ITAG Fall 2025: Two-Day Conference + 2 Graduate Credits Opportunity!

ITAG 2-Day Fall Conference October 13–14, 2025

Sheraton Hotel West Des Moines (1800 50th St, West Des Moines, IA 50266)

The theme of this year’s conference is "Bridging Generations: Honoring Legacy, Empowering Innovation." The keynote and featured speakers will be Matt Makel and Molly McConnell. Matt Makel’s expertise lies in academic talent development and open science research methods, while Molly McConnell’s expertise is in gifted and talented education.

Earn 2 Graduate Credits Offered through Drake University’s School of Education!Attendees of the ITAG Fall 2025 Conference are eligible to earn 2 graduate credits through Drake University.

Students enrolled in this course must attend both days of the conference.

Note: If you are earning a Talented & Gifted endorsement through Drake University, this course fulfills requirements for the programming or psychology strand.

Conference Registration Fees:

• The early-bird rate for the two-day conference is $375.

• After 09/12/25, the rate increases to $400.

• Register for the ITAG Fall 2025 Conference at

Drake University’s 2 Graduate Credit Hours: $360. This cost is separate from the event fee. You must be registered for the conference before obtaining graduate credit. Students enrolled in this course must attend both days of the conference. 1 Ticket will allow you access to both days of the conference!

Drake University's Registration Dates:

Start Date: Monday, August 25, 2025

Registration Closes: 10/14/2025 at 4:59 PM

Coursework Due: Friday, December 12, 2025

Note: Refunds are available up to five business days prior to the event, minus any applicable taxes and fees. No refunds will be issued once the event has started.

Don't miss out on an opportunity to deepen your learning and earn graduate-level credit while attending Iowa’s leading gifted education conference. Students enrolled in this course will deepen their understanding about gifted education theory and practice by attending the annual conference of the Iowa Talented and Gifted Association (ITAG). Students will be asked to attend the ITAG conference and to reflect on both the content presented and on their interactions with fellow attendees/speakers. Students will also be required to complete additional readings (on topics/issues related to gifted education) and two learning projects.

EDMA 299: ITAG Conference for 2 Credits

Students enrolled in this course must attend both days of the conference. 1 Ticket will allow you access to both days of the conference!

Coursework Due: Friday, December 12, 2025

Instructor: Todd Hodgkinson, Ph.D., Drake University School of Education

Course Description: Students enrolled in this course will deepen their understanding about gifted education theory and practice by attending the annual conference of the Iowa Talented and Gifted Association (ITAG) . Students will be asked to attend the ITAG conference and to reflect on both the content presented and on their interactions with fellow attendees/speakers. Students will also be required to complete additional readings (on topics/issues related to gifted education) and two learning projects.

Learning Outcomes:

1) Students will attend both days of the 2025 Iowa Talented and Gifted (ITAG) conference and take detailed notes on their experiences.

2) Students will complete a series of instructor selected readings on a variety of talented and gifted related topics.

3) Students will compose an eight-to-ten-page (double-spaced) paper in which they reflect their experiences at the ITAG conference and on the additional course readings.

4) Students will select and read a book-length text authored by the ITAG conference keynote speaker and then complete two self-selected learning projects (series of three lessons, unit plan, professional development presentation slide deck, etc.) based on the ideas presented in that text.

Required Texts:

Additional course readings will be provided on the Blackboard Learning Management course site.

Host or Publisher Drake University - Online and Continuing Education