WELCOME and THANK YOU for reading! This newsletter covers what happened in January and will give you a heads up on what to look for in the months following.

In this issue (please note the links below will only work when viewing this newsletter in a browser):

Next board meeting:

Wednesday, Feb. 11

6:00-7:30 Eastern

As always, ALL board members and directors are welcome!

Zoom information is available on the Member’s site

Chaya Jain, President

With February underway, I hope everyone has settled into a fresh cycle of teaching, learning, and scholarship. I am pleased to share the Academy’s exciting and ongoing endeavors.

In addition to the momentum built over the past few months, our mid-year Winter Meeting served as a valuable opportunity to reflect on our accomplishments and the success of upcoming annual conference. Our Five-Year Strategic Plan Committee (2026–2030) has been particularly active, prioritizing key focus areas such as artificial intelligence, the establishment of a collaborative research hub, enhanced member engagement, and other strategic initiatives. Beyond the articles featured in this Newsletter, members can follow this work in progress on the Academy’s website and within this issue.

Our shared commitment to process education continues to distinguish our community, offering rich opportunities for personal and professional development through collaboration, dialogue, mentoring, and shared inquiry—efforts that culminate in our annual conference. This year’s conference theme, “From Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered Education,” is grounded in an essential question: How are we intentionally designing learning experiences that empower students to take ownership of their learning?

As we look ahead to the coming months, I encourage everyone to remain actively engaged with the Academy’s initiatives and events, and to seek out opportunities to share experiences—successes, challenges, and lessons learned—as invaluable contributions across disciplines and institutions. Together, we advance not only process education, but also a culture of continuous improvement and reflective growth!

Thank you.

June 1 - 4, 2026 @ West Coast University, Anaheim AND online!

www.processeducation.org/peconf

Dear Academy Members and Colleagues,

Mark your calendars! The International Academy of Process Educators is thrilled to announce that the 2026 Process Education Conference is heading to sunny Southern California. We are partnering with West Coast University and the International Society for Exploring Teaching & Learning (ISETL) for an event that promises to be our most collaborative and innovative yet.

Why You Should Join Us

In an era of rapid technological shifts and evolving student needs, the core principles of Process Education are more vital than ever. This conference isn't just a series of lectures; it’s a dynamic community of practice where we move beyond "talking about" education and into the "doing" of transformational change. The vibe promises to be energetic and deeply collaborative!

What to Expect

Whether you join us on-site in Anaheim or log in from across the globe, you’ll engage with:

• Hands-on Workshops: Walk away with tools you can use in your classroom the following Monday.
• Peer-Reviewed Research: Explore the latest data-driven strategies in learner-centered education.
• The Hall of Innovation: A dedicated space for posters and creative pedagogical experiments.
• Networking: Meaningful connection time with a global community of educators dedicated to student growth.

See you in Anaheim!

Dear Academy Members and Fellow Educators,

We are excited to announce the Call for Proposals for the 2026 Process Education Conference!

This year, the International Academy of Process Educators (IAPE) is joining forces with West Coast University and the International Society for Exploring Teaching & Learning (ISETL) to host a hybrid event in Anaheim, CA. Whether you are a long-time Academy member or a newcomer with fresh ideas, we invite you to contribute your expertise to our collective growth.

Conference Theme: From Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered Education

Our mission is to explore and advance the transition toward educational environments that prioritize the learner’s journey, growth, and long-term success. We are seeking proposals that align with this theme across several key tracks:

• Active Learning: Moving from mere content coverage to demonstrable competence.
• Assessment for Growth: Using assessment as a tool for development rather than just measurement.
• Personalized Learning in the Age of AI: Navigating new technologies to enhance individual student pathways.
• Building Academic Cultures for Student Success: Institutional strategies for fostering a supportive learning environment.
• Designing Quality Learning Environments: Best practices for physical, virtual, and hybrid spaces.
• Emerging Perspectives: An open track for innovative ideas that push the boundaries of Process Education.

Session Formats

We welcome submissions in the following formats:

• Practitioner Workshops: Interactive sessions focused on ready-to-use resources and PE practices.
• Research Workshops: Sessions designed to explore methodologies or collaborative research projects.
• Research Papers: Scholarly presentations grounded in literature and data.
• Poster Sessions (Hall of Innovation): Visual displays of concrete learning concepts, tools, or innovations.

Submission & Registration Details

• Conference Dates: June 2-4, 2026 (with a pre-conference workshop on June 1).
• Location: West Coast University, Anaheim, CA & Virtual (Hybrid).
• Proposal Deadline: Please visit the conference website for the latest deadline updates and to access the scoring rubric.
• Registration: Open now!
  • Regular: $300
  • Academy Members/Students/Emeritus: $200
  • Groups (3+): $225 per person

How to Apply

Proposals should be submitted via the online portal available on the Conference home page. 

We encourage you to share your scholarship, your work-in-progress, and your innovations. Let’s work together to bridge the gap between teaching and learning.

We look forward to seeing you in Anaheim (or online)!

Best regards,

The 2026 Conference Planning Committee
International Academy of Process Educators

Choose where you'd like to listen...

This episode is something very special: A new introduction to Process Education! It is appropriate for folks who are brand new to PE. (And will be an enjoyable listen for everyone else too!)

In an age where knowledge is "fast, cheap, and always updating," the true differentiator for a busy professional is no longer what you know, but how effectively you can adapt and grow. This audio overview serves as the definitive guide to Process Education (PE), a performance-based philosophy that moves beyond the simple acquisition of information to focus on the continuous development of learning skills. By distilling decades of educational theory into a practical framework, this resource explains how to shift from a traditional culture of evaluation to an assessment culture—a move that is critical for anyone looking to improve the quality of their performance in a rapidly changing, experience-based economy.

You will be introduced to the "PE in a Nutshell" framework, which offers a streamlined methodology for performing, assessing, and growing to reach your unlimited potential. This overview is the single best source for learning how to become a "self-grower": an empowered individual who takes control of their own destiny, navigates ambiguity, and serves as a mentor to others. Whether you are looking to enhance your own capability or lead your organization through uncertainty, this recording provides the essential tools to help you become the "guide, director, coach, and scriptwriter" of your own professional journey.

This episode is based on the following sources:

• A Primer for Process Education (by Wendy Duncan, Dan Apple, and Wade Ellis)
• PE in a Nutshell (by Tris Utschig)

Denna Hintze generated this podcast with Google's Notebook LM, checking and approving its content and quality.

Tris Utschig, Professional Development Director

Spring 2026 IAoPE Professional Development Offerings

We’re excited to share a lineup of Spring 2026 professional development opportunities designed to support reflective practice, innovation in teaching, and practical application of process education principles. All sessions are open to IAoPE members and colleagues.

Workshop Series (Held on Wednesdays at 7pm Eastern time)

Register HERE

These interactive workshops focus on core and emerging areas of practice:

• February 18 — The Strengths, Improvements, and Insights (SII) Feedback Model
  • Explore how to use the SII framework to support meaningful reflection, feedback, and continuous improvement in learning and performance. Tris Utschig will lead this session.
    
    
• March 18 — AI for Making Student Thinking Visible
  • Josh Morrison will share insights from his recent work on using AI tools to surface student thinking, enhance feedback, and support learning analysis.
    
    
• April 8 — Activity Design for Learning
  • Tris Utschig will lead a hands-on session focused on designing effective learning activities that align learning objectives with student engagement and assessment.

NEW Opportunity: A 30-Day Transformation Course (Pilot)

Call for Facilitators:

This spring, we’re piloting a 30-Day Transformation Course. The idea is to create a flexible, low-pressure way to engage deeply with a professional learning topic. We invite Academy Members to propose and lead a 30-day experience this spring. If the pilot is successful, we anticipate offering multiple transformation courses each year.

What it looks like:

• A 30-day curated learning experience
• Focused on a teaching, learning, or professional growth topic
• Facilitated by an IAoPE Academy Member
• Asynchronous participation with short daily or weekly prompts
• Optional weekly Zoom check-in for discussion and support

Possible formats include:

• Book or article discussion series
• Skill-building tutorial
• Guided reflection or practice challenge
• Mini-course or learning sprint

Please contact Tris Utschig (tutschig@kennesaw.edu) with your ideas.

During the January 2026 IAOPE Winter Meeting, Tris led a strategic planning session reviewing the Academy's 10 long-term initiatives, with a specific focus on 4 prioritized areas for the near term:

1. Implementing Process Education (PE) in Practice: Focusing on asynchronous PE media for distribution online, either through the PE website or member site, or both for various types of resources.
2. Research and Scholarship: Creating a PE foundations reading series, a collaborative research hub, and potentially re-appointing a research-focused board seat.
3. Organizational Sustainability: Launching a membership drive for institutions to enhance long-term membership and sustainability. This would entail outreach to colleges and to key personnel. 
4. Technology Integration: utilizing the "Hall of Innovation" for PE scholarship and disseminating PE materials through means such as YouTube.

The group worked collaboratively in a shared document to define concrete milestones, necessary support, and realistic 3-6 month goals for these priorities.

The teams working on each of the 4 areas share their progress and thinking in the sections below:

Tris Utschig and Josh Morrison are taking the lead on this priority, focusing first on these two items:

1. Prepare a Standard Operating Procedure for development of NotebookLM resources, e.g. topical podcasts or resource compendiums, such as NotebookLM PE Guides. 
2. Identify a wish list of prioritized resources to be harvested (or created) that Academy members can pick up and use (infographics, short write-ups, links).

Our goal is to complete the first two tasks in January, and provide the draft “top 10” list of prioritized resources to the Board for feedback. This will then drive our efforts to either curate or create resources that can be shared online with members and the general public.

Steve Beyerlein, Kathy Burke, & Cy Leise are working on this area

The Academy is excited to announce the early stages of forming Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to bring together members with shared passions in Process Education. These groups are envisioned as vibrant spaces where “birds of a feather” gather to explore cutting-edge questions, develop tools, incubate innovations, and generate collaborative scholarship that advances our field. A SIG provides opportunities for:

• Distributed leadership across interest areas
• Focused inquiry aligned with practitioner needs
• Interactive learning objects, videos, and podcasts for general communication about PE
• Mentorship pathways for members new to PE scholarship
• Greater visibility for emerging projects and scholarship-in-progress

We are currently exploring the formation of three pilot SIGs:

1. Lifelong Learning
   Focus: Developing learning skills across professional lifespans; integrating PE in diverse adult learning contexts.
2. Self-Growth
   Focus: Advancing the theory and practice of the Self-Growth Journey, including tools like QoL Frameworks, scripting, and Horizon Self development.
3. AI in the Classroom
   Focus: Exploring the ethical and transformative integration of AI tools in PE-aligned, learner-centered educational design.

We are excited to have initial formation of these SIGs be a part of the 2026 PE Conference.

The goal of this area is to expand the Academy’s influence and resource base by inviting mission-aligned organizations to join.

Peter Smith and Patrick Barlow are taking the lead on this priority, focusing first on these three items:

1. Creating a "Why" statement illuminating the value/benefits of institutional membership.
2. Reimagining how institutional membership works (does it have to be limited to 50 people?)
3. Renegotiating with Pacific Crest to find a simple cost effective way to give all faculty access to the Faculty Guidebook

Our goal is to complete the first two tasks and start the third by the February Board meeting. We hope to develop profiles of institutions who have been institutional members and use these to describe how this might work for other institutions.

Steve Spicklemire and Tris Utschig are working on this area.

The goal is to use data and feedback to improve Academy programs and enhance the value of Academy membership and participation.

As a part of strategic planning session during the winter meeting we developed a short-term plan to work on the Member Engagement Metrics (Initiative 5.a) from the strategic plan. We identified the following goals and a beginning timeline that will be fleshed out as we proceed.

Goals or Milestones:

• Generate assessment questions list
• Define what engagement data we want to collect, store, and access centrally
• Define how this goal relates to Academy leadership position or positions
• Exemplars - highlight 2 or 3 examples showing how engagement data collection and usage led to a board level decision or a conference planning decision
• Develop efficient and straightforward way to provide summary of session workshop assessment data to presenters/facilitators
• Create a place to store this data that is centralized
• Explore what kinds of data aren’t collected but could be (e.g. PE consultations by members with non-members)

Timeline or Phases:

• Jan: create an assessment questions list
• Jan: Identify the data that currently exists from website, newsletter emails, etc. Do we know what items are accessed regularly, what gets most attention?
• Feb: Prepare inventory of data available, cadence of updates, with brief description of the data. Determine what use of data is appropriate and who are the current gatekeepers for each source.

Matthew Watts, Treasurer

The first quarter of our 2025-2026 fiscal year ended on December 31, 2025. The treasurer's reports is posted in the Academy forum [Link to forum] and all members are welcome to review it. 

The International Academy of Process Educators is a 501c3 non-profit organization. That means we strive for a balanced budget each fiscal year. Our current budget and the results of last year's budget can be found in the Academy forum [Link to forum]. You can send any questions to your Treasurer at matthew.watts@rrcc.edu.

Summary of the January 14 Board Meeting

. . .

The Academy Board met on January 14, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM EST. The meeting was called to order by Chaya. The agenda and previous meeting minutes were approved.

2026 Conference Planning

• Theme and Keynote: The conference title is “From Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered Education”. The West Coast team has identified Wendy Duncan as a featured speaker.
• Coordination: Patrick B. will coordinate Hall of Innovation(HOI). The Conference Committee will increase its meeting frequency to twice per month starting February 4.
• Logistics & MOU: Yuqin H. is handling catering logistics. Peter S. is investigating a required $3M umbrella insurance policy requested by West Coast. There are inconsistencies regarding conference fees in the MOU that will be discussed further by the planning committee.

Strategic Plan Initiatives

• Priority Areas: Five initiatives were selected as priorities from the winter meeting, each with designated leads:
  • Asynchronous PE Resources: Josh M. and Tris U.
  • Collaborative Research: Steve B., Cy L., and Kathy B.
  • Membership: Peter S. and Patrick B.
  • Engagement Metrics: Steve S. and Tris U.
  • Communication: A summary of these leads and actions must be submitted for the February newsletter by January 20, 2026.

Administrative & External Business

• Name Change: Matt Watts reported that the initial attempt to submit name change paperwork failed. Board members are asked to provide feedback on how to respond by this Friday.
• Professional Development: Tris U. shared a plan for Spring 2026, including three workshop topics and 30-day curated courses.
• IU Indianapolis Collaboration: The board discussed a pre-conference workshop scheduled for October 18, focusing on “PE in a nutshell” for assessment professionals.

Meeting Assessment

• Strengths: The board successfully shifted to asynchronous communication when the meeting ran long.
• Improvements: The group noted a need for better time management and suggested including links directly within the agenda for easier access.

The DRAFT minutes from this Board Meeting are available HERE.

Recordings & Session Transcript Links

Welcome and Strategic Planning:

Meeting Recording   Transcript

Conference Planning:

Meeting Recording   Transcript

Leadership Session with Bickkie Solomon:

Meeting Recording   Transcript    Workbook   Slide Deck

In order to act effectively, we need to be informed. What follows are several resources identified and shared by Josh Morrison, President Elect. Please use what you can and stay safe.

1. From the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education (IDHE) at the American Association of Colleges & Universities:

A collaboration between the IDHE and the Sustained Dialogue Institute has been formed to offer free, confidential services for individuals and institutions facing conflict, intimidation, or politicized challenges related to teaching, research, leadership, and campus life. The Help Desk offers connections to experienced practitioners who can assist. Further details on this can be found at https://www.aacu.org/initiatives/institute-for-democracy-and-higher-education/helpdesk.

2. From AAC&U: Democracy Re/Designed

How do we envision a more aspirational democracy that works for everyone? This is the intriguing question asked in this AAC&U initiative. The Democracy Re/Design website (https://www.aacu.org/initiatives/institute-for-democracy-and-higher-education/redesigning-democracy) includes the conceptual framework, a discussion guide, and an institutional self-assessment tool. There is also an on-demand webinar, which provides an overview of Democracy Re/Designed, including responses to questions about how to best use the resources to facilitate campus discussion.

3. Innovations in Pro-Democracy Teaching & Learning.

Also from AAC&U, a call for open resources on pro-democracy teaching and learning. More information and the link to submit materials is here: https://www.aacu.org/initiatives/institute-for-democracy-and-higher-education/pro-democracy-curricular-and-co-curricular-innovations.

Let us know:

• What have you achieved (WHO and WHAT)
• Suggest someone for an open board position (give us a NAME and POSITION)
• Request a workshop (please let us know the TOPIC, WHY you would find it valuable/useful, and CONTACT information so we can follow up with you)
• Pretty much anything else!