The fifth annual University of Tennessee at Martin Experiential Learning Leadership Institute Conference, known as ELLI, will be held Thursday, April 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Discovery Park of America in Union City.
ELLI is an offshoot of the Society for Experiential Education, a national organization. Both organizations were formed with the intention of supporting hands-on learning in the classroom.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Teaching Students the Way They Learn: Experiential Learning In and Outside the Classroom.”
Each year, the ELLI conference features a guest speaker with experience in the field of hands-on instruction, which will be announced by the planning committee.
Dr. Lajuan Davis, professor of business communication and ELLI Conference co-chair, invites faculty, students and administrators from educational institutions at primary, secondary and post-secondary levels to showcase their work at the conference.
“Presentations can be research-based content, best practices in teaching or learning, travel study or travel abroad experiences, entrepreneurship opportunities, internships, events, capstone projects and numerous other topics or activities,” she said.
Alongside quality exchanges of information, lifelong relationships are formed through the fellowship and valuable networking that occurs during the ELLI Conference.
“Everyone looks forward to seeing colleagues and students who have attended ELLI in the past as well as meeting new participants,” Davis said.
In the five years this conference has been held, the venue and the scale of the event have evolved significantly. At its origin, the conference was held in the Boling University Center and was primarily attended by UT Martin faculty and students.
The event has grown to include wider regional audiences and moved its venue to the Discovery Park of America in Union City, a world-class experiential learning facility.
The ELLI Conference is open to any educator, administrator, student or community member who wishes to attend or present their own research or experiential learning experiences. Registration for participants and attendees of the ELLI Conference is open at www.utm.edu/elli. The deadline for registration and proposal submission is March 15. For more information about conference registration and fees, contact elliconference@utm.edu.
