2024 Teaching Family Science Conference

Higher education is in flux, as always, and the challenges for teaching and learning in Family Science continue to evolve. Issues related to affordability, access and equity, quality, retention, technology integration, changing workforce demands, assessment, and accountability are now couched in new contemporary contexts. Demographic shifts to smaller family sizes during the 2008 recession have resulted in declining numbers of college-aged students. Referred to as the “demographic cliff”, higher education can anticipate up to a 15% decline in freshmen beginning around 2025 and continuing into the near future, as a second similar shift in 2020 during the pandemic will likely impact enrollment in the 2030s (see Schroeder, 2021). What proactive, experiential strategies can we use in Family Science to promote enrollment, engage students, and teach transferable skills that employers are looking for in the 21^st century? Experiential education provides students with hands-on, practical experiences that connect classroom learning to real-world settings. Such applied teaching and learning practices enhance learning outcomes and make education more relevant and appealing in ways that could help institutions overcome current and future enrollment challenges. To that end, the intent of this conference is to focus on active engagement and collaborative practices. Topics could include, but are not limited to:

• Best Practices: Highlight successful approaches/models/ techniques in implementing experiential learning activities
• SoTL: Showcase empirical studies, theoretical frameworks, and evaluation methods exploring the impact and effectiveness of specific teaching strategies
• Integrating Technology in Experiential Learning: Presentations that discuss the integration of digital tools, virtual experiences, and immersive technologies to enhance experiential learning opportunities
• Community Engagement: Explore collaborations with external organizations, community-based projects, service-learning initiatives, and internships that foster experiential learning and contribute to local and global communities
• Assessment and Evaluation: Address assessment methods, outcomes measurement, and approaches to evaluate the effectiveness of experiential learning programs

Hotel Information:

The Teaching Family Science conference will take place June 17th and 18th, 2024. Our room block begins the 14th and goes until the 21st. The last day to book is Saturday, May 17th. The conference rate starts at $199/night at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Resort and Casino. If you are booking your stay for the conference only — arriving Sunday the 16th and checking out Wednesday, June 19th, the easiest thing to do is use our reservation link. If you plan to arrive earlier and/or stay later during our room block dates, it is easier for the hotel if you call 1-866-932-7269 identifying the group with TFC to create reservations.

Please note that when you book they will add the 45% resort fees issued by Puerto Rico into the final cost for your convenience.

The hotel is located at 200 Convention Blvd, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00907. The hotel itself is across the street from the Distrito T-Mobile with a variety of food and entertainment options to keep you busy if the conference itself is not enough. A hotel shuttle runs at regular intervals (~15 minutes) to transport hotel guests to Escambron beach and Old San Juan (just 5 minutes away by car). The Sheraton has newly renovated guest rooms, a rooftop infinity pool with stunning views of the San Juan Bay, and on-site diverse dining options, as well as a full service spa and vibrant 24/7 casino. There are several grocery options near the hotel, including one that is a lovely 15 minute walk up the street.

Flight Information:

Booking a flight to Luis Marin International Airport will likely be easiest and cheaper. It is about 7 miles (a 10 minute ride) from the airport to the hotel. There are ample ground transportation options, including Uber and Lyft in addition to buses and taxis.

Please email conference chair Bethany Willis with any questions.

The Teaching Family Science conference is an inclusive space where Family Science colleagues can share and inspire innovative and creative approaches to teaching, learning, and practice. The smaller nature of our conference allows for discussion, reflection, and sharing of feedback, and it is our hope and expectation that this format leads to mutual respect in knowledge creation within a diverse community.

The Family Science Association Executive Board has created a Conference Code of Conduct in order to clarify expectations for attendees.

As of now, the conference organizers do not expect that COVID-19 will interfere with conference proceedings. However, the pandemic has taught us that public health situations and considerations are dynamic – often in unexpected ways. Please know that the conference organizers recognize this and will be as transparent and communicative as possible in the event of unexpected changes to conference protocols. There is a possibility that attendees may be asked to adhere to additional health and safety protocols as required by the hotel or the conference organizers to provide a comfortable and safe atmosphere. If you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to the conference organizers at conference@familyscienceassociation.org.

Please read through the Conference Duty of Care Statement for more information about expectations regarding potential public health considerations.