ memory and retrieval, such as: conditional release of content, multimedia learning modules, self-graded quizzes, and more. 

2:00pm - 3:00pm   Thinking
Speaker: Chris Hakala Ph.D.,  Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship / Professor of Psychology, Springfield College

To complete our exploration of learning process, this session will demonstrate how the science of learning can inform instructional design to foster students’ understanding and application of knowledge. We all know that having the ability to recall facts does not necessarily translate into understanding and meaningful application. The following are some of the topics we will be covering:

 - Leveraging metacognition 
 - Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA)
 - Using worked examples
 - Applying project based learning strategies 

3:00pm - 3:30pm   Wrap up

3:30pm   End