Keynotes
On Tuesday, August 5, all PBL for Higher Ed participants will gather to hear from our 2025 keynote speaker, Scott McLeod, as he presents "The Power of Deeper Learning." In this keynote address, Dr. McLeod will explore how deeper learning can transform higher education and empower students for success in a rapidly changing world.
On Thursday, August 7, the closing keynote will include a panel of Western Michigan University instructors who will share their real-world experiences in implementing Project-Based Learning in their courses.
For more information about what's happening each day of the conference, please visit our Schedule page.
Opening Keynote
August 5
Tuesday
9:00 a.m.
We are proud to announce that Scott McLeod will be our keynote speaker at PBL for Higher Ed 2025.
A Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Colorado Denver, Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D., is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on P-12 school leadership, deeper learning, technology, and innovation. He is on a mission to make students’ day-to-day learning less boring and more meaningful and relevant. Scott is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the only university center in the U.S. dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and is the co-creator of both the wildly popular video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens), and the 4 Shifts Protocol for lesson and unit redesign.
Scott has worked with hundreds of schools, districts, universities, and other organizations and has received numerous awards, including the 2016 global Award for Outstanding Leadership from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Scott blogs about leadership and innovation at Dangerously Irrelevant and is a frequent keynote speaker and workshop facilitator at regional, state, national, and international conferences. Scott also hosts two occasional podcasts, LeaderTalk and Redesigning for Deeper Learning.
Scott currently serves as a Distinguished Educator Fellow for PDK International, a Fellow for the NAESP Center for Innovative Leadership, an ISTE Community Leader, an InnEdCO Ambassador, and on NAESP’s Professional Learning Advisory Council. He also recently served as a Senior Fellow for Getting Smart. He has written or edited 4 books and 170 articles and other publications, and is one of the most visible education professors in the United States.
Closing Keynote
August 7
Thursday
9:00 a.m.
In this closing session, Western Michigan University faculty who participated in a pilot of the PBL for Higher Education workshop last fall will share their experiences implementing Project-Based Learning in their courses. Panelists will discuss both the challenges they've encountered and the opportunities they've discovered, offering practical advice for colleagues at all stages of PBL implementation.
The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Jason Glass, Associate Vice President of Teaching and Learning at WMU. Dr. Glass was the first-ever State PBL Champion for his work as the Kentucky Commissioner of Education and a keynote speaker at the annual PBL World Conference in 2023.
Join us for this valuable peer-to-peer exchange as our panel reflects on their PBL journeys across diverse disciplines, providing insights and strategies applicable to educators at all career stages.
The panel will include:
Dr. Gary Marquardt
