SXSW EDU® Reveals Nearly Half of Its 2023 Programming with 187 New PanelPicker® Sessions and Workshops

The lineup highlights content supporting indigenous voices, parent engagement, teacher retention, blended learning innovations, and more.

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, SXSW EDU^® unveiled an array of programming for the 2023 Conference & Festival. The conference, held from March 6-9, 2023, will feature nearly 400 sessions, with the initial 187 sessions and events just confirmed. Voted on through the community-driven PanelPicker^® process, the selected sessions feature the most pressing themes and in-demand topics in the education space. Audiences will experience one of the most diverse years yet, including topics such as student agency, accessibility, wage gaps, mental health and wellness, the role of data, and keeping teachers in the classroom.

After receiving more than 1,200 proposals from the education community via PanelPicker^®, submissions were narrowed down through community voting, SXSW EDU Advisory Board evaluation, and staff review. The first round of selections was identified for their unique take on the always-evolving 11 programming tracks offered at the conference and festival. This initial lineup highlights an increase of content supporting indigenous voices, student agency, gamification, teacher retention, and more that might surprise you. We see that reflected in the tracks, with the majority of sessions in Practice & Pedagogy and Equity & Justice, followed closely by Work Reimagined, Community Initiatives, and Arts & Storytelling. These overarching subjects will be explored in various formats, from podcast conversations and speaker-led networking events to short solo presentations and in-depth workshops.

"Year after year, we challenge ourselves and the community to build a conference and festival that reflects the transformational issues that are critical to education," said Greg Rosenbaum, Senior Director of SXSW EDU. "We saw an incredible range of breadth and depth of formats and topics including equity, human rights, literacy and edtech efficacy, and more."

Showcasing nearly half of what's yet to come, the sessions announced today reflect the many phases of learning – from early childhood to K12, higher education, and workforce development. Highlights include:

• SERVING ADULT LEARNERS: AN EQUITY IMPERATIVE - This talk gathers higher education presidents to discuss how colleges are working to reorient themselves around the needs of a generation of adult learners diverse in age, race, income, and professional needs than any in history. They will cover the practical, financial, social justice, and equity imperatives of such initiatives.

Speakers:
Dr. Gregory W. Fowler, President of the University of Maryland Global Campus
Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc, President of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) & author of Students First: Equity, Access, and Opportunity in Higher Education
Eloy Oakley, President & CEO of College Futures
Dr. Sue Ellspermann, President of Ivy Tech Community College

• THE TUITION-FREE ONLINE UNIVERSITY OF THE FUTURE - Through this solo conversation, Shai Reshef shares the reasons that led him to create the first non-profit, tuition-free, American, accredited, and online university, including the growing international demand for higher education opportunities.

Speaker:
Shai Reshef, President & Founder of University of the People

• DIVERSIFYING AMERICA'S TEACHER PIPELINE - The students sitting in America's classrooms are predominantly black and brown, but 80% of teachers are white females. This gap is further widened when we fail to support teachers of color, who are now leaving the classroom at alarming rates. In this solo presentation, audiences will learn about efforts to reverse this troubling trend.

Speaker:
Shareefah Mason, Associate Dean of Educator Certification at Dallas College

• NO BS: BRINGING HUMANITIES DEGREES TO SPACE - Tech and innovation companies are eager for talent without STEM degrees and backgrounds. Join experts from the biggest aerospace companies as they highlight the value of bringing the humanities to space and the critical role the thousands of non-engineers hold in fulfilling their missions to go higher, faster, and farther.

Speakers:
Elaine Ho, Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of STEM Engagement at NASA
Dana Rixter, Chief Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Officer at BAE Systems
Marybeth Lilly, Manager of Talent & Workforce Policy at the Aerospace Industries Association

• BUILDING LITERACY ACCESS FOR BLACK BOYS - In the U.S., more than 82% of 4th-grade Black boys are not proficient in reading despite clear research indicating early literacy difficulty can predict future academic success, physical and mental health, and the likelihood of imprisonment. This panel will explore the intersection of factors that influence reading development, and how increased access to culturally-relevant content can improve lifelong learning and success.

Speakers:
Molly Ness, Founder of Coalition for Literacy Equity & Vice President of Academic Content at Learning Ally
Malcolm Mitchell, Founder & CEO of Share the Magic Foundation
D. Lacy Asbill, Co-Founder of Reading with Relevance
Alvin Irby, Founder & Chief Reading Inspirer of Barbershop Books

• DESIGNING INCLUSIVE PLAYFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCES - Learning through play is a natural way to design more inclusive experiences and allow neurodivergent students to engage in and demonstrate learning in their own unique ways. In this session, members of the LEGO Foundation's Play for All cohort analyze the principles of Universal Design for Learning and which tools for digital play are inclusive and for whom.

Speakers:
Louisa Rosenheck, Director of Pedagogy at Kahoot!
Jason Kahn, Chief Science Officer & Co-Founder at Mightier
Vanessa Castañeda Gill, CEO & Co-Founder of Social Cipher
Michelle Ndebele, Senior Play & Health Specialist at The LEGO Foundation

• SCHOOL IS ROLEPLAYING: TTRPGS AS LEARNING TOOLS - Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) have the potential to level up learning through deep thinking, teamwork, and academic engagement, no matter the age or subject. Join a panel of teachers and creators using tabletop games to create meaningful classroom experiences and learn how you can integrate them into your classroom.

Speakers:
Christopher Hopper, Writer at Bard Commune
Maryanne Cullinan, Middle School Teacher at Great Brook School & Ph.D. Candidate at Lesley University
Stephanie Campbell, Sole Proprietor of TTRPGkids & Adjunct Professor at Lawrence Technological
Michael Low, Creator & CEO of Luck of Legends

For more information on our speaker lineup, please visit sxswedu.com/news.

To register, please go to sxswedu.com/press/accreditation.

The SXSW EDU^® Conference & Festival reflects the world's most critical social issues as seen through the lens of education. This year's event will bring together the learner, the practitioner, the entrepreneur, and the visionary to share their groundbreaking stories, tackle complex issues, and build reimagined paths forward. As a community of diverse people who are united around a like-minded vision for the future, SXSW EDU serves as a place for attendees to renew their purpose in practice from both a personal and professional perspective. It is a place to reinforce the core principles of teaching and learning as well as an opportunity to express your creativity and passion for education. SXSW EDU is a component of the South by Southwest® family of conferences and festivals that has grown from 800 to over 8,000 registrants in the last decade. Join the passionate and innovative community at SXSW EDU, March 6-9, 2023.

Liz Stein
SXSW EDU Press & Publicity 
[email protected]

SOURCE SXSW EDU