This blog written by:

Van L. Bridgeman,USDLA Board Member

A USDLA 2016 International Award Winner’s Story

Despite the advent of social media platforms available through different technologies, it has been increasingly apparent that proficiency in writing skills is even more important in determining success at every level of education and in the workplace.

In recognition of this reality, USDLA’s 2016 21^st Century Award for Best Practices in Distance Learning Teaching was presented to the development and management team of the Online Writing Lab (also known as “The OWL”) from Excelsior College of New York (http://www.excelsior.edu). The OWL is led by Francesco (Frank) Crocco, Ph.D., Director of the Online Writing Lab.

Dr. Crocco points out that The OWL is an important contribution to distance learning and higher education because it is the first detailed writing support brought to life with multimedia support in an open-source resource.

The OWL was developed in 2010 with support from Excelsior College and three separate grants—a Department of Education FIPSE grant (2010-2012), a Kresge Foundation grant (2012-2014), and a New York State HESC grant (2014-2015). Since its inception, the OWL team has developed eight multimedia content areas and a video game playable on PC/Mac and iOS tablets. It has conducted two major studies that prove the efficacy of the OWL—a national study comprised of colleges from across five states and a New York State study in partnership with S.U.N.Y. (State University of New York) and C.U.N.Y. (City University of New York) colleges.

The OWL is now embedded in each of the 90 sections of English 101 and English 201 at Excelsior College. In addition, as an open learning resource, The OWL has been adopted by faculty at more than 70 colleges. Further documentation of The OWL’s success is the November 2016 report from Google Analytics that shows more than 18,500 online sessions with visitors from 174 countries with 103 different languages.

Another successful element of this project is cost savings to students. Excelsior College has used the OWL to replace the textbook for all sections of their English 101 and English 201. The cost savings just for students taking English 101 over a course of a year is $153,000 (1800 students registered annually X $85 textbook = $153,000). The Excelsior College OWL is free to anyone. The potential to reduce the costs of education for students, parents and other stakeholders while providing high quality instruction bears promise for education and training in the 21^st Century.

Since receiving USDLA’s 2016 International Award, Dr. Crocco and his colleagues at Excelsior College have not rested on their laurels. As recipients of a U.S. Department of Education First in the World Grant, they are currently developing a new open-access online reading comprehension lab that will supplement The OWL. This new resource is scheduled to launch during early 2017. Stay tuned! 

Click here for a detailed look of The OWL’s multi-layered approach in helping students optimize their writing skills via a dynamic resource. A special note: If you are a faculty member at any level of the education community, corporate trainer or concerned parent, be sure to visit the “OWL Educator Guide,” where you can find valuable online presentations, interactive videos, exercises and other resources for incorporation into your online learning environment.

Submit an award nomination today!!

Stay tuned to the USDLA Blog as we highlight our award recipients/members to see the latest innovations and trends in Distance Learning.

Top 10 reasons to attend the 2017 USDLA National Conference

USDLA 2017 National Conference

April 30 – May 3, 2017 in Indianapolis, IN

The USDLA 2017 National Conference is the premier event for professionals in the distance learning industry. This year’s conference celebrates USDLA’s 30^th year and promises to deliver an action-packed agenda that will bring together distance learning practitioners from across the country and around the world.

*Click here for more information about this USDLA signature event.

Join the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA)

www.usdla.org

The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) is a non-profit association formed in 1987 with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. The association reaches 20,000 people globally with sponsors and members operating in and influencing 46% of the $913 billion dollar U.S. education and training market. USDLA promotes the development and application of distance learning for education and training and serves the needs of the distance learning community by providing advocacy, information, networking and opportunity. Distance learning and training constituencies served include pre-k-12 education, higher and continuing education, home schooling as well as business, corporate, military, government and telehealth markets.

This blog post written by:

Janet Major

USDLA Board Member
Associate Director Facilities
Arizona Telemedicine Program
Arizona Health Sciences Center
Tucson, AZ

Throwback Thursday is a trend among social media sites such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook wherein users post or repost older photographs with the hashtag #ThrowbackThursday or #TBT.

USDLA, the United States Distance Learning Association, is celebrating Thirty Years of Excellence in Distance Learning and we would like to invite you to share YOUR #TBT’s with us as we prepare for our upcoming conference in Indianapolis April 30 – May 3, 2017! https://usdlastaging.wpengine.com/events/2017-national-conference/

Here are some questions to consider:

How has your technology changed? Remember when we used to have to TYPE our term papers? Was your first distance learning class a correspondence course?  We have come a long way – and we have a LOT to celebrate!  USDLA will be sharing some great history for the next several weeks and we invite you to tell us about your history as well.

Here are TEN great reasons to attend the conference on our blog: https://usdlastaging.wpengine.com/resources/blog/

Check out the agenda: https://content.usdla.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/USDLA-2017-Session-Descriptions-1.pdf

Visit Indy: http://www.visitindy.com/

Please join us on LinkedIn for USDLA updates, follow us on Twitter USDLA@USDLA or Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/USDistanceLearningAssoc/?fref=ts

If you’re currently a member of USDLA  – you should join our DL Social Networking Link:

USDLA CONNECT! http://usdla.intronetworks.com/#

Please be sure to join us in Indy where we will have the opportunity to network with the experts in our field.

#TBT, #USDLA@USDLA, #USDLA2017

Help us celebrate one of the top 10 reasons to attend USDLA!

#4 Thirty 30 years in distance learning.
One of the things that makes USDLA helpful and attractive to me is perspective.  Regardless of the constituency I’m engaged with and the media I use, I find I learn amazing lessons from those in other distance learning fields.  So, while this year’s conference is not altogether a trip down “Memory Lane,” it does offer a time-based perspective as well.  Thirty years.  As we celebrate USDLA’s 30^th anniversary we will be blogging and sharing some interesting nuggets through USDLA’s social media channels. Your participation in this is important!  You can help by reading, commenting, or forwarding our 30th Anniversary posts.  Or you can take a direct hand it by sending anecdotes, pictures, or reflections on your history with either distance learning or USDLA.  We’ve set up a mailbox just for this: thirty@usdla.org.  Let your voice be heard!

This blog post written by:
Elaine Shuck
USDLA Chair of the Board

#1 Location, location, location.
This year’s event will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, a city known as the “Crossroads of America” more Interstate highways bisect this city than any other city in the country, making it an exciting and easy to access destination.  So come and discover Indianapolis with your distance learning friends!

#2 Unmatched value.
I don’t know about you, but I go to a lot of conferences touching on education and training.  Well, this conference is different.  We’re the U.S. Distance Learning Association and here you have the entire spectrum of DL professionals learning from and sharing with each other.  Amazing things happen when you can learn from a community that is broader than your own.  You won’t find an event that offers this much content: stellar keynotes, first-rate presenters, an amazing array of distance learning exhibitors and the best of the best, the winners of the prestigious USDLA awards.

Take a look at the 2016 WINNERS!

#3 Network and connect.
At our conference, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with professionals spread across the country and around the world.  We are a passionate community of interest focused on distance learning in all of its forms.  We work in K-20 education, corporate and government training and telemedicine.  You’ll return home equipped with new plans, tips and tools to make a difference in your organization.

#4 Thirty 30 years in distance learning.
One of the things that makes USDLA helpful and attractive to me is perspective.  Regardless of the constituency I’m engaged with and the media I use, I find I learn amazing lessons from those in other distance learning fields.  So, while this year’s conference is not altogether a trip down “Memory Lane,” it does offer a time-based perspective as well.  Thirty years.  As we celebrate USDLA’s 30^th anniversary we will be blogging and sharing some interesting nuggets through USDLA’s social media channels. Your participation in this is important!  You can help by reading, commenting, or forwarding our 30th Anniversary posts.  Or you can take a direct hand it by sending anecdotes, pictures, or reflections on your history with either distance learning or USDLA.  We’ve set up a mailbox just for this: thirty@usdla.org.  Let your voice be heard!

#5 Value for the money.
With a 4-day intensive conference schedule you will access strategic knowledge and expertise that’s worth its weight in gold from an impressive array of recognized professionals.

#6 Be a part of the movement.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to join professionals that have the vision, knowledge and experience to help us pave our way into the future of distance learning. Join us at the USDLA 2017 National Conference, April 30^th – May 3^rd in Indianapolis. Learn more and register today.

 #7 Virtual attendance.
Can’t join us in Indy?  In partnership, with USDLA sponsor, IDSolutions, we will be broadcasting select sessions from Indianapolis (April 30-May 3 only!)  Registration opens soon!!

#8 Special offers.
USDLA is pleased to announce a special rate for K-12 educators at the USDLA 2017 Conference.  K-12 educators are invited to participate in the entire conference at the registration rate OR join us for one Pre-Conference Workshop on Sunday.  Learn more and register today!!

#9 USDLA membership opportunities.
Remember our invitation: “Come learn from a community that is broader than your own. Whatever your learning specialty, welcome home!” Join USDLA today!!

#10 Have FUN!
We understand the importance of social events.  That’s why we planned several to engage in some friendly conversations.  Whether attending the evening events, the annual memorial run/walk, or participating in the walk challenge, there will be plenty of opportunities to have a lot of fun.

See you there!

This blog post written by:
Dr. Jolly T. Holden
USDLA Chair Emeritus
Advisory Board Chair

“I do not know any innovation upon existing methods more radical and revolutionary than this”

Although this quote sounds as if it were referring to a new technological breakthrough, in reality, this profound statement was uttered by the Reverend Joseph H. Odell, D. D. (1910) in his address titled “The New Era in Education: A Study of the Psychology of Correspondence Methods of Instruction” delivered in November of 1910 at the dedication of the instruction building of the International Correspondence Schools in Scranton Pennsylvania.

Fast forward a 106 years, and the above statement would be applicable today. In fact, it could accompany the marketing of any new and innovative technology used to deliver instruction today. So when I received my weekly Chief Learning Officer newsletter announcing “Why More Enterprise Companies are Adopting Virtual Instructor-Led Training over Traditional Classroom Training”, I viewed it with a little skepticism. What was this new technology that touted virtual training as being one of the most effective ‘new’ ways to deliver high-impact learning programs to a global audience…the benefits of this training delivery method includes lower delivery costs, broader student reach, and higher knowledge retention.”

The attributes of this new instructional delivery medium integrated a visual component (PowerPoint) with live [instructor-led] audio where the students can interact via a conference phone bridge, or by typing in a text response into a chat box. Not to keep you in suspense any longer, the announcement was about a web conferencing solution. Hmmm…seems to me I recall a similar application of the same concept (albeit different technology) used 30 years ago. This legacy solution was called audiographics, and integrated text/images delivered via a computer tablet and/or the use of an electronic whiteboard and a POTs (plain old telephone) phone bridge.

Sound familiar? Same idea, new wrapper…which ironically, uses the same [old as in legacy] phone lines as does the web conferencing solution of today but digitally! Furthermore, the concept of integrating live [instructor-led] video into a distance learning solution was practiced well over 3 decades ago where it was called Instructional TV (ITV)/Video Teletraining (VTT) and delivered via satellite or video teleconferencing (VTC)—both still in use today, albeit vastly improved.

That said, web conferencing is a very efficient solution since it leverages the ubiquitousness of the internet, and some say easier to use (a debatable point), but it’s still the same idea wrapped in a newer technology. The point is this: there will always be newer technologies that can delivery instruction more efficiently, but when it comes to instructional media, it’s the message that counts, not the technology. This point was made years ago, and is still appropriate today:

“The best current evidence is that media are mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in nutrition… only the content of the vehicle can influence achievement”

Richard Clark, Review of Educational Research Journal, 1993

So it all comes down to this—is any medium used to delivery instruction as effective as the traditional classroom? Consider this–one element of the traditional classroom that cannot be emulated is least technological component: The live instructor. It’s no wonder new and innovative instructional technologies want to emulate the traditional instructor-led classroom—the one element that makes both effective is the instructor. So why is the traditional classroom preferred, and why won’t it go away anytime soon? There are a number of reasons, but perhaps it comes down to simply the human dynamics of learning…we are a gregarious species that embraces human interaction and presence.

Check out these upcoming USDLA events:

USDLA 2017 National Conference, April 30 – May 3, 2017 in Indianapolis, IN

The USDLA 2017 National Conference is the premier event for professionals in the distance learning industry. This year’s conference celebrates USDLA’s 30^th year and promises to deliver an action-packed agenda that will bring together distance learning practitioners from across the country and around the world.

Submit an Award Nomination Today!!!

The United States Distance Learning Association, the nation’s premier distance learning association since 1987 presents its NEWLY REVISED International Distance Learning Awards Program, the premier awards for the distance learning industry.

About United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA)

The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) is a non-profit association formed in 1987 with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. The association reaches 20,000 people globally with sponsors and members operating in and influencing 46% of the $913 billion dollar U.S. education and training market. USDLA promotes the development and application of distance learning for education and training and serves the needs of the distance learning community by providing advocacy, information, networking and opportunity. Distance learning and training constituencies served include pre-k-12 education, higher and continuing education, home schooling as well as business, corporate, military, government and telehealth markets.

This blog post written by:
Linda Dickeson
USDLA Chair of State Chapters

As a fairly new USDLA member, I’m developing deep respect and admiration for the innovative educators and programs honored each year at the USDLA awards ceremony. Each year the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) recognizes the preeminent distance learning practitioners from around the world, saluting some often unsung but hardworking professionals and also showcasing the “best of the best” so that others may admire and emulate their excellence and innovation. Our USDLA blog will be featuring a different 2016 USDLA Award Winner over the next several months.

A required course, MGMT3013: Fundamentals of Management, in the Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business received a major make-over under the leadership of Dr. Jim Pappas, Management Department Head. This 12-week course is required for all undergraduate business majors and typically has over 170 students enrolled. In order to increase student retention, engagement needed to be increased. How can a large group of students be provided opportunities for engagement without increasing instructor workload? The course was completely redesigned over two semesters with help from the college’s Distance Learning staff, including video production, test administration, instructional design, and multimedia A1:X15.

To include interactivity with peers, sub-grouping was necessary in this large group. After taking a Myers-Briggs assessment, students posted to discussion boards in the group that shares their personality type (16 types). Students were also put into small “study buddy” groups, where they first exchanged some personal information about each other and then were encouraged to email each other (as well as the Teaching Assistant, for accountability) with any questions or concerns about the course.

To improve student retention and success, Dr. Pappas and the instructional designer set up an Intelligent Agent within the LMS to check for any students who have not logged in within five days. Each Friday, and email composed by Dr. Pappas in advance goes out to nudge them to log into the course to see what they have missed.

Student learning was also enhanced by including multiple visual, textual, kinesthetic and/or auditory activities to enhance learning. Various media includes high quality instructional videos; interactive text, practice, and quizzes in McGraw Hill’s LearnSmart; and custom-designed visuals. Custom icons were created and strategically placed throughout the course to signal certain types of content or interactions.

With multiple types of formative and summative assessments, students have opportunities to prove their learning in various ways. The formative assessments consist of the LearnSmart modules, quizzes, extra credit video case quizzes, and discussions. The summative assessments are three proctored exams.

This amazing course make-over will prove that interactivity (with content, peers and the instructor), combined with good design concepts, easy navigation and multiple types of assessments will surely improve student retention and success!

Check out these upcoming USDLA events:

USDLA 2017 National Conference, April 30 – May 3, 2017 in Indianapolis, IN

The USDLA 2017 National Conference is the premier event for professionals in the distance learning industry. This year’s conference celebrates USDLA’s 30^th year and promises to deliver an action-packed agenda that will bring together distance learning practitioners from across the country and around the world.

About United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA)

The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) is a non-profit association formed in 1987 with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. The association reaches 20,000 people globally with sponsors and members operating in and influencing 46% of the $913 billion dollar U.S. education and training market. USDLA promotes the development and application of distance learning for education and training and serves the needs of the distance learning community by providing advocacy, information, networking and opportunity. Distance learning and training constituencies served include pre-k-12 education, higher and continuing education, home schooling as well as business, corporate, military, government and telehealth markets.