Watch the Conference
The USDLA 2022 National Distance Learning Week conference will be streaming live through the Eduvision platform, in both English and Spanish. This annual celebration of distance learning in the United States is complimentary and available to anyone. Register today and feel free to share the event with anyone interested in this distance education. To register for the conference, please click here. Once you register for one session, you will have access to the platform and all the other sessions (no need to register for each session individually).
About the Conference
In a long tradition of honoring National Distance Learning Week (NDLW), this year the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) will once again host a free, virtual, week-long NDLW conference meant to:
- generate greater awareness and appreciation for distance learning;
- celebrate distance learning applications in K-12, telehealth, higher education, corporate, and government/military;
- discuss current issues and emerging trends;
- highlight best practices;
- recognize leaders in the field.
This year’s NDLW conference takes place between November 7 ~ 11, 2022, in the following two time slots:
- 1:00 – 2:00 pm EST
- 3:00 – 4:00 pm EST.
The Conference Theme
The theme for NDLW 2022 15th anniversary edition is leadership across all aspects of distance learning. We encourage proposals focused on leadership in education, practice, and research as they relate to distance learning in the United States and around the world.
Schedule At a Glance
A printable version of the schedule is available here.
Disclaimer: The schedule is subject to change at the conference organizers’ discretion and based on the availability of speakers. This page will always contain the most up-to-date version of the schedule.
Detailed Schedule
Click on each day to see the detailed schedule.
Day 1: Monday, November 7th
Monday, November 7, 2022 from 1 to 2 pm EST—Keynote
Stop Looking for a Playbook: There Isn’t One
We’ve been taught to apply theory, look for models, and find evidence or data to support what we want to do. During this keynote, Karen will discuss how our educational experiences may be the very thing holding us back and what we can do about it.
Monday, November 7, 2022 from 3 to 4 pm EST
Avoiding Common Errors in Leading Online Programs
Although online education continues to rise in importance at higher education institutions, many initiatives are hindered by common errors made by leaders with little orientation or experience in institution-wide distance education, instructional design, or educational technology. Join us as we navigate some common errors in leading online programs and how to avoid them.
Day 2: Tuesday, November 8th
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 from 1 to 2 pm EST
Project Management, Change Management, and Now F’ing Management: Strategies for Managing Teams Managing Innovations in Higher Education
Strategies for managing academic technology teams in higher education can make or break a campus initiative. The F’ing Management strategy covers the principles of Family First, Friendship, Forgiveness, Fun, Fairness, Facilitation, and Flexibility. The sessions will discuss the application of these principles and why they work in higher education.
- Session Slides
- Innovation Marketplace
- Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT)
- Skills Commons
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 from 3 to 4 pm EST
Drs. Travis Neal & Georgianna Laws
Empowering Leaders of Online Education
The quality of an online education program relies on the empowerment of its educational leadership, but how can that be measured and enacted? Join this session to examine how to empower online leaders to administer high-quality online programs. More specifically, using French and Raven’s Bases of Power and Hofstede’s Power Distance, this presentation will go over how power distribution affects organizational traits such as standardization, innovation, communication, and risk-taking. With this information, you’ll be able to accurately calibrate the types of power and the ideal power distance suitable for the online leader operating your unique organizational culture. The session will engage you in group discussion and will provide you with the first-ever look at a power difference measurement tool you can share with your colleagues.
Day 3: Wednesday, November 9th
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 from 1 to 2 pm EST
Stewardship and the Future of Instructional Delivery
This presentation shares challenges, lessons learned and possibilities for higher education curated during the summer and fall of 2021, and spring 2022 from research and one-on-one conversations with 22 college presidents and other higher education professionals, who made time to share insights on the curiosities driving this book. Leaders discuss higher ed ecosystems, and strategies and tools to support this dynamic interconnect system.
- Mentimeter: How do you visualize higher ed in the future?
- Session Slides
- “Numbers and Sense: Ensuring Student Success One Cohort at a Time” Book
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 from 3 to 4 pm EST
The Chief Online Learning Officer in a Post-Pandemic World
The Chief Online Learning Officer is a key role in higher education. With the disruption in educational praxis caused by the unintentional shift to online learning required for most
institutions during the pandemic, this role is more critical than ever. In this presentation, we will explore the key skills needed to advance leadership in the online space and undo some of the
harms caused by poorly implemented and actualized online learning over the past few years. You will emerge with strategies to apply in their own online contexts to promote success for distance education stakeholders.
- Session Slides
- Initial Study into COEO Competencies, Skills, and Trajectories
- Study on COEOs’ Influence/Authority over Online Program Administration Quality
- “An Evaluation of Student Outcomes by Course Duration in Online Higher Education” Article
- “Establishing an Online Professional Learning Community to Promote Faculty Engagement and Excellence” Article
- “Distance Learning Courses: A Survey of Activities and Assignments” Book Chapter
Day 4: Thursday, November 10th
Thursday, November 10, 2022 from 1 to 2 pm EST
Dr. Melanie Booth and Ms. Emily Jacobson
SARA Resources: Helping Colleges and Universities with Distance Education Reciprocity
This session will share with participants the large variety of resources for SARA-participating institutions to support their SARA-related needs, including the institution cost-savings calculator, interactive data dashboards, SARA Source online catalog, and online courses and other resources for institutional personnel. You will also learn about the benefits of SARA
participation as well as the requirements and tips for success.
- SARA Mission & History
- SARA Learning Station (SARA 101 Course)
- SARA Policy Manual
- SARA Directory of Participating Institutions
- SARA State Authority Contacts
- SARA Data Dashboards
- SARA Source for Students (Guiding Students to Find the Right Program)
- SARA Source for Institutions (Guiding Institutions To List Programs in SARA Source)
- SARA Webinars
- SARA Staff
Thursday, November 10, 2022 from 3 to 4 pm EST
Leadership Decisions in Faculty Training for Online Teaching and Learning
Distance education has evolved into a trusted, necessary, and expected form of delivering higher education content, no longer considered a fad or a new method of instruction. Due to the
initial rapid growth of distance education offerings, early participating faculty received little training, guidance, or standards regarding the building of their virtual courses. Fast forward to 2020 and the shutdown of in-person instruction around the world, most Instructors were not ready to address the differences between the synchronous (traditional face-to-face) and asynchronous (via distance education) learning environments, and now, more than ever before, students expect online education offerings at their institutions and may obtain their entire degree program via distance. What is the best way to encourage training for online teaching? What is truly important to instructors as far as their preference for training and incentives for training? These topics and more will be shared in this session to outline ideas related leadership decisions for training for online teaching and learning.
Please note: Our 3:00 PM presentation by Lisa A. Clark, EdD, Senior Product Manager, Anthology, has been postponed. However, the USDLA Board of Directors will take this opportunity to discuss next year’s National Conference, our new membership platform being developed, and how you can become involved with the association in leadership capacities (more details below). Look for Dr. Clark’s “Leadership Decisions in Faculty Training for Online Teaching and Learning” session at an upcoming Free Friday Webinar.
Updated 3 pm EST session
- the historic leadership role the USDLA has been fulfilling since 1987 — Dr. Georgianna Laws, USDLA NDLW Chair
- the leadership role played by USDLA today — Mr. Eric Jones, USDLA President
- a tour of USDLA resources and communication with USDLA members — Dr. Shana Garrett, USDLA Marketing & Communications Chair
- a recap of themes from the NDLW 2022 conference focused on leadership in distance learning — Dr. Georgianna Laws, USDLA NDLW Chair
- a preview of the 2023 USDLA National Conference, an overview of our new membership platform, and ways in which you can get involved in the USDLA — Mr. Pat Cassella, USDLA Executive Director and Past President.
Day 5: Friday, November 11th
Friday, November 11, 2022 from 1 to 2 pm EST
Leadership Perspectives of Rural Distance Learning
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the countless ways rural and remote students are disadvantaged in higher education, particularly when it comes to distance learning. While
institutions were quickly pivoting to online learning during the pandemic, little thought was put into whether or not some students would even have reliable broadband access once the
campuses were closed. As we come out of the pandemic, very few substantive changes have been made to account for students and communities whose access to online or distance
learning is restricted by geography or technological limitations. Students are still struggling with access to distance learning which creates inequitable opportunities and outcomes for rural
populations.
In this session, you will learn about the most critical issues for institutions providing distance learning to students who live in rural or remote communities. Discussions will be based on present research and examples of practical changes that are already being implemented by institutions and organizations. Attendees will have the chance to critique their own approach to serving rural and remote students and learn from other colleagues how they are addressing the needs of their rural populations.
Please note: Our 1:00 PM presentation by Matt Newlin, EdD, has been postponed. Please look for Dr. Newlin’s “Leadership Perspectives of Rural Distance Learning” session at an upcoming Free Friday Webinar.
Friday, November 11, 2022 from 3 to 4 pm EST
Pure Heart Leadership™
Pure Heart Leadership™ is an approach that encourages an authentic style while recognizing the individuality and strengths of leaders. This leadership model was developed based upon over 20 years of professional experience within higher education while blending several key psychology theories of Albert Bandura, Abraham Maslow, and Carl Rogers with a mindfulness
approach to working with others. This model is one of encouragement, empowerment, and truly rewarding in both self and team Development. Our leadership style encompasses who we are as individuals—our strengths, weaknesses, and values—all applied behaviorally to how one leads others. Awareness of one’s leadership style gives a better working knowledge of how one operates, intermingles with folks, and communication style. The greater understanding one has about who they are and how they present, the more empowerment experienced to solidify
strengths, build development opportunities, and relate with others. Discovering your leadership style includes three key components: self-evaluation for baseline; observations from others; and comparing your style against the organizational culture. This research provides a pathway to exploring individual leadership qualities, assessment in your current state of approach, as well as how to identify and collaborate with your organizational team members’ styles.
- Session Slides: Coming Soon
- Coaching
- Corporate Services
- Pure Heart Leadership™ Shop
NDLW Session Survey
As you attend sessions, kindly take a moment to fill out the NDLW 2022 session survey letting us know your thoughts. We will use the same survey for each session. We appreciate your feedback!
Testimonials
See what past attendees have to say about past NDLW webinars.
Call for Proposals — Closed
Proposals must include the following in order to be considered:
- format (i.e., presentation or workshop);
- a descriptive title;
- no presenter names (to maintain impartiality in assessing proposals; if your proposal is selected, you will be invited to provide those details at a later time);
- a 50-200 word abstract addressing all of the following prompts:
- a brief description of the session’s topic and how it fits with the leadership theme;
- the importance of the topic presented;
- the learning outcomes for the session;
- your intended audience engagement;
- your intended handouts or leave-behinds, if any.
- specification of all the intended audiences for the session (i.e., K-12, higher ed, corporate, government, military, telehealth);
- specification of the time slots for which you are not available; please note that proposed sessions will only be scheduled in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th daily time slots and the 4th slot on the final day is reserved for the conference closing ceremony. Your session, if accepted, will be scheduled in close proximity to the related topics, at the conference organizers’ discretion.
Anniversary NDLW Logo
For the last 14 years, we loved an NDLW logo that was beginning to deteriorate with the modifications made to it year after year. Here is our trusted logo, as last used:
To celebrate our 15th anniversary, we have commissioned a new logo, designed for us by the talented Daniela Mastropierro. This new logo pays homage to our old one, keeping our color palette as well as our traditional clean and crisp lines. This updated logo design will take us into the next decade, as we mark a new level of maturity in distance learning in the United States, while staying rooted in the valuable lessons of the past.
Affiliate Local NDLW Events
National Distance Learning Week (NDLW) is presented by the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), on a national level. However, NDLW is also celebrated by USDLA state chapters as well as schools, colleges, universities, or corporations. The 2022 year’s affiliate NDLW events are as follows:
- Alamo Colleges District
- Asia-Pacific Online Distance Education Week
- Eastern Virginia Medical School
- European Distance Learning Week
- SUNY Online
- Texas State University
- UTRGV.
If your school, college, or corporation is planning to conduct an affiliate local NDLW event to celebrate and promote the field of online learning, please:
- schedule your affiliate event in the morning, allowing for attendance of the national event in the afternoon;
- kindly the link back to our USDLA 2022 NDLW page and we’ll link to your affiliate event page;
- display the 2022 NDLW logo on your page;
- email Pat Cassella at pcassella@usdla.org when you are ready for us to link to your NDLW affiliate event page and receive the high-resolution NDLW logo.
Contact
For any suggestions or questions about National Distance Learning Week or if you would like to volunteer please contact:
 |  |
| Dr. Georgianna Laws NDLW Chair & Co-Producer glaws@usdla.org | Valary Oleinik Events Chair & NDLW Co-Producer voleinik@usdla.org |
NDLW Sponsors
We are grateful to our sponsors for USDLA’s NDLW 15th anniversary!
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please visit https://usdla.org/membership/sponsorship/.
NDLW Archives
All 2022 NDLW sessions will be recorded and the recordings will be available for free to those who register for the webinars, as well as for USDLA members. If you would like to learn more about USDLA membership, please visit https://usdla.org/membership/.
2022 USDLA NDLW Archive – Coming Soon