NDLW

NDLW Day 1 Newsletter

11:00 – 11:45 am EST Opening Keynote: View Recording

Senior leadership from the United States Distance Learning Association and distance-learning leaders from around the world will welcome you to the 2020 National Distance Learning Week with opening remarks about the event as well as the state of distance education in our nation and around the world.

Panelists:

• Dr. Reggie Smith III
• Dr. Rhonda Blackburn, USDLA President
• Sandra Kučina Softić, EDEN President
• Lisa-Marie Blaschke, EDEN Fellow Program
• Mark Brown, ODLAA & FLANZ
• Marci Powell, USDLA Chair Emeritus

Welcome by Dr. Georgianna Laws, Chair of the 2020 USDLA National Distance Learning Week (NDLW) Event

Keynote Sponsor: Verizon

12:00 – 12:45 pm EST Meet with our Gold Sponsor, D2L

Come meet our gold sponsor, D2L, to learn about their specialty and how they might be able to meet your needs.

1:00 – 1:45 pm EST Session 1: Constructing Online Collaborations: Approaches to Building Community Remotely

Collaboratories are centers without walls, in which employees can perform work tasks without regard to a physical location while interacting with colleagues. The presentation shares qualitative insights and best practices to develop, maintain, and sustain online collaboratories for organizations working remotely.

Presenter:

• Dr. Sandra Romo, Associate Professor of Communication in the Division of Online and Professional Studies at California Baptist University
• Shannon Leinen, Dean of Online and Academic Initiatives at York College

Session Sponsor: ACUE

2:00 – 2:45 pm EST Session 2: Virtual Learning within “Government” Entities

Administering and supporting learning opportunities and environments within the government sector. Hear responses to questions from a government perspective. Possible considerations, barriers, challenges and protocol with technology, human capital and funding are just a few areas that will be discussed.

Panelists:

• Jenell Paul, Health and Human Services, State of Texas
• Dr. Judith Bayliss, Chief Education Advisor & Center Director
  Defense Acquisition University, Washington D.C.
• Alex Autry, USAF Deputy Director Air Technology Network
• Dr. Frances Kassigner, Department of Treasury
• Dr. Jolly Holden, Associate Professor in the School of Education, American InterContinental University

Session Sponsor: Vyopta

NDLW Day 2 Newsletter

11:00 – 11:45 am EST Session 3: What Everyone Needs to Know about Accessibility in Distance Learning

Leaders in accessibility will discuss best practices in making distance learning available for all.

Panelists:

• Raymond Rose, TxDLA
• Trish Trifilo, Waylan Baptist University
• Richard Leslie, McLennan Community College
• Janet Kamps, Delmar College
• Kelsey Ortiz, The University of Kansas
• John M. Scott, Product Manager for Blackboard Ally

Session Sponsor: Harmonize

12:00 – 12:45 pm EST Meet with our Gold Sponsor, Logitech

Come meet our gold sponsor, Logitech, to learn about their specialty and how they might be able to meet your needs.

Speaker:

• Roseanne Cohen, Video Collaboration Marketing, Americas Region

1:00 – 1:45 pm EST Speed Networking: Focus on Distance Learning Topics

Join us for 45 minutes of speed networking, where you will get to meet new professionals and engage in small-group discussion that change topic every 4 – 5 minutes.

2:00 – 2:45 pm EST Session 4: Virtual and Hybrid High School Classes: Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity

It can be difficult for educators to transition to virtual and hybrid learning models. When teaching from home, environmental factors such as internet access, low-light environments, the need to share a variety of content sources, as a well as noise and distractions can complicate an educator’s ability to provide students with optimal learning experiences. Back in the classroom, needing to support students in the class as well as at a distance creates challenges with ensuring all students feel included and engaged. With so much technology to choose from to solve these challenges, where should an educator begin? Join this session to learn how a high school Spanish teacher combined lessons learned from over 30 years of teaching with innovative technology to adapt her virtual and hybrid learning environments to support collaboration, creativity, and productivity to maximize student engagement.

Presenters:

• Allison Maldonado, Spanish Profesora
• Roseanne Cohen, Logitech, Inc. Video Collaboration Marketing for the Americas Region

Session Sponsor: K-12

NDLW Day 3 Newsletter

11:00 – 11:45 am EST Session 5: Focus on Open Education Resources and Digital Textbooks

Representatives from major providers of open education resources and digital textbooks will discuss best practices in online courseware.

Panelists:

• Dr. Gerry Hanley, Executive Director, MERLOT & SkillsCommons
• Caley Gray, Pearson Vice President North America Corporate Communications
• Natalie Skadra, Executive Director, Learning Center of Excellence at Cengage
• Kent Peterson, McGraw Hill Vice President, Marketing & Commercial Strategy
• David Wiley, Lumen Learning

Session Sponsor: Intelliboard

12:00 – 12:45 pm EST Meet with All USDLA Sponsors

Come meet all of the USDLA sponsors, to learn about their specialties and how they might be able to meet your needs.

1:00 – 1:45 pm EST 2020 USDLA Awards & USDLA Escape Roomhttps://vimeo.com/488374474/708dd6be42

USDLA Awards & USDLA Escape Room

Come join us to congratulate our 2020 award winners and to learn more about the USDLA through our escape room.

2:00 – 2:45 pm EST Session 6: Focus on Virtual Labs

Representatives from major providers of virtual labs will discuss best practices in the implementation of virtual labs.

Panelists:

• Dr. Brian Woodfield, Professor of Chemistry Brigham Young University & Co-founder Beyond Labz
• Dr. Caitlin Runne-Janczy, Chief Academic Officer for the eScience Interactive Group
• Dr. Jean Pierre Bayard, MERLOT Virtual Labs Project Director and Professor of Engineering at Sacramento State University
• Mr. Peter Gemmellaro, Labster Senior Customer Success Manager

Session Sponsor: Wiley

NDLW Day 4 Newsletter

11:00 – 11:45 am EST Session 7: Creating a Flex Classroom for K-12

Given the current administrative, logistical, and instructional challenges districts nationwide are facing due to the pandemic, this session will outline strategies that can assist K-12 to launch and sustain Flex spaces for learning.

Presenter:

• Dr. Alexandra Salas, Dean of Innovation, Teaching & Digital Learning Excellence at Delaware County Community College

Session Sponsor: Barco

12:00 – 12:45 pm EST NC-SARA 101: Access, Quality, and Value for Online Higher Education

The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) offers colleges and universities a way to conduct distance education across the United States while avoiding the cost and bureaucracy of having to seek authorization state by state. In this session, attendees will learn about state authorization and what is required to participate in SARA, as well as student consumer protections and institutional cost savings through participation.

Speakers:

• Melanie Booth, Director of Educational Programs and Communications
• Mary Larson, Executive Director for Student and Institutional Support

1:00 – 1:45 pm EST Speed Networking: Meet Your Peers

Join us for 45 minutes of speed networking, where you will get to meet a new professional every two minutes.

2:00 – 2:45 pm EST Session 8: The Broadband State of Your State

This panel session will be hosted by the Chair of USDLA and will describe how the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is mapping broadband infrastructure through the entire United States. This program is in its infancy and will produce helpful data to decrease the digital divide.

Panelists:

• Jeff Sobotka, Vice President and State Broadband Director, Arizona Commerce Authority
• Tim Moyer, Director of the National Broadband Availability Map 
• Janet Major, USDLA Chair, Associate Director of Education & Facilities for the Arizona Telemedicine Program, and Technical Coordinator for the Southwest Telehealth Resource Center

Session Sponsor: Arizona Telemedicine Program

NDLW Day 5 Newsletter

11:00 – 11:45 am EST Session 9: What proctoring system is right for your organization?

Clients of major providers of proctoring services will discuss their experience in implementing and evaluating proctoring services.

Panelists:

• Dr. Georgianna Laws, Life University (Proctorio Client)
• Mr. Ken Craver, Tyler Junior College (Honorlock Client)
• Dr. Mark Workman, Blinn College (Honorlock Client)
• Mr. Rich Turner, Florida State College at Jacksonville (Smarter Services Client)
• Dr. Rona Tyger, Dillard University (Proctorio Client)
• Ms. Samira Laouzai, University of Alabama at Birmingham (ProctorU Client)

Session Sponsor: Enrollment Resources

12:00 – 12:45 pm EST Meet with our Gold Sponsor, Poly

Come meet our gold sponsor, Poly, to learn about their specialty and how they might be able to meet your needs.

Speakers:

• Cheryl Henshaw, Learn Design Apply, Inc. President and National Director of the Poly Grants Assistance Program (PGAP)
• Sean Spires, Poly Territory Manager

1:00 – 1:45 pm EST Session 10: What a New Faculty Member Needs to Know

The Beatles perhaps said it best: “I get by with a little help from my friends.” And when it comes to new faculty fully understanding the ins and outs of a new school and new course, what better “friends” to help out than mentoring from a veteran faculty member and supervisor? Varied insight and info into what a new faculty member needs to know – from the classroom trenches (the veteran faculty member) to the finer points and policies (the supervisor). We will offer a mini-guide to mentoring new faculty members so they may quickly become contributing and important online teaching assets at your school. 

Presenters:

• Dr. Errol C. Sull, Lead Faculty at the American InterContinental University
• Dr. Kathleen Embry, General Education Online Program Chair, American InterContinental University

Session Sponsor: Yamaha

2:00 – 2:45 pm EST Closing Keynote: Leadership in Online Education

Representatives from major organizations providing leadership in the online education space will discuss the past, present, and future of online education and how the pandemic was a catalyst for change.

Panelists:

• Dr. Deb Adair, Quality Matters (QM) Executive Director
• Dr. Jennifer Mathes, Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Chief Executive Officer
• Dr. Julie Uranis, UPCEA (University Professional and Continuing Education Association) Vice President of Online & Strategic Initiatives and Managing Director, NCOE (National Council for Online Education)
• Dr. Reggie Smith III
• Dr. Rhonda Blackburn, USDLA President
• Mr. Russ Poulin, WCET (WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies) Executive Director and WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) Vice President for Technology-Enhanced Education

Closing words by Dr. Rhonda Blackburn, USDLA President

Keynote Sponsor: Zoom