6:00-7:30 p.m.

Leadership Reception (by invitation only) Sponsored by:

• 2017–18 and 2018–19 Boards of Directors
• 2017–18 and 2018–19 Regional Councils
• 2017–18 and 2018–19 Network Leadership Teams
• 2018 and 2019 Annual Conference Advisory Committees
• Association Awards Committee
• Frandson Award Committee
• Diversity and Inclusiveness Committee
• Unbound Editorial Board
• Marketing and Enrollment Management Seminar Planning Committee
• National Council for Online Education Advisory Council
• eDesign Collaborative Advisory Council
• Corporate Advisory Council
• Policy Committee
• Institutional Representatives
• Past Presidents
• Honored Guests

Donna Harris

Cofounder, 1776

• 2:00-2:10PM: Welcome Remarks from UPCEA CEO, Bob Hansen
• 2:10-2:15PM: Presentation of the Julius M. Nolte Award for Extraordinary Leadership
• 2:15-3:30: General Session Presenation

Sponsored by InsideTrack

3:30-4:00 p.m.

Networking Break in Exhibition Hall
Location: Harborside Ballroom

Tech Tips: Generating Collaboration Using Gamification

Creating conference games to help encourage collaboration and generate interactions between people, workshops, and vendors can be achieved using a mobile app. Come see how Rutgers ran their in-house game and how we can share the experience and our lingering questions to help others use this technology effectively in their own conferences and engagement.

Presenters:

• Rick Anderson, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
  
• Chris Valera, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
  
• Warren Nevins, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

3:30-4:00 p.m

Emerging Leaders + Conference Buddies Meet
Location: Kent AB

• Julie Uranis, UPCEA

Moderator: Kris Rabberman, University of Pennsylvania

Managing Online Innovation and Change At a Strategic Level: Examples and Perspectives from Three Institutions
Track: Program Planning & Implementation  || Level: Strategic || Location: GB 1-2
In the 21st century, innovation and change are synonymous with higher education, with online education at the forefront. Successful leaders know that coming up with an innovative idea is just the tip of the iceberg. In this presentation, leaders from three universities will share examples and best practices on turning innovative ideas into successful initiatives, moving organizations forward while adapting institutional culture and operations for long-term positive impact. Presenters will include contemporary examples of how to overcome resistance and create a vision that leads to success and measurable outcomes. Join us for a discussion that will help you apply principles of leadership that can affect real, positive change at your institution.

• Robert Wagner, Utah State University
• John Louviere, Utah State University
• Kim Obbink, Montana State University
• Sharon Wavle, Indiana University Office of Online Education
• Chris Foley, Indiana University

Moderator: Robert Wagner, Utah State University

Community-University Boundary Spanners
Track: Community and Economic Engagement  || Level: Applied || Tag: Emerging Leaders|| Location: Dover AB
This professional development workshop provides an opportunity for outreach and engagement university personnel to coalesce around their roles, skills, values, opportunities, and challenges, and learn new ways to strengthen outreach and engagement practices. During this workshop, staff will identify their distinct roles, skills, and professional identity as boundary spanners, as well as identify a community of practice as a strategy for strengthening outreach and engagement practices. Those staff whose job responsibilities include coordinating and supporting campus outreach and engagement programs, and who want to engage in individual reflection on their own work and practice, as well as their role in and contribution to larger outreach and engagement systems should attend.

• Carol Fleming, James Madison University

Moderator: Long Huynh, Kansas State University

Portraits of Diverse Adult Learners: Successful Models on an HBCU Campus That Matter
Track: Marketing, Enrollment & Student Services  || Level: Applied || Location: Laurel CD
The adult learner referred to as the nontraditional student 24 or older is rapidly becoming the new "norm" on college campuses across the United States. According to several reports, enrollment rates for nontraditional students are steadily increasing while enrollment rates for traditional students are on the decline. With the current economic and workforce demands, there is a critical need to recruit and prepare adult students with the necessary skills and competencies to assume leadership roles in the 21st century and beyond. This session will discuss successful strategies to attract, retain, and graduate adult students with successful examples from an HBCU campus.

• David Ryan Couto, Morgan State University
• Jamilah Dennis, Morgan State University
• Sharon Taylor, Morgan State University
• Laco Johnson, Morgan State University
• Tommy Lyons, Morgan State University

Moderator: Willie Bragg, Morgan State University

Fireside Chat: The Challenges of Re-Orienting a Traditional Institution Toward the Modern Student
Track: Marketing, Enrollment & Student Services  || Level: Strategic || Location: GB 3-4
The "traditional" students of old have given way to a much more diverse and distributed student body, but many of our institutions haven't kept pace. So, how can we help our institutions re-orient themselves toward the modern student and provide the type of credentials, supports, and experience these students need? Join us for a fireside chat with Rovy Branon, Vice Provost, and Risa deGorgue, Senior Director of Marketing & Enrollment at University of Washington Continuum College, as they describe the transformation their institution is undergoing, the lessons they've learned and the outcomes they've seen. Through a lively, interactive discussion, attendees will gain insights on everything from executive decision-making and organizational change management to program selection and the effective use of outside partners. For anyone looking to support their institution in keeping pace with changing student demographics, this session is a must.

• Rovy Branon, University of Washington
• Risa De Gorgue, University of Washington
• Dave Jarrat, InsideTrack

Moderator: Chris Nicholson, University of Denver

Succession Planning: Tales From a Successor-Predecessor Duo
Track: Business & Operations  || Level: Strategic || Location: GB 9-10
What if your dream position arrives and you cannot pass it up? What if your supervisor leaves and surprise!, you are asked to lead the area or assume additional responsibilities? What if you’re leaving and need to do an unexpected mind-meld with the person stepping in to fill your shoes? Join a former first- and second-in-command duo as they discuss succession planning in a constantly evolving continuing, professional, and online education field. They will engage the audience as they reflect on the outcomes of their actual succession planning - what worked and what didn’t, what they wished they knew beforehand and would have done differently, and how such leadership changes affect online and continuing education at the institutional level. Additional discussion points include strategic preparation for succession planning for the unit and individual skill sets, and strategies for new team building and rebuilding after a leadership departure.

• Carolyn Callaghan, Shippensburg University
• Christina Sax, Maryland University of Integrative Health

Moderator: Greg Milton, Sonoma State University

Leadership in a Creative Continuing and Distance Education Organization
Track: Business & Operations  || Level: Strategic || Location: Dover C
With the number of non-traditional students on the rise, now is the perfect time to turn your extension school, online education, or CE department into a high-demand educational powerhouse that keeps students coming back for more. Leaders need to understand the best strategies and tools that are needed to work in an organization built on innovation and creativity. In this session, hear from industry leaders on their leadership styles and the styles of those within their institution they observed and collaborated with to bring successful ideas and techniques to their departments. This session will include practical outcomes for you to leverage at your institution, an overview of leadership styles and techniques, as well as take-away plans for working with your teams.

• Asim Ali, Auburn University
• Melissa Walden, Texas A&M University

Moderator: Meni Sarris, Jenzabar

International Programs With Mind, Hand, and Heart - The MIT Experience
Track: International  || Level: Applied || Location: Atlantic
In 2017, MIT ran a program on innovation in the UAE which saw men and women working together on project teams, something rarely demonstrated in the Middle East. Participants from previously disadvantaged communities In South Africa, attended a transportation workshop and broke out into a native song as a “thank you” to the faculty team. MIT’s Professional Education International Programs seek to not only export leading technical knowledge and expertise but to support the social advancement of society and humanity. This session will address the benefits of being mission-led while simultaneously having to achieve financial targets. Learn about adapting program content and designs responding to cultural traits and sensitivities for mutual success.

• Bhaskar Pant, MIT Professional Education

Moderator: Brian Cook, California State University, East Bay

The Future of Credentials: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Imperative of Alternative Models
Level: Strategic || Tag: Alternative Credentials|| Location: Laurel AB
UPCEA held a major convening on the Future of Credentials late last fall in Washington, DC. A cross-section of thought leaders—from higher education, corporate America, public policymakers and non-profit organizations—engaged in a lively debate about the growing consensus that the future of credentials is going to look different than the traditional degree milestones that currently define educational pathways today. This panel will build upon themes developed at the Washington convening and engage the audience in exploring the challenges and opportunities for alternative credentials.

• Sean Gallagher, Northeastern University
• Wayne Smutz, University of California, Los Angeles
• Jason Tyszko, United States Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Moderator: Goldie Blumenstyk, The Chronicle of Higher Education

An Insider's Guide to [Planning for the Inevitable] Generation Z and Higher Education
Track: Marketing, Enrollment & Student Services  || Level: Foundational || Location: Essex
Whether your target markets are Millennials or Generation X, or corporate or international, Generation Z is going to quickly reshape expectations for education. They will reshape programmatic demand, credentialing, delivery and marketing among other functions. This session goes under the microscope and links behavioral preferences to higher education operations and planning.

• Jim Fong, UPCEA Center for Research and Strategy

Moderator: Stephanie Platteter, University of Minnesota

Online Alumni Giving
Track: Online Administration  || Level: Foundational || Location: GB 7-8
Are alumni of online degree programs an untapped resource for colleges and universities in terms of donor participation and charitable giving, or do those alumni forget about their institutions the minute they turn off their computers? Learn about work being done in this area, related challenges and opportunities, and preliminary findings from a study exploring alumni giving patterns across institutions of higher education. Attendees will participate in a discussion with presenters on ways to increase institutional awareness of the importance of alumni of online programs to colleges and universities.

• David Schejbal, University of Wisconsin-Extension
• Roxanne Shiels, Penn State University
• Rob Bruce, Rice University
• Faye Lesht, University of Wisconsin-Extension

Moderator: Jon Harbor, Purdue University

Location: Waterview
The 2018 UPCEA Institutional Representatives Briefing, hosted at the Annual Conference, provides an opportunity for senior leaders in professional, continuing, and online education (PCO) to connect with peers, to discuss together the changing landscape of higher education, and to consider ways in which to craft their own strategies and leadership pathways. The briefing will begin with a dynamic lightning round hosted by some of the most respected, experienced leaders in our field. These short, extemporaneous updates will address facets of one of the most pressing challenges in higher education today: innovation and an entrepreneurial mind-set. Following this plenary format, senior leaders will then have the opportunity for smaller, in-depth conversations at tables with peers. Finally, time will be preserved for brief reports from tables.

• Josh Kim, Dartmouth College
• Sandi Pershing, University of Utah
• Nelson Baker, Georgia Institute of Technology
• David Israel, University of Melbourne

Moderator: Aldridge Susan, Drexel University

Budget Models and Organizational Structures: An Exploration
Track: Business & Operations  || Level: Strategic || Location: Laurel AB
At tables, participants will share and explore the opportunities and challenges of their different operational and budget models. Participants should be prepared to provide context with a 2-minute elevator speech about their budget model and another about their organizational structure. There is no lecture or presentation in this session: just interaction with your colleagues.

• Lyla Garner, Mississippi State University - Center for Distance Education
• Beth Laves, Western Kentucky University
• D Terry Rawls, Appalachian State University

Moderator: Randy Jones, North Carolina State University

International Student Recruitment, Retention, and Success: From Outreach and Support to Optional Practical Training
Track: International  || Level: Strategic || Location: Atlantic
Recruiting international students remains an important part of enrollment management strategies at many U.S. institutions. While most campuses provide marketing resources and programming to attract international students, relatively few give any thought to designing pre-departure and during degree efforts, post-degree work support, and re-entry programming which are also important factors in international student engagement and success. This session will provide strategies for designing programs and resources with integrated student outcomes as intentional parts of the design element. These include programming and resources that can be delivered both online and in person. Specifically, this session will focus on a not-well-known visa program that had over 300,000 international students working in the United States in 2017. Presenters will discuss potential benefits and pitfalls of the program which is called Optional Practical Training (OPT) and suggest strategies for implementing it as a tool for international student recruitment and success.

• Gary Rhodes, Califonia State University at Dominguez Hills
• Cyrus Homayounpour, The George Washington University
• Melissa Feuer, The George Washington University

Moderator: Andy Casiello, Old Dominion University

Increasing Marketing Efficiency With Market Data
Track: Marketing, Enrollment & Student Services  || Level: Applied || Location: GB 3-4
To address the increasingly crowded marketing landscape in higher education, see how two universities use various metrics of data to drive their marketing efforts from initial program ideation to implementation. Specific topics include the use of labor market data to keep a pulse on regional economic activity directly affecting job concentration, employer demand, and talent supply, as well as a deep dive into a launch process that engages in market research, audience profiling, and budgeting conducted prior to launching any program marketing.

• Davia Rose Lassiter, Kennesaw State University
• Jack Rodenfels, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Tyler Ritter, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Bob Hieronymus, Emsi

Moderator/Presenter: Eric McGee, JMH Consulting

Managing a Diverse Program Portfolio
Track: Business & Operations  || Level: Applied || Tag: Emerging Leaders || Location: GB 9-10
Learn about human resource perspectives related to managing a portfolio of diverse continuing education programs and offerings that often require varied leadership approaches. The presenters will outline project management tools that have helped them as managers while empowering staff to take ownership of projects. This presentation will help attendees learn how to better articulate staffing and resource needs to senior leadership. We will conclude by exploring the theme of leading through change, acknowledging budget constraints and the need to justify staffing decisions to your team and senior leadership.

• Maggie Place, Widener University
• Nicole Westrick, Temple University

Moderator: Kris Rabberman, University of Pennsylvania

Turn Learners Into Earners With Prior Credit and Open Badges
Track: Community and Economic Engagement  || Level: Foundational || Tag: Alternative Credentials || Location: Dover C
Forward-thinking universities have invested time and resources to find the most effective methods to recognize and apply students’ prior learning in ways that are more agile and responsive to the workforce than ever before. Capella University empowers students to fast track degrees by awarding credit for recognized certifications, while Northeastern University recently announced that it accepts IBM open badges for credit across three professional master’s degree programs. In this session, learn which market shifts drove these universities to respond to both student and employer needs in such a dramatic fashion. Discover the obstacles each university faced in making these changes, and explore the best practices that generated success for their programs. Understand the role of open badges play in these programs, and leave with tangible next steps for how your institution can leverage prior credit and corporate-sponsored badging programs to attract new students and accelerate degree earning and workforce readiness.

• Pete Janzow, Pearson
• Kemi Jona, Northeastern University
• Nick White, Capella University

Moderator: Jenni Murphy, California State University, Sacramento

We Planned an Orientation but Built a Shopping Cart: Transforming Orientation Into a Customizable Student Resource
Track: Marketing, Enrollment & Student Services  || Level: Applied || Tag: Unlimited; Best in Show: Central || Location: Dover AB
IU Online developed a comprehensive orientation program for fully online undergraduate students, but utilization patterns quickly refocused development. Evidence from Student Success Coaches and LMS access data revealed that students were using the orientation in an unexpected way. In moving away from a linear orientation of pre-programmed modules, IU Online’s student onboarding becomes a flexible experience: a one-stop shop for resources, information, and actual human support. Onboarding allows students to find relevant information at key moments of their experience with online learning, connect with other tailored services like online math and writing support, and explore the LMS while preparing for classes to start. Beyond sharing the portal, we will discuss the design process, lessons learned, and how we collaborated with admissions to leverage onboarding to address melt. Finally, we will talk about how we are sharing our work across the institution, including an initial pilot for online graduate students.

• Mitchell Farmer, Indiana University
• Alison Bell, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis
• Robert Smith, Indiana University
• Julia Sanders, Indiana University

Moderator: Jessica DuPont, Oregon State University

Program Planning and Implementation Network Diverse/Underserved Populations Showcase
Track: Program Planning & Implementation  || Level: Applied || Location: Essex
Moderator: Pamela Wimbush, Hampton University

Addressing the Educational Needs of Non-Traditional Military Affiliated Students
The University of Virginia (UVA) conducted a study to better understand the educational needs of non-traditional military affiliated students. The study’s principal focus was to identify the salient factors used by this population in their selection of academic institutions and educational programs. Additionally, the study aimed to evaluate the alignment of UVA’s non-traditional educational offerings to the needs of this population. The results suggested that this population’s institutional and programmatic decision making is primarily driven by three factors: the institution’s degree of being military-friendly, academic program flexibility, and cost.

• Alan Fiorello, University of Virginia

An Innovative and Collaborative Approach to Online Program Design in Health Care Continuing Education: Meeting the Diverse Needs of Adult Learners in Multiple Programs
The Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Sciences Management (BPHM) within the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) at the University of Virginia is an online program for working allied healthcare professionals. This program integrates diversity and inclusion within the curriculum and integrates pedagogies in a flexible online format to meet the needs of diverse students with varied learning styles. The program focuses on building a strong learning community, based on the community of inquiry framework including social, cognitive and teaching presence. Intra-institutional collaboration between the BPHM program, the Graduate Certificate in Health Sciences Management (HSM), and the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies program offers relevant, flexible learning opportunities for a variety of students, preparing them with the leadership, communication, and cultural competency skills for managing a diverse workforce. Collaboration initiatives include dual-listed courses for graduate and undergraduate students, the HSM concentration, and electives in information technology and human resources.

• Ana Abad-Jorge, University of Virginia
• Maria Kronenburg, University of Virginia

Holistic Academic Progression: An Interprofessional Model and Approach
This session identifies strategies for online adult student outreach, methods for connecting with community organizations, creating co-admission agreements between two-year and four-year institutions, and supporting students in a holistic interprofessional approach from the point of initial contact with the institution to degree conferment. Key roles include outreach coordinator, admission counselor, academic advisor, and faculty members. Acknowledging that each role has unique responsibilities, discover strategies for holistic academic progression to graduation. This model provides high support for busy professional students who incorporate education into their established lifestyle.

• Reese Hiller, Linfield College
• Anna Harrington, Linfield College
• Melissa Robinson, Linfield College
• Jessica Mole, Portland State University

Learning Strategies and Program Assessment in Mandated Continuing Education Professional Programs
Mandatory continuing professional education is intended to keep workforce current with economic, social, and technological changes; however, it has had a number of unintended and negative effects: decrease in student motivation and engagement, limited pedagogical experience of instructors, lack of accountability and proper assessment. Lack of unifying standards, the short-term format, and lack of resources needed to evaluate learning outcomes makes adequate assessment of continuing professional education problematic. This presentation explores alternative method that can be used to assess such programs. In the absence of measures of learning outcomes, evaluating students' use of learning strategies can be a useful proxy for assessing student learning outcomes and teaching quality in professional development programs.   This presentation is based on the doctoral study of a continuing professional program that utilized multiple surveys and observations to identify students’ level of learning strategies use. This research employs a person-centered approach to motivation-learning strategy clusters.

• Olga Chaban, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment from Admissions to Alumni Relations
Learners enrolled in online, hybrid, and blended programs require more than technology-enabled courses – they anticipate and expect an overall learning experience focused on their success. Support structures created for on-campus students do not always translate to students in online programs and the remote situation can often make support more necessary.  In addition, despite the advances in technology which improve accessibility, most programs still present barriers to students who have visual, auditory, cognitive, and/or physical disabilities that prevent them from gaining full benefit from learning opportunities. These barriers can occur anywhere in the learning lifecycle: admissions, enrollment, registration, financial aid, course work, student support, graduation, alumni – the full spectrum of academic and student services. Illustrated with real-life examples, this presentation will discuss how to ensure that all students are being appropriately served across their entire learning experience.

• Scott Ready, Blackboard

Empowering Teaching Excellence – Implementing Digital Badges for Faculty Development
Track: Program Planning & Implementation  || Level: Applied || Tag: Alternative Credentials; Best in Show: West || Location: GB 1-2
The ETE 10 program provides a framework of teaching-related experiences which can help instructors in the career-long process of developing expertise as a teacher. A growing body of literature supports the use of microcredentials and digital badging for faculty development in higher education, and a recent study suggests that microcredentialing is valuable in allowing participants to personalize learning goals by allowing instructors to personalize professional development and make it more individually meaningful. Learn how the ETE 10 program was planned and implemented to serve as a framework for instructors to engage in a variety of different teaching-related experiences, while incorporating the flexibility of personalize learning.

• Travis Thurston, Utah State University
• Erin Wadsworth-Anderson, Utah State University

Moderator: Melissa Thomas, Salisbury University

How Universities Are Responding to Trump Administration Policies on Immigration
Track: International  || Level: Strategic || Tag: Policy || Location: Laurel CD
This session will feature a panel of experts from universities, political advocates and strategic advisors for the education sector. Panelists will share their perspectives on the impact of Trump Administration policies on immigration are impacting students and scholars at colleges and universities. Participants will discuss in roundtables how their universities are responding to the policy changes and share with the larger group.

• Nora Lewis, University of Pennsylvania
• Kenneth Salomon, Thompson Coburn LLP
• Dennis DiLorenzo, New York University
• Kristen Reek, John Hopkins University
• Wayne Smutz, University of California, Los Angeles

Moderator: John Caron, Johns Hopkins University

System Models of Collaborative Distance Programs
Track: Online Administration  || Level: Strategic || Location: GB 7-8
Some university systems are moving to a collaborative approach to distance education in which multiple campuses contribute courses and administrative support to shared online programs. Systems structure their collaborative efforts in various ways, but typically share similar goals for doing so, such as cost-efficiency, increased accessibility or reducing program duplication. Revenue share models and administrative structures also reflect the cultures and goals of the campuses making up the university system. These collaborative efforts provide numerous benefits to students, participating campuses and the university system, but are not without challenges. In this interactive presentation, panelists will provide brief descriptions of the collaborative approaches taken by their university systems. They will address reasons for a collaborative approach, administrative structure, financial model and key challenges. The audience will be invited to engage with panelists in discussion about their collaborative efforts.

• Kim Siegenthaler, University of Missouri
• Susan Elkins, University of South Carolina
• David Schejbal, University of Wisconsin - Extension
• Chris Foley, Indiana University

Moderator: Antonius Bittmann, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Building the Disability Personas: A University Collaboration to Revolutionize Inclusive Practices
Track: Marketing, Enrollment & Student Services  || Level: Applied || Tag: Unlimited; Best in Show: Mid-Atlantic || Location: Dover AB
Join the Penn State Outreach and Online Education Disability Persona Team in an engaging conversation about how we use personas to start the conversation on building an inclusive and empathetic learning environment. We use these personas to help others engage in conversations, challenge their perspectives, and show how a university collaboration can make a difference in training, practices, and procedures.

• Terry Watson, Penn State University
• Sonya Woods, Penn State University

Moderator: Brandon Boulter, Johns Hopkins University

It Takes a Village: A Blueprint for Planning Successful Short-Term Study Abroad Programs
Track: International  || Level: Applied || Tag: Emerging Leaders || Location: Laurel CD
This session is for those who are responsible for developing, leading, or managing short-term education abroad programs. We will cover a full spectrum of topics from program development, risk mitigation, coveting institutional buy-in, design and implementation and everything in between. This session will also explore the roles and responsibilities of upper administration, faculty, staff, students, marketing, travel, operations, and external and overseas stakeholders.

• Balvinder Kumar, California State University, East Bay
• Brian Cook, California State University, East Bay

Moderator: Mary Angela Baker, Salisbury University

Program Planning & Implementation Network Professional Masters Showcase
Track: Program Planning & Implementation  || Level: Applied  || Location: Essex
Moderator: Khusro Kidwai, University of Maine

A Guide To Programming in the Professional Master's Degree Space
For more than two decades the number of master’s degrees granted in the U.S. has risen steadily. This trend is expected to continue with nearly one-third of the academic degrees awarded over the next ten years to come at the master’s level. Much of the anticipated continued growth will come from professional master’s programs—programs focused on developing advanced knowledge and professional skills that will help students advance in a current job or shift career orientation. This session will take a lively and engaging look at new opportunities in the professional master’s market.  We’ll examine where, why, and how the professional master’s degree has grown.  We will look at key trends in professional master’s programming, discuss what these trends portend for future programming, and introduce useful strategies, tools and tips for developing successful programs, building a professional master’s curriculum, and engaging faculty.

• Seth Meisel, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
• John Stone, University of Wisconsin-Extension

Collaborative Development of Standards for Excellence in Online Graduate Professional Programs
In fall of 2017 the University of Maine's Division of Lifelong Learning and the Graduate School received funding from the Provost's Office for the UMaine Graduate OnLine Degrees (UMaineGOLD) initiative. UMaineGOLD initiative's goal is to develop a comprehensive framework for designing online graduate professional programs of the highest quality. It is recognized that the success of UMaineGOLD hinges on the quality of collaborations between academic departments, Graduate School, and the Division of Lifelong Learning. This session describes the highly collaborative process of developing standards for UMaineGOLD. These standards included process information and artifacts, success metrics, and business processes in key areas of online program operations, including: market research; marketing; inquiry and enrollment advising; application processing; and course design. In this session, we describe the process of arriving at the UMaineGOLD Standards on the basis of standards developed by UPCEA, OLC, Quality Matters and other entities.

• Khusro Kidwai, University of Maine
• Monique LaRocque, University of Maine

Ethics By Design: Mission Driven Courses Across MPS degrees
The School of Continuing Studies at Georgetown University offers a range of Masters of Professional Studies degrees.  Given our mission-driven commitment to educating people for others, each degree includes an Ethics course, developed at the time the degree was launched. Our challenge was to create a collaborative redesign process to amplify the mission of the school across programs. Strong ethics courses connect each student with our mission, and animate their professional lives. In this session we will share information on our process that could be adapted to creating any global redesign with mission at its heart: our innovative design thinking process to achieve consensus among faculty; concrete outcomes and opportunities to share curricular elements; and next steps for continuing the work to ensure that our mission resonates across the curriculum.

• Uwe Brandes, Georgetown University
• Cynthia Chance, Georgetown University

Implementing Lean Six Sigma Strategies To Improve a Quality Management Degree Program
This session will discuss the deployment of Lean Six Sigma methodology and mindset to improve the Masters of Science and Bachelors of Science programs in Quality Management in the College of Extended and International Education at California State University Dominguez Hills. Lean Six Sigma techniques were used to improve program assessment and success metrics.  As a result, the curriculum and online delivery modality have improved significantly, along with student and faculty engagement.   Organizations across the world have achieved numerous benefits by deploying Lean Six Sigma. In this session, we will demonstrate how the application of Lean Six Sigma and the mindset of continuous improvement increased student and faculty satisfaction.

• Gurpreet Singh, California State University Dominguez Hills
• Lynda Wilson, California State University Dominguez Hills

Under the Hood of Degrees-at-Scale: The Georgia Tech Experience
Georgia Tech launched its second at-scale degree in August 2017, a $10,000 master of science in Analytics, building upon the successful model of its $7,000 master of science degree in Computer Science which now has 6,000 enrolled students. We are often asked how we are able to create programs that respond to the Iron Triangle challenge of higher education: cost, quality, and access. How do we keep the program affordable for a large number of students, who would not otherwise get this degree, while maintaining the excellence of the Georgia Tech brand? In this session, we will open the hood and share our recipe for success from multiple perspectives: learning design, student services, technology platform, as well as financial modeling. The program also provides a noncredit-to-credit pathway through an edX MicroMasters© degree, creating additional insight into understanding learner progression, lead generation, and a progressive program administration.

 

• Yakut Gazi, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Patrice Miles, Georgia Institute of Technology

Business & Operations Network UPCEA Talks: Data & Technology
Track: Business & Operations  || Level: Foundational  || Location: GB 9-10
Moderator: Teri Fuller, University of Denver

Building and Implementing an Digital Technology Roadmap: Bridging the Gap Between Institutional Objectives, Data Demands and Technology Selection
This session focuses on the importance of having a technology roadmap that incorporates current digital demands, online user experience of the student, considers data needs that are in disparate applications and requires the right technology tools to meet today’s continuing education demands.  The presenters will discuss the challenges institutions face with disparate data and managing a online student experience that encourages conversion and repeat enrollments using UCLA Extension as a case study.

• Wayne Smutz, University of California, Los Angeles
• Adnan Adamji, Xcelacore
• Mansoor Anjarwala, Xcelacore

REPORTER: An Enterprise Level Approach for Supporting Institutional Noncredit Activities
In the non-credit, outreach and engagement world, the lack of available automated or enterprise applications to manage the admission, enrollment, and financial transactions of participants is generally the reality. Despite institutions' commitment to operational efficiency, the majority of higher education management of non-credit programs and activities is fragmented and comprised of a disparate set of systems and processes. While the current decentralized structure keeps institutions adaptive and innovative, it confounds institutions’ ability to report, analyze their collaborative work, and to measure the impact of these efforts. Discover how NC State navigated the multi-year journey to our solution. We will share our experience as we moved from traditional off-the-shelf software approaches to an opportunity for digital transformation via an Application Platform as a Service , established business services standards and developed a customized enterprise level system. This presentation will provide experiences and lessons learned from customers, business services and IT.

• Adalia Sova, North Carolina State University
• Wendy Laing, North Carolina State University
• Jack Foster, North Carolina State University

The Workforce Development Apprenticeship: Developing Future Leaders for the Workforce Development Industry
Track: Community and Economic Engagement  || Level: Applied || Location: Dover C
The “Workforce Development Professional” state-registered apprenticeship program is the first of its kind in California and is opening pathways to provide training opportunities for workforce development employees to find higher wages, better benefits and more avenues to promotions. Learn how CSU Long Beach, Los Angeles and Sacramento, the California Workforce Association and the California Division of Apprenticeship Standards collaborated with industry leaders to combine job-related technical instruction with structured on-the-job learning experiences to deliver this exciting new program. This successful and innovative job training strategy produces graduates with the advanced skills needed to pursue more competitive jobs in the workforce development industry.

• Babette Jimenez, California State University, Sacramento
• Jenni Murphy, California State University, Sacramento
• Christine Irion, California State University, Sacramento
• Bob Lanter, California Workforce Association

Moderator: Gail Ruhland, St. Cloud State University

Research Roundtables
Level: Applied || Tag: Unlimited || Location: Kent AB
Moderator: Kate Ford, University of Maryland, University College

Adding Value: Data-Driven Decision Making
How can institutions that offer online or continuing education programs address the needs of students, potential students in the workforce seeking advancement or a career change, and employers? The University of Missouri has invested several million dollars since 2013 in new programs, as a request for proposal (RFP) process with MU's schools and colleges has resulted in nearly 30 new online program offerings. To assist academic units, the research unit at Mizzou Online has begun adding value for students and academic partners by producing market research and other reports upon request. This information is invaluable as it helps the academic unit determine whether an online program is viable prior to completing the RFP, or how to enhance an online program to improve career pathways and other outcomes for students. These reports provide information about online competitors, market demand, desired competencies, job titles, top employers, future projections and salary levels.

• Terrie Nagel, University of Missouri

Arizona State University: Using the CWiC Framework To Evaluate New Learning Technologies
In Summer 2017, Instructional D esigners and faculty at Arizona State University (ASU) used a combination of staff input, impact analysis and the interactive Courseware in Context (CWiC) Framework’s Feature Analysis to evaluate the impact of their use of Yellowdig, a social learning platform that adds a social layer on top of existing university and enterprise software to engage and incentivize students, on students’ performance. In this session, we will present the analysis that was conducted, explaining what was done, what was measured, and why it is important.  We will also explain how this relates to student learning outcomes, and how using a particular framework assisted ASU in evaluating learning software.

• Patrick Pettyjohn, Arizona State University
• Shaunak Roy, Yellowdig

Evidence and Exemplars of Effective Online Course Design-Delivery Administration
This session features the implementation and outcomes of a Quality Assurance for Online courses program across the 23-campus California State University. Since 2011, this involved development of a course design-delivery instrument, related professional development courses, and a cadre of certified peer reviewers for analysis, redesign, and certification of online courses. Continued program progression has led to development of an open access Quality Assurance Resource Repository (QuARRy) that serves to disseminate and inform effective practice through objectives-indexed exemplars. Another significant program feature is a Student Quality Assurance Impact Research (SQuAIR) effort through which the impact of QA professional development experiences and course certification on student success (e.g., course GPAs, Course Completion Rates, closing equity gaps) are measured. These analyses serve to both affirm and inform ongoing QA efforts and further validate online learning. Participants will be engaged around many program elements and resources available for adoption via Creative Commons.

• Brett Christie, California State University, Office of the Chancellor

 
How Do the Costs of Online Instruction Measure Up To Face-To-Face? Understanding the True Costs of Instruction
As funding for higher education tightens, institutional interest in online education continues to grow. But to many administrators, the costs to develop and deliver online courses can seem high in comparison to face-to-face instruction, as resources such as instructional designers, multimedia specialists, and programmers are added to the mix to ensure quality. Previous researchers have explored the costs related to providing online education, but have such examinations take all costs into account, particularly on the face-to-face side of the equation, to ensure a fair comparison? In this session, we will share an overview of past research findings, looking closely at the variables that are “counted” when assessing development and delivery costs. We will then engage the audience in a discussion that explores the gaps in the literature, working together to co-create a research agenda designed to help us all better understand the true cost comparisons and make better strategic decisions.

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

The National Student Clearinghouse Comes To Continuing Education
We recently learned about the National Student Data Clearinghouse and it was suggested we run our continuing education students at the BYU Salt Lake Center against it to learn more about their educational history and how the students’ participation with our unit fit into their overall educational journey. As soon as we learned about this possibility we knew we needed to share our findings. Some of the questions this clearinghouse is helping us answer include the following: Were these students who enrolled for a semester or two at our continuing education unit ever admitted to a degree-seeking program? Where were they before? Where did they go afterwards? How many institutions did they ultimately attend? Which ones? How many of them ultimately graduated with a bachelor’s degree? How long did it take them to receive a degree? What could our institution done more to retain the students longer?

• Julie Swallow, Brigham Young University

Future Ready: Aligning Internationalization Strategies With Emerging Growth Opportunities
Track: International  || Level: Strategic || Location: Atlantic
As institutions prepare for the impending “unbundling” of higher education, they are rethinking and innovating their portfolio of degree programs to complement with non-degree, professional training, intensive English and blended learning. This is especially critical in an environment of increasing competition for talent, resources and reputation. The future of international higher education is likely to be accelerated by institutional strategies that leverage partnerships, technology and insights to meet shifting student demand. This interactive panel discussion will bring together leaders from diverse institutional contexts on how they are experimenting with new models, prioritizing their resources and aligning their strategies to maximize the potential of global growth opportunities.

• Jeet Joshee, California State University, Long Beach
• Geraldine de Berly, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• GianMario Besana, DePaul University
• David Di Maria, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Moderator: Rahul Choudaha, StudyPortals

How to Create a Guerrilla Video Team In-House
Track: Marketing, Enrollment & Student Services  || Level: Foundational  || Location: Laurel AB
We’ve all seen the buzz around video marketing – increases email click through rates by 200-300 percent, increases conversion up to 80% when embedded in landing pages, and 90 percent of consumers report that video helps them with purchasing decisions. Now that you are convinced that video is a “must have” in your marketing mix, visit our session to learn how to create a cost effective, agile guerrilla video team in-house. We’ll help you answer common questions like: How do I find the right people? How much should I budget for equipment? What equipment should I get? What kind of projects should I undertake for the most effect, and how do I successfully tell my story?

• Zen Yieh, University of California Irvine Division of Continuing Education
• Russell Kawaguchi, University of California Irvine Division of Continuing Education

Moderator: Erica Lane, Harvard University

A Case Study for Insourcing Online Program Development and Support
Track: Online Administration  || Level: Strategic || Location: GB 7-8
There are several qualified providers occupying the space for turnkey online program development and support, and large volume programs that drive enrollments for a college or university are easy wins for this type of arrangement. But what about niche programs? Does your school have smaller enrollment degrees or certificates that you’d like to put online and wondering where to start? Are you looking for a solution that positions your unit to produce revenue and drive new enrollments? Come learn about our model that works collaboratively with schools and colleges across the university to make degrees from Syracuse University accessible to those who would not otherwise be able to attend. We’ll address topics like: administration, budget/funding, facilities, faculty/staff, ideation, and marketing/recruitment. Do you have a model that works at your institution? If so, come share your experience!

• Jim Gaffey, Syracuse University
• Karen Bull, Syracuse University
• Eileen Julian, Syracuse University
• Nichole Henry, Syracuse University

Moderator: Sarah Dysart, Loyola University of Chicago

Building Your Professional Profile
Track: Career Development  || Level: Strategic  || Location: GB 3-4
Your everyday job can be part of a bigger story. Learn about building your professional profile and actively shaping your career from those who’ve been there before. Hear about the key inflection points on their career paths, how to identify your own, and key steps you can take today to create the career opportunities you want for yourself, your teams, and your organization.

• Tom Kowalik, SUNY Binghamton (former); AGB
• Rod McDavis, AGB Search
• Susan Carkeek, Virginia Commonwealth University
• Amy Heitzman, UPCEA

Moderator: Bob Hansen, UPCEA

The Career Accelerator: Massively Expanding Noncredit Access at the University of Washington
Track: Program Planning & Implementation  || Level: Strategic || Tag: Alternative Credentials || Location: GB 1-2
The University of Washington’s Continuum College (UWC²) currently serves more than 55,000 learners per year. About 4500 of those are learning in noncredit certificates. Demand for the hottest programs is growing faster than Continuum College can add capacity. In fall 2017, UWC² launched our “Career Accelerator” (CA) to add capacity in key noncredit programs. Most of the 100 certificates offered by UWC² are offered part-time face-to-face and about 40% offer some form of online option. The CA Is massively expanding capacity by offering programs in 4 distinct formats (part-time face-to-face, accelerated face-to-face, part-time online, and self-paced online). Each format is designed to maximize the benefits of the approach but all formats align to the same outcomes. The flexibility of CA programs provides options for meeting the goals of global businesses and new student audiences. This session describes the CA rationale, the work to make it happen, and plans for next steps.

• Rovy Branon, University of Washington
• Sandra Janusch, University of Washington
• Andrew Hoover, University of Washington

Moderator: Alan Fiorello, University of Virginia

• Business and Operations Network Leadership Team (GB 1-2)
  • Presentation of the 11th Hour Award for Leadership
    
    
• Community and Economic Engagement Network Leadership Team (GB 9-10)
  • Presentation of the UPCEA Engagement Award
    
    
• International Network Leadership Team (Dover AB)
  • Presentation of the UPCEA Internation Program of Excellence Award
    
    
• Marketing, Enrollment, and Student Services Network Leadership Team (GB 3-4)
  • Presentation of the Dorothy Durkin Award for Strategic Innovation in Marketing and Enrollment Management
  • Presentation of the the UPCEA Award for Excellence in Advancing Student Success (Sponsored by InsideTrack)
    
    
• Online Administration Network Leadership Team (GB 7-8)
  • Presentation of the UPCEA Award for Strategic Innovation in Online Education
    
    
• Program Innovation Network Leadership Team (Essex)
  • Presentation of the Outstanding Program: Noncredit Award
  • Presentation of the Outstanding Program: Credit Award
    

Simone Ahuja, Ph.D.

DDS, Innovation Strategist and bestselling author of Jugaad Innovation and the forthcoming Disrupt It Yourself  

• 12:15-12:20PM: Presentation of the Adelle F. Robertson Continuing Professional Educator Award
• 12:20-1:45PM: General Session Presentation

Hosted by the UPCEA Diversity and Inclusiveness Committee

Lunch sponsored by Blackboard

Enrolling To Retain: Five Strategies to Improve Online Student Growth and Persistence
Track: Marketing, Enrollment & Student Services  || Level: Foundational || Tag: Best in Show: South || Location: Dover AB
Engaging a potential online learner who will persist to graduation requires a strategic approach to the enrollment process. In this session, learn five strategies for developing and implementing a successful process focusing on enrolling students geared toward graduating.

• Julie Delich, The Learning House, Inc.
• Daria Tecco LaTorre, Alvernia University

Moderator: Liz Fillman, Virginia Commonwealth University

PARTNER To Win/Win/Win: A Model for Successful Collaborations
Track: Program Planning & Implementation  || Level: Strategic  || Location: GB 1-2

This session explores the shared elements of two programs, the delivery of degree programs at local employer sites and the development of a non-credit business education program for architects. The success of collaborative programs requires an equal commitment from all, careful planning, an understanding of what each partner brings and commits (resources), identification/mitigation of risks, and the desire to meet a need with a creative (and innovative) solution that leverages open communication and transparency. Penn State Mont Alto and Temple University share the do’s and don’ts of effective collaborations through the PARTNER approach and a win/win/win orientation, including real-world examples and lessons learned. Participants will explore ideas for partnerships at their own campuses through a facilitated discussion and worksheet.

• Diane Chamberlin, Penn State University
• Helen McGarry, Penn State University
• Nicole Westrick, Temple University
• Laura Hricko, Temple University

Moderator: Jarrod Murray, Valdosta State University

Spatial Thinking and Strategic Decision-Making in Continuing Ed
Track: Marketing, Enrollment & Student Services  || Level: Foundational || Tag: Emerging Leaders || Location: GB 3-4
Spatial thinking harnesses the ability to use space to analyze demographic data for assisting in strategic planning, locating potential collaborations, and rethinking marketing strategies. To think spatially with regard to marketing continuing education programs is to consider location, distribution, associations, and networks. It is to question why people and institutions are located where they are and to visualize relationships that may or may not be obvious. Using ESRI’s ArcGIS, Google Earth, internal and external data, the Continuing Education Program at Temple University now performs software-based queries and analysis of the spatial distributions of our constituencies to visualize participant distributions, dispersion, and proximity, all of which can be used in planning. This interactive session will offer participants thought-provoking spatial-thinking activities, demonstrate both proprietary and free software for GIS and related inquiries, and discuss the results, to date, of our work in the office of Continuing Education at Temple.

• Betsy Reese, Temple University

Moderator: Joellen Shendy, University of Maryland, University College

Becoming a Data-Driven School To Create Value for Learners
Track: Business & Operations  || Level: Applied || Location: GB 9-10
Recently, the McKinsey Global Institute indicated that data driven organizations are 23 times more likely to acquire customers, six times as likely to retain those customers, and 19 times as likely to be profitable as a result. This presentation outlines the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies journey in establishing decision support tools across the life cycle of our students’ experience with the school. From enrolment forecasting, section planning, enrollment support services through to course evaluations and grade reports we will highlight the analytic tools and methods that support academic planning and decision making and how this has translates into creating value for our leaners. Discussion will also highlight the challenges the School faces in our quest to embrace value-driven decision-making. Using our experience as a case study, the presentation will also share guiding principles and proven practices to help your data analytics strategy a success.

• Steven Boyle, University of Toronto
• Michael Kung, University of Toronto

Moderator: Patrice Miles, Georgia Institute of Technology

Networks and Partnerships: Creating and Implementing Partnerships With Industry and the Community
Track: Community and Economic Engagement  || Level: Strategic  || Location: Dover C
This interactive session will use a case study to discuss a roadmap in the creation and implementation of successful interdisciplinary partnerships that address the needs of academia, professional learners, and the community. The case study will include the perspectives from different sectors (e.g. community, industry and academia) about how they worked together to create and implement success partnerships. The presentation will include the following topics: program overview, strategic planning, identifying needs and creating a collaborative environment, discussing corrective measures needed for evolving programs, and providing a general roadmap on how to approach partnerships. Participants will also complete a strategic planning exercise.

• Ana-Rita Mayol, University of Pennsylvania

Moderator: Janice Sitzes, North Carolina State University

Tales From the Old Country: The Fall and Rise of Continuing Education in England
Track: International  || Level: Applied || Location: Atlantic
Following a significant change to student financing rules in 2007 and subsequent significant course fee increases, the number of adult students engaged in England in part-time lifelong learning declined by 50 percent during the ensuing decade. At the same time around two thirds of the specialist continuing education units in English universities either closed or greatly reduced in scope. While documenting the causal factors and sectorial consequences of this decline, this session will focus on the increasingly optimistic policy landscape that is now beginning to emerge, particularly as UK Government, English regional economic development agencies, industry, communities and individuals reflect on the consequences that the Brexit referendum will have on the knowledge economy. The session will further consider the new Apprenticeship Levy and its likely impact on continuing education, and will utilize case studies from the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education to highlight a range of key issues.

• James Gazzard, University of Cambridge
• Emma Jennings, University of Cambridge

Moderator: Michael Huffman, Virginia Commonwealth University

Exponential Growth: Executive Ed At JHU's Carey Business School
Track: Marketing, Enrollment & Student Services  || Level: Strategic || Location: Laurel CD
With exponential growth, Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School has grown executive education exponentially over the past two years with no signs of slowing down. Learn how Carey achieved this growth and continues to innovate to meet market demand. As one of the fastest growing areas in higher education today, executive ed offers new opportunities for students and is highly aligned with employer demand. In this session, we will also share nationwide trends for professional and executive ed including where we see greatest demand, the impact exec ed can have on the university’s bottom line, examples of the top players both in and outside of higher ed, as well as some of the unique challenges that come with pioneering new models of education.

• Pam Williams, Johns Hopkins University
• Jacqueline Hammond, Blackboard

Moderator: James Novak, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Implementing Big Data CBE University CE Program As Job Engine for Millennials
Track: Program Planning & Implementation  || Level: Applied  || Location: Laurel AB
Looking at the intersection between competency-based CE Fast Tracks with high-end skills’ acquisition in areas of deep labour market shortages, and, Job Engines for our adult learners, this session simulates a successful Big Data Analytics program “in action”: a lab Makerspace with just-in-time customized learner support, expert practitioners, a virtual coach, labor market updates, soft skills mentorship, and career search support. The takeaway from participating experientially in this real-to-life, “creative practice” simulation consists of innovative, practical solutions to take back to our home institutions on the deeply relevant topic of “workforce demand” programs that become job engines for adult learners.

• Anne-Marie Brinsmead, Ryerson University
• Alex Ferworn, Ryerson University

Moderator: Dani Salvadori, University of the Arts London

Online Administration Network Deep Dive: Online Faculty Development
Track: Online Administration  || Level: Applied || Location: Essex
Moderator: Judee Richardson, University of Wisconsin-Extension

Flipping Our Feedback To Faculty: Leading Change and Promoting Camaraderie With Metrics in Competency-Based Education
Fueled by a desire to promote collegiality and positive reinforcements, the University of Wisconsin-Extension and University of Wisconsin Milwaukee joined together to develop a data-informed faculty improvement model. Rooted in a common desire to support student success, the model is designed to correct common faculty challenges that were inadvertent barriers to students in the UW Flexible Option competency-based education program. This idea and model came about for two main reasons: a strong preference for reinforcing desired versus correcting undesirable practices, and a commitment to designing a sustainable, continuous faculty improvement model for UW Flex. We will share our strategies, hiccups, and data during this interactive session.

• Judee Richardson, University of Wisconsin-Extension

Soaring To New Heights: Online and Hybrid Course Design Faculty Development
The Soaring with Online Learning Faculty Development program at Salisbury University has been assisting faculty in developing online and hybrid courses since 2005.  This presentation will explore the design of the faculty development program, the topics covered during the program, the application process and incentives for faculty, practical strategies applied for developing hybrid and online courses and ongoing efforts to keep faculty current with various strategies.

• Melissa Thomas, Salisbury University

Structures and Strategies for an Innovative Culture
Finding the right model for supporting and administering online programs takes time and experimentation. As Anderson University experienced tremendous growth in its online and blended programming during the last several years, the move from a decentralized model to a hybridized model has been led by the internal team who support the design, development, and delivery of online and blended programming across the institution. Through engaging and creative faculty development programming and incentives over the last six years, the Center for Innovation and Digital Learning has built momentum for a more innovative, entrepreneurial culture.  Building in that culture and a realignment of the Center's resources, we've implemented course and program coordinators across online and hybrid courses and programs in a step toward a more hybridized administration model.  This session will discuss strategies for building innovative, relevant educational experiences, creating structures to sustain them, and aligning funding to support it all.

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

Taming the C.O.L.T.: Getting Your Administrators To Improve Online Education
This open discussion will start with a brief presentation of C.O.L.T. (Coordinators of Online Learning and Teaching), a group of administrators and lead faculty responsible for managing online programs within their departments. The broad aim of the group is to improve online education by sharing best management practices and opening lines of communication between departments. The group discusses and resolves administrative issues that are common to all, as well as unique for different types of programs. This support network for online coordinators advises each other with the aim of continuous improvement for the whole community. Topics that may be discussed include: infrastructure, implementing systems, developing community to support and enrich online education, among others. It is believed that the C.O.L.T. model is both low cost and replicable for other colleges to build an online administrator professional community with knowledge and skills need to improve online education.

• Brian Redmond, Penn State University

The Evolution of a Comprehensive Online Faculty Development and Enagement Program
Many online programs have a basic certification requirement for their online faculty.  Is this enough?  Does it truly meet the professional development needs of your online faculty?  Learn about how Gwynedd Mercy University is taking a strategic approach to building a comprehensive faculty development program that supports and engages online faculty from initial hire and beyond.  Our program of robust faculty support has led to increased student satisfaction and retention with minimal investment of resources.  Share your experiences and gain new insights to support your faculty and by extension, your students' success.

• Mary Sortino, Gwynedd Mercy University
• Jill Winnington, Gwynedd Mercy University
  

Responding to the Changing Landscape of Professional, Continuing, and Online Higher Education
Level: Strategic || Tag: Unlimited || Location: GB 7-8

If the changing landscape of higher education has become a cliché in recent years, the need to respond to challenges associated with that change is no less urgent. Indeed, only those who proactively respond with innovation and creativity are flourishing. In this session, UPCEA’s Chief Research Officer Jim Fong will briefly share key insights from white paper (“The Changing Landscape of PCE”) he co-authored with Ray Schroeder and Jay Halfond. Leaders from three very different missions will then discuss the strategic environment they faced, and the innovations they developed in response. 

• Jim Fong, UPCEA Center for Research and Strategy
• Cynthia Belliveau, University of Vermont
• Jason Ruckert, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Becky Takeda-Tinker, CSU Global

Moderator: Bob Hansen, UPCEA

Tech Tips: Virtual Graduation with Telepresence Robots: IRL Considerations
How do your online students participate in campus activities such as graduation ceremonies? In 2017, Rutgers University successfully piloted graduation for online students through the use of telepresence technology via robots. Come and learn about the technical and logistical considerations of using this technology in real life (IRL).

Presenters:

• Priscilla Hockin Brown, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
  
• David Schober, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Roger Dooley

Creator and Publisher of Neuromarketing

• 3:15-3:20 PM: Presentation of the Outstanding Continuing Education Student: Credit Award
• 3:20-3:25 PM: Remarks from UPCEA President 2017-2018, Wayne Smutz
• 3:25-4:15 PM: General Session Presentation

Paths To Centralizing Support Services for Online Education: The Case of Rutgers
Track: Online Administration  || Level: Strategic || Location: Laurel AB
Having offered online education since 1996, Rutgers is taking some important steps towards centralizing support services for online teachers and learners university-wide. But the path from the early online experiments to a more structured and centrally controlled framework has been neither linear nor easy. In fact, several different developments have been converging to bring us to this place, much like pieces of a large mosaic coming together. These include, among others, the strategic development of fully online degree programs ("Rutgers Online"); the realignment of several instructional technology staff units under a newly formed entity within the Division of Continuing Studies ("Teaching and Learning with Technology"); the consolidation of technology licenses across the university; the search for a single Learning Management System; accessibility initiatives across all online courses and university websites; and increasing use of quality benchmarks in online education, including Quality Matters standards and the UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership.

• Antonius Bittmann, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Moderator: Donna San Miguel, California State University, San Marcos

Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Approach To Change
Track: Business & Operations  || Level: Applied || Tag: Best in Show: New England || Location: GB 9-10
Appreciative inquiry (AI) is based on a simple assumption that every organization has something that works right—and AI begins by identifying what is positive and connecting to it in ways that heighten energy and vision for change. This strength-based perspective is far more successful than one which is rooted in a focus on deficits. In this powerful session, discuss the unintended consequences of deficit or problem-based change approaches, and contrast them with the focus on using strengths to create shared positive images of future possibilities that underlies the AI theory and method.

• Deborah Mathews, University of Rhode Island
• Lori Herz, University of Rhode Island

Moderator: Edward Howard, Virginia Commonwealth University

Business & Operations Network UPCEA Talks: Faculty & Staff Development
Track: Business & Operations  || Level: Foundational || Location: Essex
Moderator: Janet Staker Woener, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Building an Adjunct Faculty Development Structure
With tight budgets and limited resources, the Wentworth Institute of Technology College of Professional and Continuing Education has defined a way to provide adjunct faculty the services and acknowledgement they seek. A faculty structure is presented that offers a path toward recognition, long-term teaching, development, and service opportunities.  The focus is on implementing, building, and maintaining the structure, as well as methods to partner with academic departments. Examples of the structure include faculty titles, service opportunities, and the correlation of course evaluation results to long-term teaching goals.  Research, data sources, and experiences are shared on which the structure is based. Benefits, challenges, and lessons learned are reviewed. Attendee input on successful strategies from their home institutions will be solicited through the conference and spotlighted within the presentation.

• Kimberly Hall, Wentworth Institute of Technology

 
Building and Developing a Faculty Body
What does it mean to be a 'school?' UVA's School of Continuing and Professional Studies tackled this question seven years ago. One step towards answering the question: establishing a faculty body beyond the pool of hundreds of wage faculty.  This session will cover the steps taken, the benefits gained and lessons learned.

• Cindy Reed, University of Virginia
• Ray Johnson, University of Virginia
• Barbara Kessler, University of Virginia

Strengthening Your Inner Core:  Implementing a Mentorship Program That Is Valued By Staff
Successful organizations today rely on strong teams and the ongoing development of staff. Staff look for unique opportunities to increase their skill set; mentoring is one such opportunity.  Implementing a Mentorship Program in your unit can provide staff the ability to broaden their work perspective and produce the ability for staff to connect with a more seasoned staff member so that they can grow professionally.  This session will begin with a research-based introduction to mentoring, and provide guidelines for what is good, or effective (and bad, or ineffective) mentoring in the context of continuing and professional education.  The purpose and value of an internal mentoring program will also be discussed.  Presenters will share the model and process that they used to implement a mentoring program in the Rutgers Division of Continuing Studies, share lessons learned, and explore participant/program outcomes based on interviews and surveys of the pilot study.

• Barbara Rusen, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• David Shernoff, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Pedagogy To Practice: Competency Based Staff Development Models
Learn how the University of Maryland University College's Office of the Registrar is using AACRAO's Professional Competencies as the foundation for a competency based staff professional development model. This program uses a industry aligned set of competencies tied with a project-based approach, including rubrics and assessments, to allow staff to grow and demonstrate targeted competencies. In this session, you will learn  how to leverage existing resources to engage and guide staff in ways that mirror our pedagogical competency based methods. See how, with facilitated discussion, this framework can be modified to meet the unique needs of your office.

• Insiya Bream, University of Maryland University College
• Joellen Shendy, University of Maryland University College

Higher Ed Technology Trends Impacting Teaching and Learning
Track: Online Administration  || Level: Applied || Tag: Emerging Leaders || Location: GB 7-8
From cloud-based resources and wearable technologies to augmented and virtual reality and driverless vehicles, a steady stream of technological advances will continue to impact learning in unexpected ways. We will discuss the latest technology trends in higher education and how they will impact the online and traditional classrooms while exploring student-centered learning and heutagogical practices. The concept of heutagogy expands our current thinking of pedagogy and andragogy to look at self-determined learning. Emerging technologies support heutagogy by making learning more pervasive and ubiquitous, giving learners more opportunities to determine what, where, when and with whom learning takes place. Connecting information from a variety of fields and individuals is necessary to add depth and breadth to the self-determined learner's knowledge base. As educators, we can create the curiosity to find and explore connections between many sources while using emerging technologies that can lead learners to new knowledge and enhanced learning. As the need to justify technology expenditures grows, the presenters will share results of a case study of learning at scale at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and how multimedia learning was used to improve learning performance.

• Adam Fein, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Jose Vazquez, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Vickie Cook, University of Illinois at Springfield
• Ray Schroeder, University of Illinois at Springfield
• Michele Gribbins, University of Illinois at Springfield

Moderator: Nancy Coleman, Wellesley College

Bridging Programs for Internationally Educated Professionals: Connecting Communities, Campus, and Labor Market Demands
Track: Community and Economic Engagement  || Level: Foundational || Location: Dover C
Every year, Ontario receives a significant number of highly educated immigrants. Skilled immigrants bring with them higher education, valuable skills, and work experience. However, once they arrive, internationally educated professionals (IEPs) face significant labor integration challenges such as lack of Canadian work experience; lack of knowledge about Canadian workplace practices; limited professional networks; systemic challenges related to professional regulatory bodies; and employer’s inability to correctly interpret and assess an IEP’s prior education and work experience. Universities have an important role in bridging the gaps between this skilled immigrant-talent pool and Ontario’s employers. Ontario Universities responded to this challenge through the implementation of Bridging Programs for internationally educated professionals. We will discuss what we learned in creating sustainable bridging programs in a variety of professional areas and identify broader implications for supporting pathways between institutions, diverse populations and the labor market.

• Jose A. Garcia, Ryerson University

Moderator: Mercedes Ponce, Florida International University

Bridging Oceans: Creating Culturally Sustainable Curriculum Models in Global Education
Track: International  || Level: Applied || Location: Atlantic
High quality education, with robust educational outcomes, strong collaboration and strategic curriculum delivery, is not solely an American desire. Thousands of students and educational professionals around the world travel the globe to achieve such a dream. We have seen it first hand as part of the Galileo-Saudi Arabia Educational Leadership Project. With decades of educational experience, we knew that freshly designed curriculum models would be required to reach and teach this new level of global learner - individuals with strong educational pedagogy, curriculum paradigms, and delivery systems through their own experiences, yet seeking a more global, research-based perspective. We developed robust curriculum models that proved highly effective while being culturally sensitive and allowing room to build their own individual capacity for educational growth. We look forward to sharing some of these effective curriculum models in the hopes of expanding international partnerships and enhancing global education and discussions.

• Anne Donato, Oakland University
• Suzanne Klein, Oakland University

Moderator: Gian Mario Besana, DePaul University

Analyze This! How To Transform Data Into Insights
Track: Marketing, Enrollment & Student Services  || Level: Applied || Location: GB 3-4
Evidence-driven decision making is recognized as an effective approach in strategic and operational planning. Despite the hype surrounding data analytics, institutional data remains underutilized. Ryerson University has an established reputation of being a progressive urban institution delivering learning that is aligned to labour market needs. With extensive use of analytics, the institution proactively responds to emerging societal, economic and industry needs and pedagogical innovations to maintain an advantage in a competitive landscape. This session will share a range of strategies in utilizing institutional data, and showcase successful practices for collecting business intelligence. The presentation will illustrate that evidence-driven outcomes enable iterative improvements, replicability, enhanced accountability, and just-in-time interventions to optimize programming. The presenters will take the audience through a spectrum of data applications, and highlight primary and secondary research methodologies used to inform program development. Through a variety of examples, common challenges and strategies for addressing them will be provided.

• Dijana Praskac, Ryerson University
• Jean de Sousa-Hitzler, Ryerson University

Moderator: James Duguid, Anderson University

MicroMasters Articulating To Your Master's Degrees
Track: Program Planning & Implementation  || Level: Strategic || Location: GB 1-2
There are 40 MicroMasters from 24 universities on edX. The host university will accept credit for MicroMasters if learners complete the verified certificate, take the proctored exams, apply, and are admitted to the master’s program. At MIT, the MicroMasters in Supply Chain Management (SCM)has completed its first cycle with over 600 graduated learners in May 2017. It has greatly improved the supply chain management graduate program’s applicant pool. About 130 of these graduated learners applied to MIT and 40 were accepted to the blended master’s program. MIT has collaborated with a few other universities that also recognize the SCM MicroMasters credential to their graduate programs. There are still many highly qualified learners who are in need of getting into graduate programs somewhere. Where will they continue their studies?

• Hunt Lambert, Harvard University
• Tracy Tan, MIT Open Learning

Moderator: Rich Novak, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Lifelong Learning in Summer Sessions: The Role of Online and Continuing Education Units
Track: Program Planning & Implementation  || Level: Strategic || Location: Dover AB
Participation in summer and winter sessions serves to instill appreciation for lifelong learning in our students. These intersessions vary in size, structure and voice within their institutions, but share a commitment to student success, innovation, and lifelong learning, and the twin goals of revenue generation and support of their university's academic mission. Despite reduced state funding, budget cuts, and decentralized budget systems, successful summer sessions can meet fiscal responsibilities for self-support and entrepreneurial activity. In this interactive session, summer and winter session leaders at three large public research universities will discuss their common continuing education mission and the challenges and opportunities each face in achieving it. Panelists will share the strategies they use to build and refine their summer programs and develop new revenue streams in alignment with the strategic goals of their universities. Audience members are invited to share their own experiences and questions in this engaging session.

• Soma Chakrabarti, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Elizabeth Beasley, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• Keith Bailey, West Virginia University

Moderator: Pat Matthews, Washington University in St. Louis

Federal Update: A Busy Year in Washington
Tag: Policy || Location: Laurel CD
Please join us for a session that will discuss the varied and busy education agenda in Washington. We’ll start with an update on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which cleared the House education committee in December and is now under active consideration by the Senate education committee. From there, we’ll provide an overview of the major rulemakings underway at the US Department of Education, directly from one of the actual negotiators. Finally, we’ll cover the changed landscape of net neutrality, including its impact on higher education and potential paths forward in Congress. Hear from legal and policy experts on a host of topics that all institutions should be following!

• Aaron Lacey, Thompson Coburn LLP
• Christopher Murray, Thompson Coburn LLP
• Kristin Smith, Thompson Coburn LLP

Moderator: Scott Weimer, Virgina Polytechnic and State University

Balancing Work, Family, and a Terminal Degree: Completion Strategies for Professional Development Professionals (Or, UPCEA Members as Nontraditional Degree Seekers)
Track: Career Development  || Level: Applied || Tag: Emerging Leaders || Location: Kent AB
This interactive discussion will provide you with insights on how to balance the demands of a 40+ hour/week job, family/personal life, and the pursuit of a terminal degree. Whether contemplating the journey or already under way, this session will help you see it to completion and avoid becoming ABD.

• Julie Uranis, UPCEA
• Janice Sitzes, North Carolina State University
• Karen Bull, Syracuse University
• Gail Ruhland, St Cloud State University

Moderator: Amy Heitzman, UPCEA

Central Regional Business Meeting
Location: Essex A-C

Mid Atlantic Regional Business Meeting
Location: GB 9-10

New England Regional Business Meeting
Location: GB 7-8

South Regional Business Meeting
Location: GB 1-2

West Regional Business Meeting
Location: GB 3-4

Serving Those Who Have Served
Track: Community and Economic Engagement  || Level: Foundational || Location: Dover C
MyCAA, TA, GI Bill...oh my! Are you ready to serve those who have served? Do you need a crash course on demystifying distinct military benefits and their various audiences? If your department has a goal to support the military community and you would like to understand the breadth of what is possible with non-credit course offerings, this is your session! Join an informative discussion on how your institution can make a difference supporting military learners and their families. This session will also touch on the recent announcement of the Forever GI Bill and how it further inspires the call to action. Enroll more students, bring in new revenue, and establish meaningful career pathways that properly align with the various benefits.

• Haywood Gordon, World Education LLC
• Chip Futrell, North Carolina State University

Moderator: Carol Fleming, James Madison University

International Collaboration Through the Latin American & European Continuing Education Network (RECLA)
Track: International  || Level: Strategic || Location: Dover AB
International collaboration is a key success factor on the present and future of Continuing Education, among academic institutions involved in this field. To create significant contributions, the Latin American and European Continuing Education Network (RECLA) – created over 20 years ago – promotes different initiatives among its members. Such initiatives have allowed these institutions to enrich their continuing education value proposition, while sharing experiences, best practices and creating collaboration initiatives to improve the state of the art of this academic field in the region. Through this presentation, the main characteristics, results and impact created by RECLA are outlined. Also, the specific experience of Tecnológico de Monterrey – a Mexican university and active member of RECLA – is presented. The projects, collaboration and results achieved represent relevant findings for future work to be performed, to enrich university-based continuing education as a key success factor for professional development.

• Marco Serrato, Tecnologico de Monterrey

Moderator: Aaron Guy, California State University, San Marcos

Guiding Student Success: One Course At a Time
Track: Marketing, Enrollment & Student Services  || Level: Applied || Location: Laurel AB
Adult students who enroll in Penfield College of Mercer University have faced significant barriers that prevented them from completing their educational goals. In fall of 2015, as part of its retention program, the College began requiring all new adult learners to enroll in a newly redesigned student success course, “The Culture of the University.” This 3 credit hour course was designed to help adults transition smoothly to Mercer and to foster their academic success and professional growth. The course is taught by carefully selected faculty and offered to students in face-to-face, hybrid, and online delivery formats. Presenters will share lessons learned, strategies used to gain faculty and student services support, instructional approaches used to achieve the course’s learning objectives, and feedback from students and faculty regarding their perception of the value of the course. Presenters will also share data on the course’s impact on student success and retention.

• Gail Johnson, Mercer University
• Lynn Clemons, Mercer University

Moderator: Antonio Quarterman, University of Pittsburgh

From None To Known: A Five-Year Journey Launching Online Education
Track: Online Administration  || Level: Applied || Location: Laurel CD
About five years ago, Ohio State created the Office of Distance Education and eLearning to coordinate and advance the institution's online efforts. Starting a centralized unit in a decentralized institution required effective strategies and relationships to achieve the highest priority needs across building infrastructure, programming, compliance, and marketing, all the while building and achieving buy-in among university colleagues. This panel discussion and open conversation reflects on the journey, the successes and ah-ha moments, that attendees can use to reflect on their own institutional set-up and best practices.

• Robert Griffiths, Ohio State University
• Lucy Ramos, Ohio State University
• Lisa Siefker, Ohio State University
• Jennifer Simmons, Ohio State University

Moderator: Steve VandenAvond, Northern Michigan University

The 60-Year Curriculum
Track: Program Planning & Implementation  || Level: Strategic || Location: GB 3-4
UPCEA members serve students across their learning life. Many institutional leaders are trying to understand what it would mean to purposefully curate a learner's learning opportunities in a future environment of 110-year life spans, half of jobs being obsolete every ten years, learners expecting to have 20-40 jobs in 3-5 distinct career paths, badges, block chain type credentialing and unbundled education. No one yet knows what the 60-year curriculum is, but we do know it has important dimensions that we need to identify and articulate with peers.

• Hunt Lambert, Harvard University
• Dennis DiLorenzo, New York University
• Rovy Branon, University of Washington
• Gary Matkin, University of California, Irvine

Moderator: Thomas Gibbons, Northwestern University

What Can Loan Default Rates Tell Us About the Future Job Market?
Track: Program Planning & Implementation  || Level: Strategic || Tag: Alternative Credentials || Location: GB 1-2
Student loan defaults in the U.S. has been a largely ignored issue and often passed on to government and defaulters to address.  However, with a new administration and impending changes, how can professional, continuing and online education units be best prepared.  This session reviews factors that may be associated with student loan defaults and through the Chmura Student Loan Default Model isolates a number of potential determinants.  The results have been organized in a whitepaper and a discussion around occupations and credentials will be part of the session.

• Jim Fong, UPCEA
• Christine Chmura, Chmura Economics & Analytics

Moderator: Ted Rockwell, University of Colorado, Boulder

Leaders Leading Through Corporate and Government Relationships
Track: Community and Economic Engagement  || Level: Strategic || Location: GB 9-10
Taking your unit to the next level of revenue generation can happen through contract training of your corporate and government partners. In this session paticipants will hear from a current President and CEO and a former Dean on how to identify, oversee and operate long-term community partnerships. Learn how to build strong and sustainable corporate relationships, the benefit of setting up contract training programs, and the best practices for streamlining the process.

• John Maykoski, Graduate School USA
• Meni Sarris, Jenzabar

Moderator: Dee Masiello, Boston College

Institutional Innovation Roundtables: Sponsor Spotlight
Location: Kent AB
Institutional Innovation Roundtables are synchronous, table-based, small-group, guided discussions about a specific institutional case study or program innovation, presented by representatives from each of the Institutional Sponsors of the 2018 Annual Conference during one hour-long concurrent session. Roundtable presenters share their experiences and ideas and then promote the sharing of thoughts, solutions, and questions among their table’s attendees. More details can be found in the conference app.

•  UMBC
•  UCLA
•  NYU
•  JHU (tentative)

Moderator: Brandan Kaiser, UPCEA

Bringing Mobility Skills To the Forefront: A Critical Role for Professional and Continuing Education
Track: Program Planning & Implementation  || Level: Applied || Tag: Emerging Leaders || Location: GB 7-8
Soft skills, non-cognitive skills, nontechnical skills, interpersonal proficiency are terms used to describe the ‘people skills’ identified by employers as essential for success in today’s workplace. A more current term, mobility skills, describes how these skills help learners move laterally (across disciplines) as well as vertically (within them). Despite the growing need, employers increasingly complain of a gap in these skills in new graduates. Why are they underdeveloped in higher education, and what can professional and continuing education units do to address this need? This session will propose answers to those questions and inspire others to take action through highlighting national and international work on mobility skill development in higher education, and through providing examples from the University of Utah and the nonprofit Education Design Lab of initiatives to develop and authenticate mobility skills in both adult learners and degree-seeking students.

• Sandra Janusch, University of Washington
• Andrea Miller, University of Utah
• Don Fraser, Education Design Lab

Moderator: Barbara Kessler, University of Virginia

• Meet & Greet with 2018 Association Award Recipients

Tech Tips: The Whiteboard – Reimagined!
Google’s created a cool new piece of technology for online collaboration via an electronic white board that can connect people across distances, and also keep the in-class experience more engaging. The Google Jamboard will be displayed for a demo as to how PCO units can use this with their teams and students.

• 11:15-11:20 AM: Presentation of theExcellence in Teaching + Research and Scholarship Award
• 11:20-11:25 AM: Remarks from UPCEA President 2018-2019, Sandi Pershing
• 11:25-12:15 PM: General Session Presentation

Adjourn