Speaking and Workshops
In addition to my work as a professor, I really enjoy speaking and giving workshops about teaching and learning. Over the last decade, I've given nearly 100 talks and workshops to a wide range of audiences, from higher education faculty to business professionals to the local humane society, all over the USA and in other countries including Brazil, Jamaica, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The goal has always been to communicate critical ideas for innovation in teaching and learning and build local communities of practice that can enact change.
Here's a list of my upcoming speaking and workshop engagements:
| Date | Host/Location | Title/event |
|---|---|---|
| 10/15/2022 | Wisconsin Project NExT (online) | Productive Sabotage: My journey with flipped learning |
| 11/2/2022 | EdSpaces 2022 (Portland, OR) | Designing active learning classrooms for hybrid learning |
| Mid-November 2022 | Flipped Learning Congress (online) | Flipped learning and the challenge of online education |
My speaking events include everything from 3-minute "lightning" talks, to formal TEDx talks, to extended plenary addresses and everything in between. In a talk, such as a keynote address, I aim to communicate critical ideas and get the audience thinking, no matter who's in the audience. I pride myself on doing this with no B.S., and no buzzwords. If you're looking for someone fluent in edu-speak, I am not your guy. I instead focus on getting to the heart of important matters, in simple language, backed up by research, and with a sense of urgency – and fun.
My workshops, by contrast, focus less on talk and more on action, with the goal of having participants build something that they can think about and use, whether it's a flipped learning lesson, a computer simulation, or an alternative grading system prototype. They're called work-shops for a reason! The ultimate goal in my workshops also about building, namely building a local community of practice among the participants who can then support each other and drive positive change at your college, school, or business.
What I offer and how much it typically costs
Every speaking or workshop I give is a custom build that involves you and your participants in the planning process. I am up for anything you have in mind. But I usually do one of four kinds of events:
- One-hour keynote addresses. I'll speak about a topic that you and your participants may be interested in, bringing research and my experience to bear on it.
- Three-hour workshops. These are all-morning or all-afternoon sessions where participants learn about an important idea (flipped learning, alternative grading, etc.) by working in groups to build something they can take with them (a lesson plan, a prototype for a grading system, etc.) and connect with their colleagues.
- Six-hour/all-day workshops. Same as the three-hour workshops, but all-day, so we can go into a lot more detail and spend time sharing and giving feedback on each others' work.
- 90-minute workshops. Same as the three-hour workshops, but in a more compact time footprint. These go into less depth but still give participants experience with actively building out ideas.
Variations on these are possible: 10- or 30-minute talks, 2-hour talks, 2-day workshops, and so on. I build the event around you and your needs.
Costs for these events vary according to a number of factors (whether it's a new topic for me that requires enhanced prep time; constraints on your budget; etc.). But what I typically charge for the above events is:
| Type of event | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| One-hour talk | $1000 |
| Three-hour workshop | $2000 |
| Six-hour workshop | $3000 |
| 90-minute workshop | $1200 |
These costs do not include travel, lodging, and dining expenses. Online events do not incur any of these expenses, so you are just paying for the talk or workshop. However, for in-person events, expenses for travel, lodging, and dining are in addition to what's in the table.
These are only typical expenses. If you have constraints on your budget, or if you are interested in a different kind or length of event, I am happy to work with you to find an event that meets your needs, at a price that fits within your resources. International speaking/workshop engagements might be eligible for special pricing because of increased travel expenses. No matter where you are, let's talk!
All workshops include 30 days of free one-on-one consultation for all workshop participants. Those who participate in my workshops can call or email me at any time within 30 days of the event to ask questions, get feedback on materials they are creating, or just talk about what they learned.
Working together
If this sounds good to you, then all you have to do is contact me by email (talbertr@gvsu.edu) and let me know what you have in mind. I'll respond within two business days for more discussion.
Samples
Here is the recording of a talk I gave to GVSU's Education faculty on "Active Learning Classroom: Theory and Practice":
Here's my keynote address to the Educational Technology Organization of Michigan at their Fall conference on November 8, 2019, titled "Active Learning: Three reasons to embrace it, three reasons to avoid it, and three questions":
Here's a keynote address I gave to an audience of higher education language instructors as part of the annual LASLAB Workshop at the University of the Basque Country in Vittoria-Gastiez, Spain on May 19, 2017:
And here's a talk I did with Lorena Barba of George Washington University on "Flipped learning with Jupyter: Experiences, best practices, and supporting research" from JupyterCon 2018 in New York City: