Program Planning and Implementation Track

Designing for Diverse Audiences: Leveraging Personas
Level: Foundational
Location: Redwood
Personas can be used to inform processes across higher education, including admissions, marketing, instruction, and student outreach by creating learner-centric, tailored experiences. These products meet the needs of diverse learners by delivering authentic, relevant content that speaks to individual learners’ demographics, professional situations, and academic aspirations. Learn how two institutions leverage personas to influence all aspects of program delivery, including program design, development, and student recruitment. Take away practical tools that you can implement at your organization.

• Andrea Schaumann, Rollins College
  
• Juan Mavo-Navarro, University of Toronto
  
• Jen Gordon, University of Toronto

Moderator: Inez Bush, Otis College of Art & Design

Increase Enrollment and Reduce Costs: Using Market Data to Evaluate Academic Programs
Level: Strategic
Location: Willow B
Learn how to use market data, including information on student demand, employment, competition, and program margins, to improve the productivity of your program portfolio and restore growth to a mature program. Purdue University and Wiley Education Services will share how they leveraged insights on student demand to grow their MS in Communications program without investing heavily in added resources. Marquette University and Gray Associates will focus on the process used to make better, faster program decisions that were supported by the faculty and administration. 

• David Capranos, Wiley Education Services
• Bart Collins, Purdue University
  
• Steve Probst, Gray Associates, Inc.
  
• Carrianne Hayslett, Marquette University

Moderator: Jill Klein, American University

Best in Show New England: Practical Strategies for Motivating and Retaining Post-Traditional Online Learners
Tag: Emerging Leaders
Location: Issaquah
This session will focus on strategies for designing instruction for the post-traditional learner that promotes retention and motivation. Starting from an overview of the recent research on retention and motivation strategies specific to this student population, we will explore as a group practical applications of this research. Participants will be encouraged to share best practices they have developed that support the success of a diverse population of students.

• Paul Cochrane, University of Southern Maine

Moderator: Stacy Chiaramonte, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Chair, UPCEA New England Region

Going the Distance: Providing Meaningful Support for Faculty at Every Level
Level: Applied
Location: Willow B
In this session, we’ll explore approaches two teams take to foster trusting relationships with faculty to help prepare them to deliver meaningful online experiences for their diverse student populations. We’ll discuss the layers of support provided to meet faculty where they are and to accommodate for their varying needs, objectives, availability, and experience. We discuss the importance of trust and relationship building to empower faculty to innovate and be lifelong learners, much like their own students. We will also outline the roles and team structure essential to providing this level of support at scale.

• Kerry Foley, Harvard University
  
• Karina Lin, Harvard University
  
• Allan Guenther, University of Alabama
  
• Cheryl Bosarge, University of Alabama
  

Moderator: Joan Halsey, Washington State University

Research Roundtables
Location: Cedar
Research Roundtables are table-based, small-group, guided discussions about a specific and timely topic, question, or issue facing professional, continuing, or online education. Roundtable presenters share their experiences and ideas and then promote the sharing of thoughts, solutions, and questions among table’s attendees. This session will host a series of synchronous conversations:

Moderator: Emily Lewis, Indiana Wesleyan University

Best Online Practices that Correlate with Achievement in an Undergraduate STEM Course
Level: Foundational
Given the rapid growth in institutions providing online degree programs, establishing a strong foundation and research base about how the design and implementation of online courses affects student achievement is critical, in order for online education to get rid of the negative reputation that it sometimes carries. As a step toward this goal, our purpose was to present how we design a STEM course and to investigate how much our design contributed to student achievement.

Emma Brady, University of Florida



The Impact of Alternative Credentials
Level: Foundational
This study focused on the value, impact, effectiveness, and accessibility of alternative programs for nontraditional students. With the number of nontraditional students entering higher education today it is more important than ever to ensure that students are aware of their options and have a realistic understanding of what they need to do to be qualified for their preferred career.

Kate White, California State University, East Bay

A Tale of Two Strategies: Innovative Assessments Supporting Competency-Based Learning
Level: Applied
Location: Willow A
Boosting the value of today’s higher education system and preparing students for life means adopting practical and applied approaches to education. This session shares two complementary strategies for offering competency-based education (CBE) programming with a convergence around confidence-based learning and assessment strategies. A well-defined assessment strategy takes into account organizational goals, affordances, and constraints, and can provide personalized and adaptive learning experiences, along with innovative degree and learning options. Our first case study will examine processes and practices to shift towards CBE at the program level, while our second case will explore applications of CBE that complement existing pedagogical frameworks.

• Matt Devlin, University of Toronto
  
• Robert Wagner, Utah State University
  
• John Louviere, Utah State University
  
• Rene Eborn, Utah State University

Moderator: Nancy Salzman, Brandman University

Influence of Organizational Structure and Communication and Design Strategies on New Program Development Processes
Level: Applied | Tag: Emerging Leaders
Location: Redwood
Most continuing education units have well-defined program approval processes, but this can include for-credit or non-credit, undergraduate or graduate, summer, custom, executive, online, hybrid, workshop, and other offerings. Given this complexity, how do units organize themselves to efficiently explore, propose, and implement new programs? How is the idea generation phase supported? Who works on new development initiatives? Do organizational networks facilitate the exchange of information? What are best practices in program design and implementation processes? Hear what’s worked (or hasn’t worked) at five different academic institutions and then engage in lively discussions to help identify best practices in program development.

• Ilan Jacobsohn, The New School
  
• Shira Richman, The New School
  
• Janice Sitzes, North Carolina State University
  
• Chip Futrell, North Carolina State University
  
• Kelly Newell, Washington State University
  
• Gail Ruhland, St. Cloud State University
  

Moderator: Ursula Bechert, University of Pennsylvania

Re-positioning and Re-engineering the Liberal Arts Degree
Level: Applied | Tag: Emerging Leaders
Location: Metropolitan Ballroom
As our education ecosystems continue to emphasize and push people toward STEM degrees and training and away from the liberal arts, what can and should liberal arts programs do? Do liberal arts programs have a place in our skill-based economy? It is well-known that demand for technical skills that come from STEM programs is high, but can liberal arts colleges and programs better position what they offer to better position students for success? Recent research indicates that the demand exceeds supply for jobs related to artificial intelligence, robotics and analytics, professions requiring a liberal arts degree may be decreasing. UPCEA and Emsi are conducting research with recent liberal arts graduates and employers to determine new strategies for the future liberal arts graduate in the new economy.

• Jim Fong, UPCEA
• Rob Sentz, Emsi

Moderator: Daria LaTorre, Alvernia University

Trends in Innovation and Improvements to Noncredit Programs
Level: Applied
Location: Issaquah
Continuing education has seen major transformations in program development and delivery, particularly with the growth of online education. In this open discussion round-table session, participants will learn about examples of innovative program design focused on action-learning in a manufacturing environment and programs designed to scale, and ways in which outcomes like student retention and engagement can be improved. Participants are then invited to discuss current and emerging trends in non-credit continuing education and to share ideas on how different institutions address these changes.

• Paul Del Piero, University of Washington
• Naomi Bogenschutz, University of Washington
• Lalitha Subramanian, University of Washington
• Tish Miller, MIT Professional Education
• Eszter Szabó, Arconic
• Sandra von Doetinchem, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa

Moderator: Kim McNutt, California State University, Dominguez Hills