Join Us in Nashville!!
Monday September 21, 2020 – Thursday September 24, 2020
Hilton Nashville Airport
Nashville, TN
Come join us for the premier distance learning networking event in the United States. All Distance/Digital Learning experts from around the world are welcome to attend, in fact we have had attendees from the UK, South Africa, Poland, Turkey and other countries at past conferences. We have secured the services of the Hilton Nashville Airport and will enjoy recently renovated guest rooms and plenty of conveniences. Located 7 miles from the downtown Nashville famous concert venues and honky-tonks, the hotel is minutes away from Music City Center and the Gaylord Convention Center. This bright and modern hotel has everything we need for a great conference including restaurant and bar, indoor pool, fitness center and stylish event space. Come for expert presentations, world class keynote speakers, networking with like-minded professionals and the excitement of Nashville.
The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) 2020 National Conference is the premier event for professionals in the distance learning industry. Our 2020 event will be held Monday September 21, 2020 – Thursday September 24, 2020 and promises to deliver an action-packed agenda that will bring together distance learning practitioners from across the country to Nashville, Tennessee.
The format of the event allows attendees to learn about relevant topics from many different points of view. The moderate size makes it possible for attendees to actively participate. Please contact Pat Cassella at 203-980-6928 or pcassella@usdla.org for more information.
Thank you for your interest and hope to see you in Nashville!
Corona Virus Update: We understand there is still great concern over the spread of the virus but we have been in contact with the hotel and have been assured that all recommended precautions have been put into place with respect to sanitation guidelines. At this time the conference is still on as we feel that the up and coming weeks will show signs of control and that travel bans will be lifted. Please check back to this page for regular updates.
Who will be attending USDLA’s 2020 National Conference?
Presidents
Provosts
Faculty (K-12 /Higher Ed)
Deans
CIOs
Professional Trainers
Partners
Instructional Technologists/Designers
Developers
System Administrators
Schools/Colleges & Universities/Corporate & Many More!
Opening Keynote Speaker – Dr. Gerry Hanley – Executive Director, Merlot
Director, California State University Long Beach Center for Usability in Design and Accessibility (CUDA)
Executive Director, MERLOT (www.merlot.org) and SkillsCommons (www.SkillsCommons.org)
Title: Opening Learning for All by Serving Stone Soup Globally
Abstract: Free and open educational resources and services are being used to expand access to education for diverse communities nationally and internationally which can improve equitable access to sustainable employment. The Stone Soup folktale serves as an effective change management strategy for digital and distance education by providing inclusive methods that leverage free and open educational resources and services.
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Luncheon Keynote Speaker – Sae Schatz, Ph.D., Director – Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative
Title: Embrace Lifelong Learning
Abstract: Sae Schatz, Ph.D., serves as the Director of the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative, a government program for research, development, and policy stewardship of distributed learning. Before joining the civil service in 2015, Sae worked as an applied human–systems scientist, with an emphasis on human cognition and learning, instructional technologies, adaptive systems, human performance assessment, and modeling and simulation. During that time, she led the authorship and execution of the Marine Corps’ “Making Good Instructor Great course” and was also the chief scientist for the award-winning Border Hunter research effort and the Joint Staff J7’s Blended Learning–Training project. Sae is a professional graphic designer, who often uses her visual design skills to enhance professional publications, presentations, and infographics—in order to help scientific concepts better overcome the research–practice gap.
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Closing Keynote Speaker – Dr. Robbie Melton – Transitional Dean, Graduate School and professional Studies, Tennessee State University
Title: Year 2020 – Emergence of the Internet of Everything (IoE) SMART Distance Education Technology Transformation
Abstract: The rise of connected ‘SMART technologies provide new opportunities for transforming distance teaching and learning for the digital workforce. This presentation showcases the innovations of IoE Smart Technologies (EduGadgets) as data-driven transformation educational and workforce tools.
