Digital Teaching Symposium 2026
Digital Teaching Symposium 2026: Reach, Teach & Demonstrate
About the event
Join us virtually on November 19, 2026, for the Digital Teaching Symposium (DTS), a free, one-day event bringing together higher education faculty and educators from around the world to share practical experiences, ideas, and approaches shaping the future of teaching and learning.
Now in its tenth year, DTS is a faculty-focused conference built around the power of educators learning from one another. Through peer-led sessions, you'll discover how colleagues are tackling the challenges and opportunities of digital teaching — from reaching diverse learners and creating engaging learning experiences to adapting teaching practice and demonstrating meaningful impact.
This year's theme, Reach, Teach & Demonstrate, is inspired by three questions at the heart of modern teaching and learning:
- Reach — How do we reach every learner?
- Teach — How do we teach well in a changing world?
- Demonstrate — How do we demonstrate that it was worth it?
Expect practical ideas, honest experiences, fresh perspectives, and examples you can take back to your own teaching practice.
Whether you're looking for new approaches to teaching, practical strategies to try, inspiration from peers, or opportunities to reflect and connect, DTS offers a day dedicated to learning from the people at the heart of education: educators.
Who is this event for?
DTS is designed for higher education faculty and teaching-focused educators, including full- and part-time faculty, lecturers, professors, and other educators who teach students. The program is centered on teaching practice and the student experience, with sessions led by educators sharing their own experiences, research, innovations, challenges, and lessons learned.
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish and will take place across major time zones to ensure that educators around the globe can attend.
Learn from your peers
DTS is about educators learning from educators. Hear how colleagues are tackling real teaching challenges, experimenting with new approaches, and responding to a changing digital landscape — and take away ideas you can adapt to your own practice.
Expect to discover:
- Practical teaching approaches you can adapt to your own context
- New ideas for engaging, inclusive, and accessible learning
- Perspectives on assessment, feedback, course design, and digital pedagogy
- Insights into how educators are responding to AI and emerging technologies
- Real-world examples of what worked, what didn't, and what was learned
- Opportunities to connect and share with faculty from across the global academic community
Explore the Digital Teaching Symposium Agenda
Discover the sessions, ideas, and practical insights planned for the Digital Teaching Symposium 2026. Explore how educators are working to reach learners, teach more effectively, and demonstrate the impact of digital teaching.
Keynote Speakers
Mark Hopkins' Log: AI, Higher Education, and the Extraordinary Potential of an Ordinary Technology
Matthew Pittinsky, Ph.D.
Incoming Chief Executive Officer, Blackboard
Blackboard co-founder Matthew Pittinsky explores how AI could help transform the learning management system from a platform that primarily manages courses into one that truly supports learners, enables learning, and records what has been learned.
Discover why the future of digital learning depends not only on what AI can do, but also on thoughtful governance and keeping technology focused on the human relationships at the heart of learning.
When Schools Ban AI, What Exactly Are They Banning?
Phil Hill
Educational Technology Consultant and Industry Analyst, Phil Hill & Associates, LLC
Schools are announcing AI bans, but what does that mean in practice? From captioning and study tools to feedback and grading, AI is already embedded in learning platforms in different ways.
Phil Hill offers a practical framework for thinking beyond whether a tool uses AI and instead considering what work the AI actually does. He will then be joined by incoming Blackboard CEO Matthew Pittinsky for a fireside chat and audience Q&A, exploring the implications for education and AI policy.
Thank You to Our Sponsor, Respondus
We're pleased to welcome Respondus as a sponsor of the Digital Teaching Symposium 2026. Thank you for supporting opportunities for educators to share ideas, learn from one another, and explore the future of digital teaching.