Schools

Governors State President, Dean Are Keynote Speakers at International Education Forum


GSU in Prague
(left to right) Dr. Colleen Sexton, Dean Deborah Bordelon, and President Elaine P. Maimon at the International Conference on New Horizons in Education. (PHOTO SUPPLIED)

University Park, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Three Governors State University academic leaders played a key role in the International Conference on New Horizons in Education (INTE), a gathering of scholars from around the globe that took place recently in Prague, Czech Republic.

GSU President Elaine P. Maimon presented a keynote address at the conference, a cooperative effort between academics from a number of countries across the globe. She was accompanied to INTE by Dr. Deborah Bordelon, dean of GSU’s College of Education, and Dr. Colleen Sexton, chair of the Division of Education.

In her address Dr. Maimon discussed the increasing availability of information and the important role educators play in teaching students how to take that information and turn it first into knowledge and, ultimately, into wisdom.

“It was inspiring to spend time with colleagues from around the globe and to realize that we have more similarities than differences,” Dr. Maimon said. “All over the world, professors and academic administrators are working hard to offer quality educational experiences to their students – regardless of the difficulties.”

Dr. Bordelon presented a keynote address on how American higher education is moving from a knowledge-centered focus toward a performance-based emphasis. She explained the American emphasis on measurable outcomes and accountability and the implications for program development and the advancement of higher education.

Dr. Sexton led a workshop on using the power of digital media to convey meaning. She showed how to use images, graphics, video, and text to engage audiences in research, and how to speak to audience members and move beyond merely “reading” papers to them.

Dr. Maimon also led a workshop on new issues in higher education. Drs. Bordelon and Sexton conducted an additional workshop on transforming learning outcomes in syllabi into meaningful course activities that create new knowledge.

One conference goal, Dr. Sexton said, was to better understand the importance of the need to meet the common learning standards established in the Bologna process in Europe and accreditation processes in the United States.

Travel expenses for GSU’s three representatives were covered by INTE organizers.


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