Department celebrates 60th anniversary through alumni discussions with students

By: Katie Alexander

Posted: 9/15/06

The School of Education's Department of Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation will open its doors this weekend to students, faculty and alumni as it celebrates its 60th year.

The event, titled "The Ultimate IDD&E Curriculum Validation Venture," begins with an informal gathering tonight in a private home, uniting alumni and current students in the program, said Gerald Mager, interim chair of the instructional design department since July.

Saturday's schedule includes poster presentations and discussions among students, faculty and alumni. The weekend will allow students and graduates to share their current projects, to network and to receive feedback on their work.

This weekend will give students the opportunity to listen to the discussions in order to get a better idea of what is going on in the workplace and in higher education, said Linda Kurdziel, one of the education graduate students planning the event.

"Sharing is a big part of this weekend," Kurdziel said.

Saturday night, the event will conclude with a celebratory dinner.

"We are going to be looking back at IDD&E as a program and looking back at people who have contributed to it, and that's why a lot of alumni are coming back," Kurdziel said.

Saturday's events will occur in the Alibrandi Catholic Center, said Linda Tucker, IDD&E Program Administrator.

Mager compared the event to a wedding anniversary celebration. He said that because of the opportunity to gather informally and share some of the work they have done, it will be a learning experience as well.

Alumni from all over the world will be in attendance, representing careers in education and business, Kurdziel said. Seven people will be coming as a part of the Institute of Education at the University of Freiburg in Germany, as well as a Ph.D. student from San Diego State University. In addition, alumni will be coming from Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and parts of the United States to participate in discussions.

The school has been able to keep in touch with its graduates through e-mail connections, Mager said.

Planning for the event began last year when the School of Education announced its centennial anniversary. IDD&E graduate students make up the three subcommittees under the umbrella of the planning committee, Kurdziel said. The graduate students are of varying ages and careers, so a wide range of knowledge contributed to the planning, Kurdziel said.

"The IDD&E program has been around for some time," Mager said. "It has served discrete foci: instructional design, corporate and instructional development, educational technology and program evaluation."

Registration is required for the event. For additional information, visit http://idde.syr.edu/idde60/index.html or contact Tucker at 315-442-3703, or lltucker@syr.edu.