Learning Communities: Research, Practice, and Innovation
FALCON is returning in as an in-person pedagogical conference, bringing faculty and instructors together for one day of connection, learning, and inspiration at IU Indianapolis. Designed to engage faculty focused on teaching excellence and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)—as well as instructors from institutions across Indiana—FALCON 2026 will feature a more externally facing, high-quality conference profile, including notable keynote speakers and new sponsorship opportunities that strengthen collaboration across institutions.
Registration
Online registration is now available at the rates listed below. Onsite registration may also be available, space permitting.
The FACET Innovate Awards recognizes faculty who bring passion, innovation, and creativity to the classroom to promote student success. It also helps share and disseminate best practices in teaching for the benefit of the IU community and beyond. For the first time, we are accepting applicants from outside Indiana University. We invite applications in the following categories by August 15, 2026:
The Science of Learning and the Humanity of Teaching
In the last couple of decades, faculty have been invited and sometimes urged to “follow the science” of learning. But what does it actually mean to turn to science in the work of teaching? What can the neurobiology and cognitive science of learning help us see more clearly, and what can they never fully capture?
In this session we will explore the productive tension between two truths: learning science offers powerful, practical insights, and yet every scientific claim is situated—bounded by time, methods, models, and the particular participants a study did (and did not) include. We will examine a small set of core learning principles that have shown durability across decades of research and lived experiences while also interrogating what we still don’t know, what remains contested, and importantly, where our own teaching experiences and relationships with our students serve as essential and illuminating data.
Dr. Mays Imad is a neuroscientist and educator who studies how bodies learn, remember, and heal –– individually and collectively. Her work is rooted in the belief that education is not just about information transfer, but about transformation: a space where people come to re-member themselves and reconnect to their capacity to feel, to hope, and to act.
FALCON Rebranded
FALCON has a new name: FACET Learning Conference. While the name has evolved, the mission remains the same: bringing together educators from across IU and beyond to share ideas, explore teaching practices, and strengthen our learning communities.
