Program

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Sponsored by

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

The Rock, Peter Blume’s oil painting from 1948, made after the bombing of London, shows the tension between destruction and rebuilding. In the midst of crisis, the old structures must come down. Then, we have to build anew. Higher Education is undergoing a similar struggle. Old ways are crumbling because they don’t work anymore. The value proposition to students is in question. Costs are spiraling out of control. Student’s needs are changing.  It is becoming clear: We are going to have to dismantle many of the old structures. And we are going to have to build anew. 

As leaders of professional, continuing, and online education, you will be instrumental in creating the new vision. You’ll have to lead and work with a wide array of colleagues – from innovators to reactionaries. There will be obstacles that will need your resolve and empathy. Are you committed to a new vision? Or will you be content to revert to how we have done things in the past. In this session, you will learn skills to strengthen your position as a strategic leader - the skills of making a compelling case, declaring a new direction and building trust across units. We will also explore how humility can accelerate your capacity to mobilize others.

• Howard Teibel, Teibel Education Consulting

Click here to access Howard's pre-session reading materials.

Teibel Talk: Continuing the Conversation with the 2021 SOLA+R Keynote Speaker, Howard Teibel
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation | Level: Applied
In this post session conversation, we will continue the conversation around the principles discussed in the keynote and explore your specific questions around culture change and cultivating resiliency

• Howard Teibel, Teibel Education Consulting

(Re) Vision for the Future: Adaptive Technology Solutions To Achieve Remote Excellence
Track: Innovative Practices In Id And Faculty Dev. | Level: Applied
For the last few years, Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education has been offering high-quality, synchronous courses in a platform called “HELIX” (Harvard Extension Live Interactive eXperience). This methodology blends local and remote student populations using technology and thoughtful AV design. In light of the pandemic, the Innovation Team at DCE has recently designed and built two prototypes, which re-imagine the HELIX model. These prototypes, the “Portable Blended Classroom” and the “Flexible Zoom Studio,” act as remote teaching stations which can be set up anywhere and built for a fraction of the cost of a traditional room renovation.

• Christian Wisecarver, Harvard University
• Christian Franco, Harvard University

The Future of the University: Commonalities between "R1" Institutions with Significant Graduate-Level Online Enrollments
Track: Operational And Enterprise Excellence | Level: Strategic
The Coronavirus has accelerated the demand for high-quality online programs built to scale. But who builds these courses and how are they administered? Learn how visionary leadership at “Research 1” institutions with the highest enrollments of online graduate students develop and administer online learning opportunities for their campuses. Meant for institutional leaders who are interested in mobilizing and scaling online learning opportunities, learn how to adopt the best practices and commonalities gleaned from industry leaders in a way that is authentic, strategic, and first within the mission and vision of your institution.

• Jack Rodenfels, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation | Level: Strategic
Join senior online learning leaders from various segments of higher education for a discussion on the impact the pandemic's remote pivot will have on post-secondary education. How far will the pandemic pendulum swing to support online learning? Can we avoid the inevitable self-correction back to the old way of doing things? Will the lines between online and in-person instruction return or have those barriers been erased for good?

• Tonya Amankwatia, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
• Jill Buban, Fairfield University
• Adam Fein, University of North Texas
• Mary Niemiec, University of Nebraska

Moderator: Thomas Cavanagh , University of Central Florida

Immersive Learning Experience: Exploring Undergraduate Education Use Cases
Track: Innovative Practices In Id And Faculty Dev. | Level: Foundational
Implementing immersive learning environments in education is a good example of how the learning process can be significantly improved by using new technological tools and features. Immersive learning is when the use of a simulated or artificial environment allows learners to be completely immersed in the learning in a way that feels like experiencing the actual environment. This presentation highlights use cases in which immersive technology has been implemented successfully to improve the learner experience in a variety of disciplines.

• Shawndra Bowers, Auburn University
• Ali Sattari, Auburn University
• Amy Conway, Auburn University

 
Breaking Up with Your OPM: How Rutgers Online Successfully Moved to a More Independent Enrollment & Revenue Growth Model
Track: Strategy And Vision | Level: Strategic
After years of partnering with a traditional revenue-share OPM, Rutgers Online was ready to transition to a new model of online program growth. With newly developed in-house capabilities, Rutgers was searching for a collaborative and flexible partner to continue to drive enrollment and allow for increased revenue. Rutgers partnered with Blackboard to increase awareness of RU’s online programs, build a pipeline of leads, and stabilize enrollments to set the stage for future growth. Rutgers will share what they’ve learned during this transition, and Blackboard will reveal actionable, up-to-date digital marketing and enrollment best practices for sustainable online growth.

• Antonius Bittmann, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
• Jessica Sheehan, Blackboard

 
Minimum Viable Products in Online Course Development: A COVID Success Story
Track: Innovative Practices In Id And Faculty Dev. | Level: Applied
What happens when a pandemic forces a small course development team to scale up production 1000% in three months? The result is real, sustainable success. This presentation will demonstrate a successful framework for quickly scaling operations to meet an unexpected surge in course development needs—no pandemic necessary. Drawing on the entrepreneurial spirit that has long been inherent in digital learning and continuing education operations, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Digital and Lifelong Learning unit addressed the immediate challenges of a pandemic following the minimum viable product (MVP) model. In a matter of weeks, the team tested and deployed a new facilitated course development model, expanded design and production staff by 500%, and scaled from six active projects to nearly 200. Needs were defined and met, quickly and efficiently, with a positive impact on course quality. We will share the strategies, successes, and lessons learned from this effort. Most importantly, we will demonstrate the success possible when universities adopt a rapid development strategy.

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

Putting Learners First: How To Use Labor Market, Enrollment Projections, and Competitive Market To Prioritize Program Proposals
Track: Strategy And Vision | Level: Applied
How do you choose which combination of program proposals will go from idea to fruition? This presentation will walk you through quantitative and qualitative methodologies used to prioritize program proposals against one another. We will focus on external factors – specifically the labor market, competitive market, and learner demand (enrollment potential). You will leave this session with the knowledge of how to implement the prioritization model at your own institution. You will also get pointers on using the methodology with stakeholders as we talk about our first-hand experience using it at UW–Madison.

• Betsy Strahin, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Maya Evans, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  
  

Sponsored by HackerU + MindMax

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

From Calamity to Calm: Supporting Faculty Teaching and Student Learning in the COVID-19 Era
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation
Auburn University demonstrated a tremendous amount of creativity and resilience as we modified instruction to accommodate delivery during the pandemic. From providing emergency support services to faculty making the rapid transition, to increasing the technology access and infrastructure to faculty and students, to committing financial and development resources to move to even more high-quality teaching and learning in alternate modes, Auburn has demonstrated how student success remains the central force behind instructional and technological decision-making. This presentation highlights strategies used and lessons learned to ensure the student experience is a high-quality one during these uncertain times and into the future.

• Shawndra T Bowers, Auburn University
• Betsy Gilbertson, Auburn University
• Amanda Ballouck, Auburn University
• Ashley Peart, Auburn University

The Value of Online Education – Dynamic Impact of Covid to the Value Conversation
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation
What is the value of a degree? A certificate? An Online education? These are questions that have been bandied about for years. Covid 19 has propelled us to embrace remote learning regardless of our value views and has opened up new conversations. Please join us as we explore how Brandeis University navigates providing online instruction that ensures students receive value and the faculty recognizes the academic rigor of the experience. Lynne Rosansky will describe how the Rabb School at Brandeis has developed their online strategies to deliver value and Lee Maxey of MindMax will discuss how to present this value to the marketplace.

• Lynne Rosansky, Brandeis University
• Lee Maxey, MindMax

Breaking the Silos: When Innovation Sparks From Communities of Practice
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation
As a central hub for faculty and student success, Academic Innovation at UTSA had a central role in transforming the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity for online education growth. Among several strategies, the division reorganized its services and departments based on strategic goals to be accomplished by Fall 2023. To create and nurture a fertile ground for innovation, the division led the creation of a network of leaders across the entire institution, breaking existing silos and promoting the circulation of ideas and best practices. This allows fast and effective communication, peer-mentoring opportunities, and a constructive dialogue among faculty, students, staff and administrators.

• Melissa Vito, University of Texas at San Antonio
• Claudia Arcolin, University of Texas at San Antonio
• Marcela Ramirez, University of Texas at San Antonio
• Shelley Howell, University of Texas at San Antonio

Partnerships in Academic and Student Affairs Divisions leads to Student Success
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation
Attending college is more than simply learning a curriculum. It is also about growing, maturing, thriving, failing, and succeeding in academics and in life. This session will explore cross-campus partnerships at the University of Illinois Springfield to find new and innovative ways that can ensure student success through building partnerships between Academic and Student Affairs divisions.

• Vickie Cook, University of Illinois at Springfield

Partnering Across Campus to Engage More Learners in Environmental Thinking
Track: Innovative Practices In Id And Faculty Dev.
When an already successful on-campus, cross-disciplinary introduction to Environmental Studies is redeveloped - with active-learning-focused design - and offered completely online/asynchronously, can it yield equal or even greater learning outcomes?  How could a broader spectrum of learners – from high schoolers to undergraduates to mid-career professionals – be engaged in learning the complex, systems topics of environmental studies together…in the summer of pandemic lockdown? The Associate Director of the Program on the Environment and an online learning designer, who partnered on the redevelopment, will discuss their experiences and the surprising learning outcomes they are now studying together.

• Kristina M. Straus, University of Washington
• Laura Jo Swartley, University of Washington
• Nicole Landowski, University of Washington

A Challenge Framework for Improving Accessibility
Track: Operational And Enterprise Excellence
As classes have moved rapidly online, digital accessibility for students with disabilities has become more important than ever. But with competing priorities and scarce time and resources, improving the accessibility of existing courses and materials can seem overwhelming. In this presentation, a cross-functional team from the University of Washington’s program in Integrated Social Sciences will discuss using an “accessibility challenge” framework to update the program’s entire core curriculum and other student communications, as a collaboration between faculty, advising, libraries, instructional design, and IT. Presenters will share insights and advice on technology, project management, and communication for undertaking ambitious accessibility improvements.

• Sarah Cohen, University of Washington
• Aimee Kelly, University of Washington
• Reed Garber-Pearson, University of Washington

5 Strategies for Turning Your CE Unit Into a Profit Center
Track: Strategy And Vision
This presentation describes 5 foundational strategies that will allow Continuing Education Units to be profitable and become a consistent source of auxiliary revenue for their institution. This program focuses on non credit offering but leveraging online delivery, digital badges and micro credentials . Also discuss post degree workforce development market and lifelong education through reskilling and upskilling the workforce .

• Mark Kouilianos, University of South Florida
• Kathy Barnes, University of South Florida

A Case Study in the Outsourcing of Online Learning Through OPM Partnerships
Track: Strategy And Vision
This session will discuss the findings of a recent case study of a private research university in the US using multiple online program management providers to outsource online learning. Through this session, participants will understand the experiences of higher education administrators engaged in OPM partnerships, the factors that lead to the outsourcing of online learning at one institution, and how online learning becomes an institutional practice at this university.

• Evan Silberman, New York University

Increasing Non-Traditional Education Attainment Through Strategic Online Pathways
Track: Strategy And Vision
How can institutions and enterprises work to re/engage non-traditional students and guide them toward degree completion? Non-traditional students face numerous challenges along the path to education attainment. Barriers include not meeting minimum requirements, lack of preparation, high costs, and rigid scheduling. These barriers prevent non-traditional students from enrolling in or persisting through a degree program. This session presents student success and operational data from two case studies that demonstrate how online, well-defined program pathways can positively impact education attainment in pre- and post-enrollment stages for non-traditional students.  Case studies: 1)ProjectAttain! (through California State University, Sacramento) and 2) StraighterLine’s Academy program with one university focused on working adults.

• Amy Smith, StraighterLine
• Jenni Murphy, California State University, Sacramento

Belonging Begins at Application: Building Community in Student Onboarding
Track: Strategy And Vision
To increase enrollment rates of students, WGU implemented a pre-enrollment community. This community provides applicants opportunities to engage with each other, alumni, and faculty to learn what to expect as a student. A randomized experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this community experience on enrollment rates and student outcomes. Session participants will get a first look at preliminary data and learn how a user-centered approach was used to create community engagement.

• Jason Levin, Western Governors University
• Adam Shiflett, Western Governors University

The pandemic forced many online leaders to lead transitions to remote teaching at their institutions but what about those leaders that were in the midst of taking on new leadership roles either at their institution or at an entirely new one? What did they learn and how did their role provide a new perspective on the culture of their institutions? Can online leaders, some of whom find themselves in the spotlight on their campuses for the first time, question conditions, culture, and assumptions? Join us as we discuss “the fundamentals” - the things leaders must rely on when precedents fall away and you have limited institutional knowledge on which to base decisions. We’ll discuss the pandemic, leadership, leveraging opportunities, and a few coping mechanisms in this live session.

• Kim Siegenthaler, Georgia State University
• Jill Buban, Fairfield University
• Asim Ali, Auburn University
• Nancy Coleman, Harvard University

How Much Work Did the Workers Work When the Workers Weren’t at Work?
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation | Level: Applied
In the fall of 2019, the UPCEA Research Collaborative conducted a survey on perceptions of remote work at institutions of higher education, soliciting feedback from both the instructional designer and supervisor viewpoints. We presented the results at SOLAR 2020 in New Orleans in February, just before the COVID-19 pandemic altered the course of the entire educational landscape. This session will discuss recently collected data from re-administering similar questions a year later, along with new questions targeting the narrative behind any potential perspective shifts resulting from the transition to primarily remote work environments.

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

Leveraging the Pivot: Opportunities for Building the New Normal for Teaching and Learning
Track: Innovative Practices In Id And Faculty Dev. | Level: Foundational
This multi-institutional session will share how three universities are leveraging new opportunities to support teaching and learning that resulted from the rapid changes required during the Spring 2020 move to emergency remote instruction.  We will consider how one institution changed its faculty development programming and engaged with almost 70% of the faculty as a result, how one institution capitalized on the opportunity to pilot an open source LMS, support faculty via new institutional partnerships, and support students with a new online First Year Student course, and how a decentralized institution coordinated resources within individual schools to reach faculty and students.

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

Beyond the Org Chart: Perspectives on Functional Integration
Track: Operational And Enterprise Excellence | Level: Strategic
This interactive discussion will walk participants through University College of Syracuse University’s model of functional integration across units within the College. Functional integration, as defined by our model, involves intentional alignment across functional units, regardless of placement on organizational chart or supervision line, to create the conditions for staff success, effective collaboration, scalability of function, and cohesive strategic planning. Presenters will provide perspectives on our implementation of functional integration, benefits of the model, how it works across the traditional “org chart” model, and lessons learned within the first 6 months of implementation.

• Michael Frasciello, Syracuse University
• Ryan Williams, Syracuse University
• Liz Green, Syracuse University
• Jim Gaffey, Syracuse University

Strategic and Tactical Planning of Lifelong Learning
Track: Operational And Enterprise Excellence | Level: Applied
To achieve lifelong learning pathways for students, strategic and tactical planning is needed to ensure resources are deployed effectively. In this session, the audience will learn how to use curriculum mapping strategies to identify opportunities for repurposing existing courses and course materials.

• Paul Huckett, Johns Hopkins University

Track: Strategy And Vision | Level: Strategic
Public institutions have unique and diverse structural constraints that impact strategies for growth of online programs. In this session, leaders at institutions working towards scale will present things that work, and things to avoid from a strategic level, including in-sourcing versus outsourcing, brand value and differentiation, models for marketing, recruitment and retention, organizational charts to support growth, and political challenges for transitioning programs online. Strategic needs for resourcing and creating and supporting infrastructure will be addressed, as well as recommendations for how to create a culture of change in institutions not known for agility.

• Sasha Thackaberry, Louisiana State University
• Rene Eborn, Utah State University
• Chris LaBelle, Colorado State University Online
• Dara Crowfoot, University of Illinois Chicago

Moderator: Hala Esmail, Louisiana State University

Online Student Support -- What Did COVID-19 Teach Us?
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation | Level: Strategic
Presenters will explore the unexpected findings from a year-long inquiry on the nature of online units at 31 higher educational institutions. Findings stem from the third in a series of semi-structured interviews conducted in Spring of 2020 (amidst COVID-19) on Student Support. What resulted were nuanced data suggesting online student services, previously unaddressed, were suddenly at the center of administrators’ discussions and growing in capacity. Results indicate the significant impact of the pivot to remote student services on creating equity of access between online and campus-based students, and lingering questions on whether this level of online support will be ongoing.

• Bettyjo Bouchey, National Louis University
• Shelley C. Kurland, County College of Morris

Collaborative Content Design: An Ideal Vision for Course Creation
Track: Innovative Practices In Id And Faculty Dev. | Level: Applied
The Collaborative Content Design (CCD) Model creates a dynamic which guides content experts through the design process in an engaged and supported manner. The model helps establish the faculty/designer relationship, then shifts to support a more collaborative design process, and culminates with a focus on student learning and engagement. Join us to discuss the use of the CCD model and to learn about opportunities to implement the model at your institution.

• Penny Ralston-Berg, Pennsylvania State University
• Megan Kohler, Pennsylvania State University

De-centralization to Re-centralization: Lessons from the Room Where It Happened
Track: Operational And Enterprise Excellence | Level: Applied
In this session, leaders from Anderson University's Online and Continuous Learning will share lessons from the last two years of re-centralizing after several years of having de-centralized online operations. The events that led to de-centralization and re-centralization will be shared from a senior leader at AU. The impact and clean-up efforts that were needed from academic program management to marketing and enrollment will be outlined by OCL leaders who came on board during or just after re-centralization.

• Josh Herron, Anderson University (SC)
• Benjamin Deaton, Anderson University (SC)
• Amy Gutzmer, Anderson University (SC)

Online Learner Success Through Peer Mentorship
Track: Strategy And Vision | Level: Strategic
As one of the country's largest providers of online degrees (~40,000 students enrolled), Strayer University wanted to explore the impact of peer mentoring relationships on student retention - particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and increased need and demand for quality online education. Strayer partnered with Mentor Collective to develop, manage, and assess a large-scale peer mentorship program: training 1,000+ peer mentors and matching them in relationships with 5,000+ online students.

• Cale Holman, Strayer University
• Jacqueline Palmer, Strayer University
• Jackson Boyar, Mentor Collective

Cross Campus Collaboration
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation | Level: Applied
As COVID hit and resources quickly were impacted, extended campuses have been expected to help support the University Community from afar. Join us for a discussion on how the online and seated extended campuses of Adult and Online Education pulled together to pivot learning formats, marketing tactics, and refine resource usage to thrive during the pandemic.

• Sherryl McLaughlin, Campbell University
• Laura Riddle, Campbell University

 
The Future of Teaching and Learning: AI, VR, and Quantum Computing
Track: Innovative Practices In Id And Faculty Dev.
You have read his blog posts now you have an opportunity to chat with UPCEA’s senior fellow, Ray Schroeder, on the technology topics that pose incredible opportunities for the future of teaching and learning. Join Ray in his break out session on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and quantum computing.

• Ray Schroeder, University of Illinois Springfield
  

Harnessing “2020”: Sense-making for the Future of Higher Ed
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation | Level: Strategic
Though we are in the business of learning, universities often struggle to create intentional moments to think and reflect on our own operations, behaviors, and assumptions. In this session we will explore different sense-making initiatives Southern New Hampshire University has used in order to promote strategic thinking and harness learning during a time where time feels transient and old norms feel increasingly irrelevant.

• Brian Fleming, Southern New Hampshire University
• Cait Glennan, Southern New Hampshire University

 
Pandemic to Progress at the Enterprise Level
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation | Level: Strategic
This participatory presentation will explore how to effectively utilize strategic thinking to build opportunities for success in an online enterprise during a challenging time in history. Every decision counts and every person counts. How to effectively lead an institution toward not only a successful approach in a given time frame, but toward the future.

• Vickie Cook, University of Illinois at Springfield

Multiple perspectives on an innovative example of collaborating with students in an online course to meet their needs during the COVID-19 pandemic
Track: Innovative Practices In Id And Faculty Dev. | Level: Foundational
In this session, a team from Columbia University’s School of Social Work (CSSW) will share how they approached making changes to their Spring 2020 online course in response to the COVID-19 pandemic using trauma-informed teaching strategies, including collaborating with students on adjustments to course assignments and grading. The presenters, representing the instructor, TA, technical support, and student perspectives, will share recommendations for instructional designers and faculty looking for ways to incorporate opportunities to collaborate with students in online courses.

• Matthea Marquart, Columbia University

Revenue Generating Strategies with Institutional Partnerships and Online Learning
Track: Strategy And Vision | Level: Strategic
During these financially challenging times in higher ed, well-established online learning enterprises can provide a gateway to new revenue generating opportunities for their own institution while helping to solve a growing need for others. With so many colleges and universities trying to improve the COVID-driven “just in time” ZOOM experience as well as the decrease in on campus enrollments, well established online learning enterprises can help. In this session, we’ll explore a number of institutional partnership opportunities including co-branded degree programs, and models for licensing your online courses and programs to other institutions. Together, we’ll discuss these opportunities as well as others from the session participants. The goal is to leave the session with possible partnership ideas for you and your institution to pursue with others.

• Debbie Cavalier, Berklee College of Music

 
Moving Horizontally: New Dimensions of at-Scale Learning in a Time of Crisis
Track: Strategy And Vision | Level: Strategic
We are living in unprecedented times marked by the public health crisis caused by the SARS-CV-2 (coronavirus) and the resulting disease, COVID-19. In responding to this emergency, many of us in higher education found ourselves in a remarkable effort to prepare our institutions for emergency remote course delivery. Those of us at the forefront of at-scale learning has largely dealt with a “vertical” scale, where we built courses or programs that sustain a vertical growth of enrollments. However, the scale of which we have been leaders has largely been a “vertical” scale, where we built courses or programs that sustain a vertical growth of enrollments. Responding to this crisis on our campuses on the other hand, entailed wide collaboration and coordination of not only technological capabilities but also human talent distributed across our institutions, to be able to quickly pivot to a “horizontal” scale of many students distributed over many courses, taught by many faculty.  As leaders of at-scale affordable learning, we have impressive and complex technology infrastructures and the know-how distributed in our organizations on how to create programs that respond to a large need in the marketplace, design and produce courses and experiences for these programs, find and implement innovative technologies to deliver them, achieve program affordability and financial sustainability, and protect and promote our institutional brands. In many cases, it is these successes that caused our institutions to turn to us to lead, coordinate, or contribute to the COVID-19 emergency delivery of courses. How did we fare? Now that everyone is online, how will our at-scale approach change?

• Yakut Gazi, Georgia Institute of Technology

When Strategy and COVID Collide
Track: Strategy And Vision | Level: Strategic
The pandemic has removed normalcy from our lives and continues to drive change in higher education. The rapid pivot to remote learning in Spring 2020 followed by a more strategic shift to online learning in the summer that has now extended into Spring 2021 has created challenges and opportunities for distance education offices. The ability to meet challenges and seize opportunities varies greatly by institution. Panelists will share impacts of COVID on their distance education operations, initiatives and strategies, and how they are positioning for success in the new normal.

• Kim Siegenthaler, Georgia State University
• Susan Elkins, University of South Carolina

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Many online units have a successful history of creating support services for distance students. While tutoring, writing labs, and coaching may have become commonplace, a similar development model has not been applied to mental health services, likely due to HIPPA and other privacy concerns. If the pandemic has revealed anything to higher education leaders it is that students desperately need mental health services that they can access when they are not on campus. Join us as we discuss the important topic of accessible mental health services that serve all students. We’ll hear how one institution, Western Kentucky University, created MyMentalHealth#WKU with self-service resources that were more dynamic than previous resources. We will learn how working with a multi-disciplinary group yielded a resource that provides the opportunity for self-assessment, resources, planning and reflection to make it a more meaningful experience. If your campus is considering how it delivers mental health services to students you will not want to miss this session!

• Beth Laves, Western Kentucky University
• Hannah Digges-Elliott, Western Kentucky University
• Whitney Harper, Western Kentucky University
• Heather Servaty-Seib, Purdue University

Moderator: Ray Schroeder, University of Illinois Springfield

But We Are Already Working at 110%! Scaling up Learning Design Support During a Pandemic
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation | Level: Applied
As a college-based learning design institute tasked with supporting teaching and learning at an R1 university, each member of our team of 17 had full plates supporting the design, development, and delivery of more than 140 fully online courses. Enter COVID-19 and our university’s switch to remote instruction – suddenly everyone needed us to do MUCH more without additional resources! Learn the successful strategies we employed to meet the needs of ALL of our college’s instructors, working creatively and strategically to provide a high level of support without having to add more team members…and while keeping everyone sane!

• Ann Taylor, Pennsylvania State University
• Stevie Rocco, Pennsylvania State University

Fostering Inclusion in the Online Learning Environment
Track: Innovative Practices In Id And Faculty Dev. | Level: Foundational
Diversity and inclusion are terms used and discussed widely in higher education. It's often unclear what these terms mean. Even more challenging is to address how these concepts relate to the everyday design and development of online courses.  In this session, the participants will begin by working together to determine individual approaches to course inclusion in the design process. The presenters will then review some definitions around course inclusion and design and share a few practices on how to incorporate inclusion in course design. The participants will finally engage in a lively discussion about what these terms mean and how these can be addressed in online learning.

• Olysha Magruder, Johns Hopkins University
• Rohan Jowallah, University of Central Florida

The Evolution of an Online System & Strategic Partnership: 10 Years of Innovation & Adaptation at Pennsylvania State University World Campus
Track: Operational And Enterprise Excellence | Level: Strategic
Penn State University World Campus supports more than 20K students with a portfolio of 150+ online programs. Operating since 1998, PSU WC understands the importance of innovating and adapting to meet the evolving needs of online learners. William Fritz, Dr. Margaret Oakar, and Jessica Hector will share lessons learned in online program development & expansion, and the experience building a scalable coaching program with an external strategic partner. Evolving alongside a strategic partner contributed to their ability to meet the growing demand for online programs. However, it is not always easy to seek external assistance & even more difficult to align long-term. Learn about how PSU WC managed a decade-long partnership & how an online system expanded while staying true to their institutional mission.

• William Frtiz, Pennsylvania State University
• Margaret Oakar, Pennsylvania State University
• Jessica Hector, InsideTrack
• Kate Ludgate, InsideTrack

Leadership Strategies To Drive Student Success: Building Teams, Organizational Strategies, and Investment Areas at UF by the UF Online Team
Track: Strategy And Vision | Level: Strategic
UF Online was launched in 2014 and its central office has already undergone a series of evolutions, including a reorganization, to streamline its stovepipes and ensure a fully integrated campus model. In this session we’ll share what we have learned on driving UF Online gains in student retention and persistence while also achieving an over 95% satisfaction rate among our now 4,000 online undergraduates. In this session we’ll get candid about what investments we have made and how we have set up and evolved our teams and strategies to maintain a laser focus on ensuring all online undergraduate students enjoy a supported and engaging learning experience.  UF Online is rapidly expanding but also maintaining strong rates of student yield (new students that enroll) and even gains in student persistence. This fall 2020, during the pandemic, UF Online continued to expand access to UF with a student count up nearly 14% over last fall. This growth is primarily due to (1) the more than 30% increase in newly enrolled admits for Fall 2020 from Fall 2019 and (2) sizable increases in the persistence of returning, active students from prior semesters. Specifically, from 2019 to 2020, UF Online was able to boost online student persistence up 3 percentage points overall for both its fully online undergraduates and its hybrid undergraduates (start online, finish on campus). Translating into increases in persistence from 76% to 79% for our fully-online students and an increase in persistence of 88% to 91% for our students enrolled in our hybrid undergraduate program, PaCE. Additionally, UF Online managed to maintain our same yield rate (78%) for new admits from the previous year, even with our more than 30% increase in admits YOY.

• Evie Cummings, University of Florida
• Glen Kepic, University of Florida

Designing and Offering Multi-Modality Courses
Track: Strategy And Vision | Level: Strategic
We present the design and implementation of CS50, an introductory course in computer science at Harvard College that began as a traditional course for students on campus but is now offered via different modalities. Through Harvard Extension School, the course is now offered via distance education to working adults for course credit. Through edX, the course is now offered as to the public at large for certificates. Through OpenCourseWare, the course is now available to teachers under Creative Commons. And through collaboration with Yale University, the course is now even offered on multiple campuses. We argue that these initiatives are not mutually exclusive but synergistic. We argue that institutions should not compete but collaborate across campuses. And we welcome discussion.

• David J. Malan, Harvard University

Positive Outcomes from the Pandemic
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation | Level: Applied
In the midst of chaos brought on by the pandemic, some organizations found a silver lining through bringing countless faculty members and students online. We examine how it allowed an entire system of higher education to accelerate positive changes related to online learning that can be used as a springboard for future efforts. Come to learn more and share your experiences as well.

• Ryan Anderson, University of Wisconsin Extended Campus

Beyond Benchmarks - A survey of the higher ed landscape
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation | Level: Strategic
At the start of 2020, no one could have predicted the impact of COVID-19. In just a few months, it pushed higher education online, altered the trajectory of the labor market, and forced institutions to rethink the education landscape. Join us for an in-depth analysis of the current labor market and higher education landscape based on a comprehensive survey of the behavior and activity of employers, employees, and students.

• Melissa Lubin, James Madison University
• Stephanie Franks-Helwich, EducationDynamics

Privacy, Proctoring, & the Pandemic
Track: From Pandemic To Proliferation | Level: Applied

• Justin Louder, Texas Tech University

Strategic Career Planning in COVID-time
Track: Strategy And Vision | Level: Strategic
The COVID-19 experience has led many people to rethink their current career paths, trajectories, and plans. In this session, come together with colleagues to reflect on what skills you have gained during this time, where you are headed next, and what you need to get to your next career stage.

• Katie Linder, Kansas State University
  
  
  

Building and Mobilizing a Responsive Instructional Design Team
Track: Strategy And Vision | Level: Strategic
Building and maintaining an ID team is usually an iterative process, but what happens when a global pandemic hits, enrollments are down, and hiring is frozen? How can you leverage underemployed staff, reposition priorities, and continue with previous projects? This session will talk about strategies to consider as you navigate unpredictable times.

• Camille Funk, University of California, Irvine

Measuring the Value of the Bundled and Unbundled OPM Relationship: The Research Agenda for 2021
Track: Strategy And Vision
Offering online education in the future is expected to be more competitive and complicated as a result of a new economy, more providers and changing politics. Recognizing that it is a two-way street, UPCEA will be researching the OPM relationship between providers and institutions. The goal of the research will be gather input, feedback and data to measure the value of services provided, identify hurdles and barriers in full or partial OPM adoption, determine the key factors in effective partnerships, and understand financial needs and investments.

• Jim Fong, UPCEA
• Josh Kim, Dartmouth College
  

Track: Strategy And Vision
Please join us for a session that will discuss the varied and busy online education agenda in Washington. The Department of Education in the past few months have released regulations regarding major issues of importance to the distance and adult education community. The results of the election also have immense implications for higher ed initiatives. We’ll walk you through what to watch and what has been going on in DC. Hear from legal and policy experts on a host of issues in governance and regulation.

• Van Davis, WCET
• Chris Murray, Thompson Coburn LLP
• Richard LaFosse, University of Michigan

Moderator: Jordan DiMaggio, UPCEA