The small, quiet town allowed the participants to focus on the retreat rather than outside activities. A wide variety of institutions, disciplines and teaching styles were represented at the conference. The majority of faculty participating was from Utah. NAU was the only Arizona university represented. The teaching experience of individuals from numerous disciplines ranged from less than one semester to more than 25 years.
Participants feel the diversity added to the Summit experience.
Many faculty are experts in their field but have not necessarily been instructed in methodology, so the summit's focus was not on the teaching of specific disciplines, but rather on the art of teaching itself. Through group projects, discussions, visual and verbal exercises teachers shared difficulties and successes. Additionally, each person was asked for one piece of advice they would give to a new teacher. By sharing their experiences, many lessons were learned. Issues were found to be the same across discipline and even campus boundaries.