Public Policy

Thanks for joining us for Public Policy Day 2024. Our free webinar discussed the hottest topics currently being debated at the national level. Become a USDLA Prospect member (free) to view a replay of this webinar.

Please scroll down to learn about our next event, Public Policy Week 2025 (PPW25).

Presenter: Robert Battistini, PhD, interim VP of Academic Affairs & Chief Academic Officer, Centenary University

Bio: Robert Battistini, PhD, is interim VP of Academic Affairs & Chief Academic Officer, as well as Professor of English, at Centenary University. Robert teaches Centenary’s Children’s & YA Literature course.  He has published articles on “Images of the Muslim World in Early American Periodicals” and early American novels, and is co-editor of a scholarly edition of Charles Brockden Brown’s Literary Magazine (1803-07). Robert’s administrative work at Centenary focuses on student success through multi-faceted support of the whole student.

Presenter: Ben Cecil, Ph.D. Senior Education Policy Advisor | Third Way

Bio: As a Senior Education Policy Advisor at Third Way, Dr. Cecil works to expand the conversation of value, return on investment, accountability, and quality in American higher education. His work at Third Way emphasizes the importance of institutional accountability, student affordability, transparency, and student debt. He oversees Third Way Education’s public opinion research portfolio, working with external partners to uncover Americans’ and voters’ perceptions of today’s higher education system. He earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education from the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education, University of Georgia.

Topic: Learn about the Pell Grant program, how it’s funded, and why it matters that Congress works to protect its value for the students who need it the most. Here’s a brief synopsis:
“Today, nearly a third of undergraduate students receive a Pell Grant to help pay for college—the main source of federal support for low- to moderate-income college students. Most of these students come from families making less than $40,000 a year, and many are students of color, first-generation students, or both. The funding for Pell is complex—and today, the maximum Pell Grant covers less than a third of the cost of college.​ The Pell Grant is the key to college access for many low-income students today and it must be protected to ensure the promise of higher education.” 

Presenter: Sandy Wagner, M.A.ED, Academic Specialist, LREC Professionalization Programs, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.

Bio: Sandy Wagner brings a multitude of perspectives and expertise to the language learning process, incorporating primarily linguistic competence, teaching experience, and technology applications into the development of language proficiency. She earned a Master’s in instructional design and online learning from the University of Phoenix and a BA in French Education from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Topic: How DoD current policies on responsible and ethical use of AI have been integrated into learning and development for both instructors and students at the Defense Language Institute to ensure compliance and safe, responsible use.

Session: Department of Defense’s (DoD) current policies and viewpoints on adopting and deploying artificial intelligence (AI).

Presenter: Tara L. Schendel, Academic Advisor for Educational & Information Technology
Defense Language Institute – Washington, DLIFLC

BIO: Tara is DLI- W’s Academic Advisor for Ed and Info Tech guiding and overseeing multiple technology related projects for DLI-Washington and serving and a Technology subject matter expert and liaison for the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center. Prior to joining the DLI-Washington team in 2020, Ms. Schendel oversaw and served as an expert advisor for a diverse portfolio of curriculum, testing, and technology projects in a wide variety of languages at DLIFLC in Monterey. Her current focus is on improving the quality of raw data and automating business functions for the DLI-W office, working with DARPA as a transition partner for the Computational Cultural dialog tool, and leveraging AI to identify patterns in teacher and student generated progress data. Tara holds an M.A.in International Policy with a B.A. French Language and Literature and has multiple certificates from the Naval Post Graduate School and the Institute for Defense and Business. She has been formally recognized multiple times for her work in foreign language program development

Topic: Tara will discuss the Department of Defense’s (DoD) current policies and viewpoints on adopting and deploying artificial intelligence (AI). This will cover the DoD’s framework and tools for the responsible and ethical use of data and AI, as well as the role AI plays in our national security

2025 PPW – January 21st-24th

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The United States Distance Learning Association Will be Hosting Public Policy Week January 21st-24th 2025

Top Issues Impacting Distance/Digital Learning in The Year 2025

Interested in being a presenter? Click the button below to submit a proposal.

Interested in attending? Click the button below to register – its FREE.

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This annual meeting of distance/digital learning policy will provide a week of complimentary webinar sessions focused on the most serious challenges facing the industry with respect to education and training.

About PPW

The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) has been helping to shape public policy for over 3 decades with respect to digital and distance learning. This year, USDLA is hosting a free virtual series of webinars meant to bring awareness to the policies on the table in Washington, DC that could impact distance/digital learning.

Detailed Schedule

Day 1: Tuesday, January 21^st

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Day 2: Wednesday, January 22^nd

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Day 3: Thursday, January 23^rd

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Day 4: Friday, January 24^th

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PPW Survey

After you attend a session, kindly take a moment to fill out the PPW 2025 session survey letting us know your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback as it helps us to constantly improve the event.

Social Media Kit

The official hashtag for this event is #USDLAPPW2025.

Our social media handles are: 

• @USDistanceLearningAssoc on Facebook
• @us-distance-learning-association on LinkedIn
• @USDLA on Twitter.

Our logo variations are attached here for presenters and panelists to use in their social media posts and/or to personalize their Zoom backgrounds. 

Contact

For questions, suggestions, or to volunteer for PPWW please contact:

Alexandra Salas – asalas@usdla.org

Public Policy Chair

PPW Archives

All PPW 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/.