Free, faculty-focused event brings educators together to share practical approaches for reaching learners, teaching in a changing world and demonstrating meaningful learning

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Blackboard today announced the 10th annual Digital Teaching Symposium (DTS), a free virtual event taking place November 19, 2026, where higher education faculty from around the world will share practical approaches to today’s evolving teaching and learning challenges.

This year’s theme, “Reach, Teach & Demonstrate,” is designed around the questions educators are confronting every day: How do we reach every learner? How do we teach well in a changing world? And how do we demonstrate that learning made a meaningful difference?

The keynote will be delivered by Matthew Pittinsky, Ph.D., co-founder of Blackboard and incoming CEO, who previously served as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Sociology at Arizona State University. His session, “Mark Hopkins’ Log: AI, Higher Education, and the Extraordinary Potential of an Ordinary Technology,” will explore how AI can help deliver a true learning management system while keeping the human relationship at the heart of education.

“Faculty are teaching through a moment of extraordinary change. They’re adapting to AI, rethinking academic integrity and assessment, and incorporating new ways to engage students and make learning more accessible,” said Lisa A. Clark, Ed.D., AVP for Academic Transformation at Blackboard. “That’s what makes the Digital Teaching Symposium so important. It brings faculty together to share what’s working at a critical moment for education.”

Featured sessions will tackle some of the biggest topics facing educators today, including:

• When Schools Ban AI, What Exactly Are They Banning? — Phil Hill, publisher of the On EdTech blog and partner at Phil Hill & Associates, LLC, will examine how educators and institutions can think more precisely about AI in learning platforms, followed by a fireside chat and audience Q&A with Matthew Pittinsky.
• Assessment in the Age of AI — Rethinking how learning is assessed as generative AI changes how students approach coursework.
• Engaging and Reaching Diverse Learners — Practical approaches for creating learning experiences that meet students where they are.
• Teaching with AI and Emerging Technologies — Lessons from educators experimenting with new tools and approaches.
• Course Design and Digital Pedagogy — Strategies for creating effective, engaging online and blended learning experiences.
• Feedback and Demonstrating Learning — Approaches that help educators understand and communicate what students are actually learning.
• Inclusive and Accessible Teaching — Practical ways to create learning experiences that work for more students.
• Real-World Teaching Lessons — Candid perspectives on what works, what doesn’t and how to get more time back to teach with AI.

Faculty from institutions including the University of Connecticut, University of Pretoria, Aston University and Wichita State University will share practical approaches and lessons from their own classrooms.

The event takes place Thursday, November 19, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET., with programming tracks in English and Spanish. Last year, DTS brought together more than 1,300 attendees from 538 institutions across 55 countries, creating a global forum for educators to share what’s working in their classrooms.

Educators can register for the Digital Teaching Symposium at https://www.blackboard.com/digital-teaching-symposium.

About Blackboard

Blackboard delivers the digital environment for transformational teaching and learning. We serve thousands of institutions with the industry’s most AI-advanced LMS (Blackboard LMS), Ally for digital content accessibility, and institutional effectiveness solutions that put educators and learners at the center. We’re an education company that builds technology. Learn more at blackboard.com.

Erin Mitchell press@blackboard.com

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SOURCE Blackboard