The School of Education & Human Sciences at the University of Kansas will host the 2025 Research & Teaching Festival as a professional development event. The conference will be held on February 14 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. CT in Joseph R. Pearson Hall (JRP) room 150, with the option to attend in person or virtually. Sessions will focus on a wide variety of topics in the field of education & human sciences. Speakers will be given five minutes each to present on their topic, followed by five minutes for audience questions.

The hybrid event is free and open to the public. Individuals interested in attending in person or virtually are encouraged to RSVP now and mark their calendars. Registrants will receive Zoom log in information via email prior to the event.

The agenda for this year’s conference will adhere to the following schedule:

·      12:10-12:15: Lisa Wolf-Wendel: Introduction

·      12:15-12:25: Jenny Kurth, Alison Zagona, & Lisa Didion: “An Exploratory Study of the Collaboration Attainment Survey for IEP Teams”

·      12:25-12:35: Anna Yonas: “Literacy or Indoctrination? Religion in State History Standards”

·      12:35-12:45: Yu Song: “Hopping Backward to Move Forward: A Better Knee Assessment after ACL Injury”

·      12:45-12:55: Sean Joo: “Comparability of International Large-scale Assessments: PISA Analysis Methods”

·      12:55-1:00: Break

·      1:00-1:10: Lisa Didion: “Teachers as Learners: Unlocking the Potential of High-Quality PD”

·      1:10-1:20: Quincy Johnson: “The Journey to Achieving Athletic Excellence: A Long-Term Approach”

·      1:20-1:30: Erin Yosai

·      1:30-1:40: Lei Jiang: “Teachers as Learners: Unlocking the Potential of High-Quality PD”

·      1:40-1:50: Bryan Mann: “Geospatial Patterns of Science Teacher Shortages”

·      1:50-2:00: Break

·      2:00-2:10: Hyesun Cho & Josh Hayes: "I Feel Validated": College Students' Identity Journeys in Study Abroad

·      2:10-2:20: Nataliya Bredikhina:  “Digital Feminism in Sport: Exploring Twitter Hashtag Dynamics Using Natural Language Processing Techniques"

·      2:20-2:30: Nic Mitchell: “Towards a Critical Colorblind Theory of Law, Policy, and Curriculum”

·      2:30-2:40: Kwangok Song: “Teaching Heritage Language Literacies as Investment in Amplifying Human Capital”

·      2:40-2:50: Stephen Jackson: “Universal History and the Temple of Time”

·      2:50-2:55: Conclusion & Wrap Up