About 90 people came together at the IU School of Education this month to reflect on the history of the Instructional Systems Technology field and discuss new technologies at the 25th annual IST Conference.

The conference is a free, student-run conference that offers graduate students a safe venue to gain experience in presenting, organizing, and attending professional conferences. This year’s theme of “Reflection, Innovation and Transformation” spoke to the milestone of 25 years. Hyojung Kim was chair of the conference, with Karen Smith serving as co-chair and GIST President. 

Along with those present in person, 50 people joined the conference online. Associate Professor Gamze Ozogul was thrilled with the level of engagement from attendees, the quality of presentations, and the overall energy and synergy throughout the conference.

“We also had great synergistic panels with alumni working in industry and working in academia that interacted with our current students, along with a panel that included faculty members from all three programs of the Learning, Design, and Adult Education department,” Ozogul added.

This year's conference was graciously funded by alumni Darryl and Jane Sink.