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Faculty Conference to Examine Transformative Learning

Pepperdine University faculty will examine transformative learning at the annual University Faculty Conference, held October 3 and 4 at the Hyatt Regency in Newport Beach. This year's conference, titled "How Are We Doing and How Do We Know? Best Practices for Transformative Learning," will consider how teaching and scholarly inquiry relate to and support two major institutional values: deep learning and common good.
"The faculty conference is the one time of year that all faculty from our five schools convene, so it's something like an academic family reunion," says Provost Darryl Tippens.

The featured speaker for this year's conference is Dr. Peggy L. Maki, a higher education consultant who specializes in assisting institutions integrate assessment of student learning into educational practices, processes, and structures. Maki has received the Lindback National Award for Distinguished Teaching and conducted nearly 400 workshops and keynote addresses on assessment in the U.S. and abroad. Her handbook, Assessing for Learning: Building Sustainable Commitment Across the Institution, published in June 2004, was recently named a bestseller in higher education. She will hold four sessions in the first day of the Pepperdine faculty conference: "Case Studies of Assessment and Effective Change," "Guided Inquiry Into Student Learning," "Design and Selection of Methods," and "Development of a Plan."

"This year's theme is particularly relevant as we come up on our major accreditation review by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges," Tippens says. "Dr. Maki comes extremely highly recommended. She is one of the leading authorities on assessment."

The conference will also offer the occasion for Tippens and President Andrew Benton to announce the recipients of the Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence.
The award recognizes outstanding full-time faculty who embody Pepperdine University's commitment to excellence. Nominations are given to teachers who inspire, stimulate, challenge, and motivate their students; teachers who develop in students the ability to think critically and creatively about the world; and teachers who instill in their students a lifelong love of learning.

This year's faculty awardees will be announced on www.pepperdine.edu following the conference.