Symposium Schedule

A three-day program designed to move beyond conversation—connecting ideas, evidence, and action around the future of project-based learning in higher education.

Save the Date

Dates

May 27–29, 2026

Location

WPI Campus
Worcester, MA

Cost

$150 per person

Capacity

100 participants

Day 1

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

TIME ACTIVITY LOCATION
4-6 pm Check in Rubin Campus Center, Main Floor
5–7 pm Welcome Reception Rubin Campus Center, Patio Lower Level

Day 2

Thursday, May 28, 2026

TIME ACTIVITY LOCATION
8-8:45 am

Breakfast

 

 Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor

9-9:15 am

 

 Symposium Framing: What brings us here today? Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
9:15-10:45 am

Keynote Speaker- Matt Sigelman, Burning Glass Institute

"The Future of Work and Learning in the Age of AI" 

 Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
10:45-11 am Break Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
11-12:15 pm Panel: Making the Case for Higher Education Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
12:15- 2 pm Lunch & Birds of a Feather Discussions Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
2- 3 pm Institutional Mapping for Strategic Change Workshop Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
3-3:15 pm Break Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
3:15-4:45 pm Panel: Career Readiness When Careers Keep Changing Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
4:45–5:15 pm Synthesis Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
5:30 pm Dinner on your own Local Restaurants

Day 3

Friday, May 29, 2026

TIME ACTIVITY LOCATION
8-8:30 am Breakfast Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
8:30-9 am Welcome Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
9-10:30 am Panel: The AI Rupture and The Path Not Taken Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
10:30-10:45 am Break Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
10:45am-Noon How Change Works: A Framework for Higher Ed Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
12-1 pm Lunch  Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
1:15- 2:30 pm Breakout Working Sessions
Levers of Change
Shared conversation of strategies, practice and evidence






 
1.    Evidence that PBL Works Odeum C
2.    Navigating Resistance and Inertia Unity Hall 400
3.    Faculty as Change Agents Unity Hall 420
4.    Leadership and Institutional Will Unity Hall 520
5.    Sustaining Hope Through the Change Haggland Room
6.    Aligning PBL with Accreditation, Rankings, and External Pressures Unity Hall 405
2:30-2:45 pm Break Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor
2:45-4:00 pm Moving Forward
Option 1. Collaborative Conference Planning Haggland Room
Option 2. Change Odeum C
Option 3. Networking & Partnership Opportunities Chair's Room
Option 4. Envisioning Utopian Futures of Higher Ed Odeum A/B
4-4:30 pm Closing Remarks and Adjournment Odeum, Rubin Campus Center, 3rd Floor