Being Authentic Educators: Social Presence Through Community Building in Various Teaching and Learning Contexts 

Dr. Stanley M. Lo is an Associate Teaching Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and Affiliate Faculty in Mathematics and Science Education at University of California San Diego. His research examines how faculty conceptions of diversity, learning, and teaching inform their instructional practices; explores how student identities intersect with their experiences to create complex opportunities for learning; and develops innovative programs to support student success. Dr. Lo holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Harvard University and was a Research Associate at the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching at Northwestern University. He was a National Academies Education Fellow and Mentor in Life Sciences in 2011-2016 and currently the President of the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research.

Keynote Presentation Description: In the past few years, we as educators have continuously adjusted to the changing landscape of teaching and learning in response to the needs of our students. Social presence theory examines how the sense of being with another is influenced by human interactions in a variety of contexts. Here, we discuss a novel framework developed using in-depth qualitative interviews on how instructors understand inclusion in higher education and explore different ways to be authentic and intentional educators by attending to social presence through community building.