Barbara Hewins-Maroney, Ph.D.

Goodrich Program and School of Public Administration

2008 Teaching Public Administration Conference: Reproducing the Field of Public Administration

The focus of the conference was to reinvigorate undergraduate instruction in public administration. By examining pedagogical strategies and research, participants were charged to investigate and incorporate new strategies to enhance student learning. The conference papers and plenary sessions went beyond discussions of undergraduate instruction, but included sessions on teaching graduate and professional students, as well. For me, the highlights of the conference were the demonstrations and discussions on combining pedagogical strategies for on-line instruction.

Teams from the Virginia Commonwealth University and Grand Valley State University demonstrated software packages to enhance on-line instruction. Other sessions provided tips on making on-line instruction an active learning experience for students and user-friendly for faculty. There were several discussions regarding whether or not to have formal assessments, whether strict due dates were helpful to students, the number and breadth of student assignments and their impact on student learning, and the future of on-line instruction.

A session on learner-centered teaching perhaps summed up many of the themes and messages generated by the conference:

• Know yourself and your limitations
• Try new things; be creative; make sophisticated changes
• Get students involved in their learning
• Don’t try to do too much too soon in your career or with a new course
• Keep fresh and invigorated in your discipline and your pedagogical strategies
• Become more interdisciplinary in your instructional approach and the materials you use
• Keep teaching

Although the conference is considered a small conference with less than 100 participants, conferences of this type provide an excellent opportunity for close interaction, sharing, and collegiality. There are no “dumb” questions or issues that can’t be discussed. The 2008-2009 conference will be held at Kentucky State University in Frankfort and I plan to attend.

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