Program

Making Fully Online Students Feel Like Family
Lafayette West | Track: eDC / Instructional Design
Ask anyone you encounter on campus and they will say they chose Auburn because they were made to feel like family. This session will center around the creation of an online student orientation at a traditional, campus-centric public university for fully online students to feel more connected to the rich history, traditions, and culture of the university, and ultimately be more successful in their online programs. Session participants will leave this presentation with knowledge of processes and strategies to build their own successful orientation courses, as well as ideas about how to make students at a distance feel more connected.

• Shawndra Bowers, Auburn University
• Betsy Gilbertson, Auburn University
• Asim Ali, Auburn University
• Alli Bracewell, Auburn University

Moderator: Susan Seal, Mississippi State University

Data-Driven Program Development: Meeting Demand While Expanding Access to a University's Online Portfolio
Audubon | Track: Operational and Enterprise Excellence
The University of Florida's Office of Distance Learning (ODL) is expanding an advanced program development process to ensure its online graduate programs align with labor market demand, as well as state and regional workforce needs. Using timely and robust labor market data and insight, ODL is working to better understand relevant skills and talent ecosystems to identify expansion opportunities and facilitate success for adult learners. This process is enabling UF to act more strategically as an institution and thus better serve its stakeholders. ODL's analysis supports departments in leveraging their unique strengths to reach niche audiences of working professionals and engage faculty in their areas of expertise. Participants will learn how this process provides a marked advantage to administrators of new programs as they venture into the competitive landscape of online graduate education.

• Brian K. Marchman, University of Florida
• Doug Heckman, Emsi

Moderator: Stevie Rocco, Pennsylvania State University

Federal Policy Update
Broadmoor | Track: Partners
Please join us for a session that will discuss the varied and busy education agenda in Washington. The Department of Education has recently released regulations regarding major issues of importance to the distance and adult education community. Congressional leadership in both chambers have announced legislation for restructuring the Higher Education Act (HEA) and other higher ed initiatives. We’ll walk you through what to watch and what has been going on. Hear from legal and policy experts on a host of issues in governance and regulation.

• Van Davis, WCET
• Richard LaFosse, University of Michigan

Moderator: Jordan DiMaggio, UPCEA

Does Structure Matter? The Evolving Nature of Online Organizational Structures in Higher Education Institutions
Lafayette East | Track: Strategy and Vision
In response to the ongoing dialogue in the online community about where online programming “lives” in an institution of higher education, CORAL (Collegiate Online Research Leaders) research collaborative launched a study to investigate and determine a typology of the structures of online education units in U.S-based colleges and universities. The study aims to make sense of the potential trend identified in the CHLOE 3 Report (2019) that indicated more institutions are identifying with a more centralized online operation; as well as address the gaps in the literature around online organizational structure. Most importantly, the study seeks to develop a typology that institutions of higher education can identify with, and then use to better understand strengths and challenges of their current online organizational structure through the lens of the findings. This presentation will include findings from the first round of qualitative interviews specific to the online academic affairs functions.

• Bettyjo Bouchey, National Louis University
• Monica Simonsen, University of Kansas
• Maricel Lawrence, Virginia Commonwealth University
• Michael Reis, Virginia Commonwealth University
• Shelley C. Kurland, County College of Morris
• Abigail Gamble, Baylor University

Moderator: Michael Frasciello, Syrause University

Exploring Non-Credit to Credit Pathway Credentials
Fountainbleu | Track: The New Credential Landscape
Announcing three MicroMasters on the edX platform in September of 2016 and development of the MasterTrack with Coursera in March of 2017, the University of Michigan has enthusiastically joined the exploration of new credentialing possibilities, though not without experiencing challenges along the way. This presentation will examine the administrative and design challenges faced in creating varied credentials offering pathways to credit, solutions and lessons learned, and how careful reflection can inform measures of success for future programs. This presentation will enable attendees to better understand the value that these non-credit to credit credential pathways can bring to a university, and to equip them with insights that may help preempt the challenges associated with development.

• David Lawrence-Lupton, University of Michigan

Moderator: Robert Bruce, Rice University

Wednesday February 5

Online learning has moved from the periphery of many institutions to a critical centralized operation. Likewise, online leaders have started to migrate into roles traditionally populated by those that have advanced through the faculty ranks. Join us for an engaging discussion on how some notable chief online learning officers made the leap to chief academic officer/provost at their institutions and learn what knowledge and skills they are leveraging in their new roles.

• Jennifer Bott, Western Michigan University
  

• Vincent Del Casino, San José State University

• John Caron, Excelsior College

• Christina Sax, Maryland University of Integrative Health
  

Moderator: Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

Only 1/3 of Our Employees Are Engaged? How Can I Fix That?
LaSalle | Track: Career Track
According to a 2017 Gallup report, only a third of U.S. employees are engaged in their work, more than half are seeking new jobs or actively looking for job openings, and only a fifth say they are motivated to do outstanding work. Research findings strongly suggest that employees are indifferent about their work and the workplace, which can result in a loss in productivity, morale, innovation, and customer satisfaction; higher employee turnover rates; and problems attracting new employees. While these challenges are prevalent across industries, the stakes are high in higher education where the success of our future—our students—depends on having engaged faculty and staff. In this session, the presenters will introduce the concept of employee engagement, explore what an engaged higher education workplace looks like, share our own successful strategies for engaging faculty and staff from three very different institutions, and encourage participants to share their own successes.

• Ann Taylor, Pennsylvania State University
• Cathy Holsing, Pennsylvania State University

Moderator: Ted Rockwell, University of Colorado, Boulder

How Much Work Could a Worker Work if a Worker Weren’t at Work?
Fountainbleu | Track: eDC / Instructional Design
Remote work exists in corporate instructional design shops, but seems to be less practiced in higher education. The eDesign Collaborative research group gathered information through a review of literature, a focus group at OLC Innovate (April 2019), and an UPCEA survey study. Come learn the initial findings around this topic and join a lively discussion with your colleagues.

• Mel Edwards, Purdue University
• Shaun Moore, Oakland University
• Dan Arnold, Oakland University
• Olysha Magruder, Johns Hopkins University
• Qin Li, University of Utah

Moderator: Shubha Kashyap, University of Michigan

Gathering | The Competencies and Attributes of PCO Practitioners: An Introduction
Orleans
In this Gathering, we will explore the newly released Competency and Attribute Statements for Professional, Continuing, and Online Practitioners. This work details the essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions required of Professional, Continuing, and Online (PCO) Education practitioners and can be used for self-assessment, to draft position descriptions, and to craft individual professional development plans. Likewise, these statements will serve as the foundation for various activities within the association. Join our discussant as we explore the methodology, sources, and process used to develop this set and contribute your thoughts on the opportunities and challenges integrating these into the landscape of higher education.

• Julie Uranis, UPCEA

Increasing Online Student Engagement Using Coaches
Audubon | Track: Operational and Enterprise Excellence
Scalable online programs can easily trend towards a low level of quality with justifications around affordability and faculty time. Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education uses a unique model to coach students through a skilled network of former students. While programs are scalable, students receive one-on-one coaching in a global class, and a pipeline of former students keeps star alumni engaged in the material. Attendees will also discover unique strategies on how to combat high attrition rates in global online programs.

• James Brockman, Harvard University

Moderator: Sarah Fornero, Adler University

Open Educational Resources (OER) and Its Impact on the Higher Education Landscape
Lafayette West | Track: Partners
Join leaders from three institutions that have placed a priority on OER. The session will focus on how open materials are changing postsecondary education and advancing student success. Participants will learn more about the resources necessary to support OER initiatives as well as information that will help jumpstart that effort.

• Lisa Templeton, Oregon State University
• Heather McCullough, University of North Carolina - Charlotte
• Ray Schroeder, University of Illinois-Springfield

Moderator: Tom Canvanagh, University of Central Florida

Enabling a Degree Program Portfolio Strategy
Lafayette East | Track: Strategy and Vision
The University of Michigan is launching an initiative to promote the development of degree program portfolios to better serve the needs of a diverse population of lifelong learners. As part of this effort, we are encouraging academic units to embrace strategic rebundling of content developed for online learning experiences to create online program portfolios that leverage our strengths so we can explore new opportunities and new modes of learning and engagement. These program portfolios will include a mix of for-credit, non-credit, and open enrollment courses that provide opportunities for an individual to engage with learning experiences of various durations, commitment level, and depth of study. This approach is key to our mission of making high quality learning experiences accessible at scale and available for global and lifelong learners. In this presentation, we’ll share details of our approach, including operational and design challenges faced in developing these online program portfolios.

• Sarah Dysart, University of Michigan
• Mike Daniel, University of Michigan
• Noni Korf, University of Michigan

Moderator: Ed Martini, Western Michigan University

Building a Skills Ecosystem for Learner Success
Broadmoor | Track: The New Credential Landscape
One of the biggest challenges we face in the United States today is ensuring our workforce is adequately skilled to support economic development and the workforce of the future. Skills have become the currency of the labor market and job seekers, employers, and learners need better, faster, more efficient ways to develop skills. Job seekers need access to both credit and non-credit educational options that match their goals and allow for the ability to skill and reskill to say ahead of the obsolescence curve. Employers need value and efficiency in options for skilling and reskilling their employees. Learners need opportunities to demonstrate and receive credit for the skills that they have no matter where they gained them. Western Governors University will discuss their approach to solving this problem through the use of skills mapping to fuel personal pathways, a skills-based transcript, and individualized real-time career insights for learners.

• Kacey Thorne, Western Governors University
• Darin Hobbs, Western Governors University
• Liz McKay, Western Governors University
• Joe Lualhati, Global Skills Exchange

Moderator: Josh Steele, University of Florida

A Firefighter, a Juggler, and a Diplomat Walk into a Bar: Identifying Skills, Knowledge and Attitudes for Successful Online Leadership
Fountainbleu | Track: Career Track
"I want to leader in online learning!" said no child ever. Despite the relative obscurity to the public (and your family, friends, and relatives), many online leaders find their way into the field through various pathways. But what paths open to instructional designers, student service professionals, and program coordinators lead to senior leadership roles? This session will explore these topics from a perspective of personal experience and an analysis of emerging institutional needs for online learning leadership, as demonstrated via job postings.

• Gregory F. Ketcham, State University of New York Oswego

Moderator: Patricia Aceves, Stonybrook University

Winning Recipes for a Successful Design Team Structure
LaSalle | Track: eDC / Instructional Design
Join us as we reveal the ingredients that have led to the creation of two successful curriculum design units for the University of California Irvine and the University of Wisconsin System’s Extended Campus. We’ll explore a recipe for a successful staffing model, how to incorporate the right blend of media, and highlight the value of cross-intuitional collaborations. Whether you are just starting out or are looking for ways to make positive changes to your approach, we invite you to taste all this interactive session has to offer.

• Ryan Anderson, University of Wisconsin System
• Camille Funk, University of California - Irvine

Moderator: Fritz Vandover, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Program Marketing Success: Mix Your Own Gris-Gris
Orleans | Track: Operational and Enterprise Excellence
Everything that goes into a Voodoo gris-gris bag has a purpose: it’s a recipe for the outcome you’re seeking. This discussion will build on previous sessions on assessing whether program launch/growth will be out-sourced or managed in-house. In either case, it’s essential to maximize the efforts of the marketing staff at all stages of program development and health. Among the ingredients your marketing team needs to ensure positive outcomes are a clear vision, quantifiable goals, clarity of roles and responsibilities and frequent communication. In this session, we’ll help you build your own gris-gris bag to take back to your office and use for your next program launch and growth planning session.

• Stacy Snow, University of Missouri
• Ted Rockwell, University of Colorado, Boulder

Moderator: Tyler Ritter, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Keeping Up: Tracking and Integrating Emerging Technologies in Your Online Enterprise
Broadmoor | Track: Operational and Enterprise Excellence
Staying current with emerging technologies can be a daunting task. Identifying new technologies, researching their use, and considering deployment at your institution requires a level of knowledge and strategies many leaders struggle to cultivate. Join UPCEA’s resident emerging technology expert, Ray Schroeder, for an interactive session on tracking and integrating emerging technologies in your online enterprise. You will leave the session with tools and rubrics to design a review process for your institution.

• Ray Schroeder, University of Illinois Springfield & UPCEA

Moderator: Mark Novak, California State University, Bakersfield

Gathering | Embedding Industry Certifications in Undergraduate Degree Programs
Lafayette East
Students at four-year universities have very few opportunities to earn certifications with labor-market value during their pursuit of a baccalaureate degree. Workcred, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU), and the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) have joined forces under a Lumina Foundation grant to explore how students can earn both degrees and certifications as part of their four-year degree program. As of today, Workcred, APLU, USU, and UPCEA hosted four convenings between certification bodies and universities with the goal of creating new opportunities and identifying practical examples to connect four-year degrees and certifications that result in credential pathways. Join representatives as they share preliminary findings, themes, and opportunities that emerged from the convenings. Collectively, participants can help inform and identify opportunities to create credential pathways and may lead to a future collaboration that will support students as they earn both degrees and certifications as part of their undergraduate degree program.

• Andréa Rodriguez, APLU & USU
• Shalin Jyotishi, APLU  
• Julie Uranis, UPCEA
• Roy Swift, Workcred

Widening Participation and Pathways at AAU, R1 Universities: Successfully Navigating these Unique Landscapes with Strategic Approaches
Lafayette West | Track: Strategy and Vision
As our nation’s top research universities celebrate some of the highest degree completion rates in the country, how can they widen participation in their programs on campus and also expand opportunities for access via online or hybrid degree programs? Gone are the monolithic notions of simply serving the full time, first time in college, living on campus student with maximum parental support and socialization about higher education from an early age. How are our top research universities adapting and evolving to serve post-secondary learners of today and tomorrow? Presenters will describe how these forces are impacting R1, AAU schools that are working to boost the inclusivity of their undergraduate offerings.

• Evangeline Cummings, University of Florida
• Nora Lewis, University of Pennsylvania
• Lisa Templeton, Oregon State University

Moderator: Justin Louder, Texas Tech University

Top 10 Questions Your Micro-credentialing Strategy Should Answer
Audubon | Track: The New Credential Landscape
Interest around micro-credentialing is exploding and higher ed is no longer the only credential source for working professionals. Institutions developing a micro-credentialing initiative must have a clear strategy in order to avoid missteps, and PCO leaders must ask key questions to point their institution in the right direction. This presentation will invite you to determine the right questions for your institution, while sharing questions and answers that are driving a micro-credentialing strategy at Penn State.

• Cathy Holsing, Pennsylvania State University
• Casey Fenton, Pennsylvania State University

Moderator: Veronica Donahue, Johns Hopkins University

About That Next Opportunity: Is the Grass Always Greener? Advice from the Trenches
LaSalle | Track: Career Track
Have you been considering your online learning career trajectory? Are you looking for a new opportunity? Have you been recruited recently? Would you like to do so? How are you building your network and shaping your personal brand? Do you feel stuck in neutral and want a framework for how to progress? If so, join our discussion, receive some tips, share your challenges, and network with others seeking a change in perspective, location, title, culture and/or experience.

• Jill Buban, Unizin
• Julie Uranis, UPCEA
• Van Davis, WCET

Moderator: Luke Dowden, Alamo Colleges District

Making the Most of Your Resources: How to Scale-Up Online Course Development by Keeping It In-House
Lafayette East | Track: eDC / Instructional Design
Online course development at scale does not always have to be outsourced. In this workshop, learn how Tulane University School of Professional Advancement (SoPA) iteratively refined a unique workshop model led by a small internal team of instructional designers (IDs) and program directors (PDs), on a modest budget, to guide dozens of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) simultaneously through the course development process. Together this collaborative SME-ID-PD triad developed and aligned course content with activities and assessments, reviewed and revised the courses against established quality standards, and created robust rich media. Learn about SoPA’s unique process—which significantly differs from both the OPM model and the traditional ID-SME model used by most universities—and the challenges and successes they encountered along the way. The presenters will also discuss what opportunities and resources can be leveraged at your own institution.

• Ilianna Kwaske, Tulane University
• David Dumonde, Tulane University
• William Rials, Tulane University

Moderator: Barbara Kopp Miller, University of Toledo

Gathering | How to Develop, Deploy, Scale the AI for Student Learning And/Or Support Services?
Orleans
Artificial Intelligence has a role in the future of professional, continuing, and online education, but what is that role exactly? Can AI bring scale and support a more personalized experience in online learning? Is it a catalyst for subsequent personal interactions with staff? In this session, we will discuss research in AI as well as the deployment of an AI virtual teaching assistant, Olivia, at Cal State East Bay. We will discuss how students interact with AI as well as other factors online leaders must consider in an AI deployment such as accessibility, privacy, and security.

• Roger Wen, California State University, East Bay
• Jesse Boeding, University of Pennsylvania
• Derek Yang, California State University, East Bay

Operationalizing the Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership: How Two Institutions Use the Hallmarks in Innovative Ways
Lafayette West | Track: Operational and Enterprise Excellence
Discover how the UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership are supporting two unique institutions in benchmarking current institutional structure, performance, and advocacy, with the goal of improving operational efficiency and solidifying a holistic online strategy for the future. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) was the first institution to complete an UPCEA Hallmarks Review in 2018. Now, Old Dominion University (ODU) is adding the UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership to their assessment strategy across their Distance Learning operation, allowing its leaders to analyze the unit’s performance against the Hallmarks. Join leaders from ERAU and ODU as they discuss how they are utilizing the UPCEA Hallmarks structure to embed improvements into their current and future operations. Participants will leave this session with thought-provoking ways to use the Hallmarks to measure and evaluate performance with an eye towards continuous improvement in online enterprises.

• Jason Ruckert, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Andy Casiello, Old Dominion University

Moderator: Kimberly Rutigliano, Southern Methodist University

CANCELLED - NC-SARA Data and the Strategic Direction of NC-SARA (Session materials available in mobile app)
Audubon | Track: Partners
Please join Lori Williams, President and CEO of NC-SARA, for a session featuring the results of NC-SARA’s recent data report on in-state and out-of-state online enrollments and out-of-state experiential learning placements from 2,000 participating institutions across 49 states and 3 US territories. Participants should be prepared for a lively discussion on the future of NC-SARA, including understanding the return on investment for participation in NC-SARA, state-by-state professional licensure information sharing and potential reciprocity agreements, research into quality assurance best practices in online learning, student/consumer protection in online learning, and more.

• Lori Williams, NC-SARA

Moderator: Beth Laves, Western Kentucky University

Changing Landscape of Online Teaching and Instructional Design Support
Broadmoor | Track: Strategy and Vision
As institutions develop their central strategy for online education growth, current trends surrounding the strategic importance and positioning of teaching and learning centers (TLCs) for online program development and support should be considered. What is the current role of TLCs in supporting the institutional growth of online and distance education programs? Where are TLCs currently positioned within the institutional organizational structure as compared to the past and how has their structure and composition changed to meet operational and strategic needs for online and distance learning growth? Join the conversation on the evolving landscape and diverse options available for providing robust and scalable online teaching and instructional design support. Northern Illinois University will share highlights from their recent wide-scale benchmarking study of 115 institutions from across North America and current models observed for online program support. Together we'll unpack how the trends might apply to your institution.

• Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University
• Stephanie Richter, Northern Illinois University
• Jason Underwood, Northern Illinois University
• Tracy Miller, Northern Illinois University

Moderator: Pamela Wimbush, California State University, Sacramento

Online Non-Credit Program Development Do’s and Don’ts
Fountainbleu | Track: The New Credential Landscape
While institutions have rapidly gained expertise and experience in building online academic credit courses and degrees, there seem to be fewer discussions centered around how to successfully develop non-credit online programs. Developing these programs internally provides the advantage of being more nimble in meeting workforce demands, while retaining control over content and delivery. Online non-credit program options can also be a valuable enhancement to a professional development portfolio of programs. This workshop-style session will explore questions including: What length, format and cost structure is sustainable for a non-credit online course and how do institutions determine market and price point? How do best practices in online non-credit course design differ from academic credit, or do they? What models have been used successfully to transition credit courses to non-credit, and vice versa? What resources can be provided to faculty and instructors to help them understand the different requirements of non-credit online course design?

• Evan Silberman, New York University
• Sarah Dysart, University of Michigan
• Maricel Lawrence, University of Montana
• Sasha Thackaberry, Louisiana State University
• Ryan Torma, University of Minnesota

Moderator: Amy Ginder, University of Nevada, Reno

Reframing an Instructional Design Unit to Develop Its Own Programming
LaSalle | Track: Career Track
While instructional designers may not be accustomed to being the subject matter experts in a conversation about new programs, reframing these units as places with academic and professional expertise reveals in-demand skills and knowledge full of potential for new program offerings. The instructional design team at one comprehensive university was able to build on their experience, expertise, and reputation that had been growing regionally and nationally to offer a variety of their own credit and noncredit experiences—from K12 and higher education workshops to a full master’s degree in instructional design. Further, the institution not only benefits from having participants in these new programs but also from how this work informs the staff's work in online, blended, and technology-enhanced learning. Participants will learn how to identify and navigate such opportunities as well as how these experiences inform the work that the unit does internal to the institution.

• Josh Herron, Anderson University
• Benjamin Deaton, Anderson University

Moderator: Shawndra Bowers, Auburn University

Moving Faculty Forward: Opportunities for Innovation
Lafayette West | Track: eDC / Instructional Design
In higher education, we are often challenged by being innovative. What does innovation mean and how does one innovate? At Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, we addressed this challenge by offering a blended faculty development program in order to provide and support innovation in teaching and learning. The Faculty Forward program provided opportunities for faculty teaching across different modalities to collaborate by sharing teaching practices and innovative technology uses. Participants will leave the session with a faculty development blueprint for implementing a program at your institution. The model includes two main areas of focus: 1) Empowerment of faculty to adopt new, research-based, effective teaching practices into their courses in order to increase student engagement and learning across multiple modalities and 2) Development of a program to encourage participants to develop, pilot, and implement innovative practices.

• Olysha Magruder, Johns Hopkins University
• Paul Huckett, Johns Hopkins University

Moderator: Camille Funk, University of California, Irvine

Finding Common Ground: Online Education Definitions and Data Across the Big 10
Lafayette East | Track: Operational and Enterprise Excellence
What does Big Ten online education look like? A working group convened by Big Ten Academic Alliance leaders established common online program, course, and student definitions and data collection processes in the summer of 2019. Join us to learn about our definitions and discuss the stories that we found in the data.

• Sharon Wavle, Indiana University
• Bob Rubinyi, University of Minnesota
• Ansel Oakleaf, The Ohio State University
• Sarah Roberts, Purdue University
• Aps Pandya, University of Nebraska

Moderator: Pat Malone, Stonybrook University

The Online Student's Needs and Expectations: Are Students and Staff Aligned?
Broadmoor | Track: Partners
UPCEA and InsideTrack have surveyed over 3,000 students and nearly 300 staff from 18 participating institutions.  Staff and students were asked what support is most important, preferred communication, satisfaction, challenges they face or anticipate and demographics, including the program or area of study and credential they are seeking.  The main objective of the study is to better understand whether institutions are in alignment with the needs of the online student and how wide or narrow some gaps might be.  Some insights might be drawn based on the demographics of the student, but also on the type of institution or credential sought. A full analysis of the data collected in Fall 2019 and findings will be presented at SOLA+R 2020.

• Jim Fong, UPCEA
• Dave Jarrat, InsideTrack
• Melissa Leavitt, InsideTrack

Moderator: Kristen Brown, University of Louisville

Collaborating to Innovate: Reflections on a Network Approach to Scaling Online Education
Fountainbleu | Track: Strategy and Vision
In 2012, Indiana University (IU) President Michael McRobbie established the IU Online Education Initiative with the expectation that IU Online would develop via a network of collaborations across all seven campuses. Instead of creating "winners and losers," the collaborative model facilitated by the Office of Online Education focuses on sharing ideas, innovations, and resources with all online education stakeholders. Office of Online Education collaborations are successfully producing significant innovations in: 1.) Course-Sharing and Collaborative Academic Program Development; 2.) Course Design and E-Learning Technologies; 3.) Seamless Student Services; and 4.) Enrollment and Learning Analytics. This session will explore IU’s collaborative model for online education—including lessons learned, best practices, and the technological and organizational landscape of IU Online—using a series of case studies. Each case study will include opportunities for engaging discussion and debate on “collaborating to innovate” in online education.

• Mitchell Farmer, Indiana University
• Ilona Hajdu, Indiana University

Moderator: Monique LaRocque, University of Maine

Bridging Education and Employment via the Comprehensive Learner Record
Audubon | Track: The New Credential Landscape
Discover a new open standard designed to enable a transformative skills-based ecosystem where learners are empowered to leverage digital credentials as valuable currency for their educational and professional advancement. The Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) supports lifelong learning. It is an ideal vehicle for presenting a 360-degree view of knowledge and skills that go beyond formal education and training. Join a conversation with institutional leaders who are implementing this next-generation, secure digital record. Learn how CLR provides a complete picture of verifiable learning experiences and achievements—with relevant information—easily shared online to meet employer expectations. CLR can also enhance a learner’s plan or pathway toward their goals. See the value CLR brings a learner wanting to continue their education or enter the workforce demonstrating verified knowledge and skills for their preferred job role or career.

• Mark Leuba, IMS Global Learning Consortium
• Susan Donat, Messiah College
• Suzanne Carbonaro, AEFIS 

Moderator: Sasha Thackaberry, Louisiana State University

Join the fun and be part of the UPCEA Second Line Parade and Off-Site Reception, sponsored by EducationDynamics! 

Show your Mardi Gras spirit as you march through the French Quarter to the sounds of a New Orleans jazz band! Bring your conference badge and meet in the Ritz-Carlton first-floor foyer at 5:45 p.m. for parade favors and to-go drinks for our 6:15 p.m. departure. The fun won’t stop with dancing in the streets as you’ll be meeting the EducationDynamics team for a reception at Latrobe’s on Royal before you head out for the evening. Conference badges are required for entry to the reception.

Sponsored by

Thursday February 6

Finding and Minding Your Gap: Crash Courses in Online Learning Operations
Broadmoor | Track: Career Track
Though increasingly common, the job of a chief online learning officer varies between institutions and the pathway to obtaining this position is not always clear. The specialized nature of many positions can limit exposure to the range of areas necessary to lead a thriving, comprehensive online operation. Are you an instructional designer who wants to learn more about marketing (or vice versa)? A program director who hasn’t partnered with an OPM or vendor before? Whatever your role and area of interest, come join us as we demystify jargon for an area that may be outside your current scope—but that you may need to know before you move into your next role!

• Michael Reis, Virginia Commonwealth University
• Shelley Kurland, Morris County Community College
• Abigail Gamble, Baylor University
• Maricel Lawrence, University of Montana
• Bettyjo Bouchey, National Louis University
• Monica Simonsen, University of Kansas

Moderator: Jesse Boeding, University of Pennsylvania

Gathering | Engagement in the Online Learning Environment
LaSalle
University/Community Engagement leaders must be intentional when it comes to engaging learners in online programs and courses.  In this session we will explore ways to engage prospective international online students studying in their home communities. We will discuss the design and delivery of community/university engagement that employs the most effective best practices that enriches academic experiences and also enhances the socioeconomic wellbeing of our partner and student communities. In this Gathering session we will try to resolve an age-old question, how do we, through engagement, ensure that online students have access to experiential learning opportunities through our partners?

• Jorge Atiles, Oklahoma State University
• Shalin Jyotishi, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)

Ensuring Quality in Online Non-Credit Programs
Fountainbleu | Track: The New Credential Landscape
UChicago recently restructured its professional education unit. As part of this process, an initiative to define and ensure quality in online programs was launched. This session will describe the process of defining quality, the various elements of the quality improvement plan, the data and analysis used to understand current and future state, and the challenges and lessons learned from the process. In addition, the importance of brand identity and differentiation as a binding element in the entire process will be discussed.

• Matthew Cohn, University of Chicago

Moderator: Linda Kingston, Winona State University

Case Studies in Instructional Media Content Development
Lafayette West | Track: eDC / Instructional Design
This session will present a problem/solution workshop approach to the topic of instructional design media development. We will present instructional media development challenges typical to our online higher education environment, provide examples of creative solutions to each challenge, and follow each solution presentation with a roundtable discussion where practitioners brainstorm additional solutions and present them to the larger group. In a challenge/response format, we will present a number of unexpected, successful approaches our small, resource-challenged team has taken to address challenges such as: instructors who don’t want to appear on camera; low-interaction/low-energy video lectures; big ideas/little budgets (i.e. pulling off case studies without sets and actors); taking lightboard videos from ho-hum to 3-D; making complex scientific concepts fun and interactive; and infusing course content with a faculty member’s unique personality.

• Tyler Ritter, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Paul Wolff, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Moderator: Roger Wen, California State University, East Bay

Approaches to Working with Faculty Governance to Build Institutional Online Capacity
Lafayette East | Track: Operational and Enterprise Excellence
This session will focus on practical approaches to guiding and equipping faculty and administrators to engage in productive dialogue around faculty governance of online education. Often Centers for Teaching and Learning are at the campus’s leading edge for designing online learning. However, their roles and oversight likely do not extend to the critical dimensions of curriculum development that are under the jurisdiction of the faculty. The process for developing academic policy can be very slow, while the pressure to create new, innovative online programming and online teaching resources can feel intense. Having sound institutional policies that govern the online learning space is an essential component to a clear and coherent approach to developing online programs. Those dimensions include: preparedness to teach online, creation of online course guidelines, standards for online learning, course evaluation, faculty hiring and reappointment, calculation of workload, and more. The presenters will also share practical, as well as culture- and context-specific strategies.

• Heather McCullough, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
• Pamela Wimbush, California State University, Sacramento
• Kristen Palmer, University of Virginia

Moderator: Robert Griffiths, Ohio State University

Strategically Reimagining Online Education at your Institution in a Changing Landscape – Lessons Learned 1, 5, and 10 Years Out
Audubon | Track: Strategy and Vision
As the landscape of online education and the needs of our learners continue to evolve and expand, higher education institutions are reimagining and reengineering their strategy and vision. For leaders who are charged with making these large-scale changes, this involves setting strategy, incubating innovation, lobbying for resources, identifying facilitating and inhibiting institutional factors, and demonstrating how online education is integrated with the mission and vision of the institution. Join us for a panel to hear how key leaders from four innovative institutions helped reimagine the vision of online education at their institutions, including 1, 5, and 10 years out. Participants will leave with tangible lessons learned and tips on how to consider strategies at your own institutions.

• Diane Landsiedel, University of Michigan
• Matthew E. Mooney, Pennsylvania State University
• Yakut Gazi, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Kim Scalzo, SUNY System Administration
• Shubha Kashyap, University of Michigan

Moderator: Susan Catron, University of California, Davis