Program Planning and Implementation Network Track

Does It Have to be 100% Online? – Explore How Hybrid Enhances Online Learning
International Ballroom East | Program Planning and Implementation | Foundational | eDesign Collaborative
As you plan for the future hybrid learning experiences trend, you are invited to join the Baylor team to learn how they have successfully integrated hybrid learning experiences. The session will provide a framework based on recent research and insights into identifying programs that would benefit from a hybrid experience, how to scale hybrid programs, the long-term benefits of developing affinity and belonging within these programs, the ins and outs of study abroad and intracontinental travel experiences, and how to successfully communicate and differentiate these learning experiences to prospective students to achieve the ultimate goal of enrollment and retention.

• Lesa Lawson, Baylor University
• Kate Blom-Lowery, Baylor University
• Victor Lopez, Baylor University

Moderator: Meni Sarris, Spur

Building Learner Outcomes with Stackability: Stories from the Field
Lincoln East | Program Planning and Implementation | Strategic |
Join an esteemed panel of visionaries from University of Colorado Boulder, University of Illinois, and University North Texas, who have built successful online degrees with stackable credentials and non-credit course ecosystems that expand the boundaries of a traditional degree. Hear the latest learner research from Coursera that quantitatively demonstrates the value of stackability in driving degree enrollments and providing value to learners. By the end of the session, audience members will have: A data-driven understanding of how stackability supports learners, Actionable insights on how to incorporate stackability and non-credit courses into degrees, Key learner insights to help inform program design

• Amanda Brantner, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Adam Fein, University of North Texas
• Robert McDonald, University of Colorado Boulder
• Quentin McAndrew, Coursera

 Moderator: Chris Edwards, MindEdge

Social Justice in Online Course Design: Impacting the Student Experience of Inclusion
Lincoln East | Program Planning and Implementation | Applied | Diversity & Inclusion
Student experience of inclusion in online courses may be impacted through the targeted application of key principles of social justice through the design process. This session presents an overview of the use of social justice principles to guide course design, strategies for preparing subject matter experts to apply these principles in their work and an analysis of future directions for the revision of curricula as informed by best practices for social justice.

• Donna Dimatteo-Gibson, Adler University

Moderator: Javier Motta-Mena, University of Texas at Austin

Innovation through Supportive Relationships
International Ballroom East | Program Planning and Implementation | Foundational |
Conferences are wonderful places to interact with professional colleagues to enhance skills and grow professional expertise. But while we learn much in conference sessions, we also gain much from less formal interaction with colleagues through hallway conversations, shared meals, and late-night conversations. Often we come home from a conference on a high, but slowly come down as the pressure of everyday life returns. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., a group of UPCEA's Professional and Continuing Education professionals from diverse institutions created a monthly virtual group to support each other through unprecedented times and change. Based on adult learning theory and design thinking concepts, this group, which still is going strong 2.5 years later, operates as a collaborative, non-hierarchical community of practice. Each member is able to identify pressing issues to discuss and brainstorm, including program design, program promotion, and program implementation. Since the group’s launch, many creative and innovative ideas and approaches have emerged from these informal meetings. This session helps participants explore ways to create and maintain supportive professional relationships to fuel and sustain innovation.

• Sandra von Doetinchem, University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Christopher Cellars, University of Washington
• Inez Bush, Otis College of Art & Design
• Vanessa Williams, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Moderator: Paul Huckett, Johns Hopkins University

Quick March! How to Expand Access, Increase Diversity and Support Students at Your PCO Unit
Lincoln East | Program Planning and Implementation | Applied | Diversity & Inclusion
This session compares the road maps followed by the University of Minnesota and the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. to increase their enrollments while improving their records on accessibility and diversity. Presenters will furnish statistics on participation by different groups of learners, such as minorities in general, underrepresented minorities in particular, women, students with a high school diploma as well students with non-traditional career paths in the boot camps that are offered in collaboration with 2U/edX. They will also provide data on employment outcomes of the graduates and the services students receive.

• Brian Torkkola, University of Minnesota
• Nicola Wilkin, University of Birmingham, U.K.
• Jason Zocks, 2U/edX

Moderator: Saira Cooper, Rice University

Multimedia Integration and its Pedagogical Benefits: Dedicated Spaces and VR Innovations
International Ballroom East | Program Planning and Implementation | Foundational | eDesign Collaborative
This session will consist of two presentations that discuss the importance of multimedia in online learning environments. In the first presentation, Kate Durden (West Florida) will outline the benefits of providing faculty with access to multimedia resources and implementation specialists, share strategies for working with faculty to increase multimedia integration in online courses, and provide simple and scalable solutions for creating a multimedia support space. In the second presentation, Aviva Doery (UArizona) and Caleb Simmons (UArizona) will discuss the benefits of virtual reality (VR) in enhancing remote education and provide an overview of the tools necessary to invest in and utilize innovative VR technologies. Participants will leave this session with a broad understanding of best practices for developing dedicated multimedia spaces and for recording and utilizing 360-degrees content in the classroom. No previous knowledge of studio design, VR, or immersive learning tools is necessary.

• Aviva Doery, University of Arizona
• Caleb Simmons, University of Arizona
• Kate Durden, University of West Florida
• Robert Stephan, University of Arizona

Moderator: Kellie Artis, Virtual Veterans Communities

Using Market Data To Prioritize Programs
International Ballroom West | Program Planning and Implementation | Foundational |
How can you use publicly available data to prioritize programs? In this session we will discuss how to 1) capture a landscape in which your programs will operate; 2) create a road map that will help you differentiate your programs in a crowded market; and 3) look in the (rear view) mirror to understand what your audience thinks of you. The secret to using publicly available data is to have multiple points of comparison. We will work through examples to see how this can be leveraged in a powerful way resulting in good program choices.

• Scott Jeffe, Ruffalo Noel Levitz
• Andrea Carrol-Glover, Ruffalo Noel Levitz
• Rachel Carlton, Lakeland University

 Moderator: Whitnie Powell, Indiana University

Awards Presentations | Outstanding Program: Noncredit Award; Outstanding Program: Credit Award

Spotlight Session | The New Normal and How to Get There!
International Ballroom East | Program Planning and Implementation | Policy |
At NYU's School of Professional Studies we are in the process of redesigning our school for the future. Our courses and services are being aggressively reviewed and updated. We will discuss the scale and how and why this is needed for online and onsite programs. We are implementing PLA plans across the board to make degrees far more accessible. It means a new role in online and on site programming and services. The session will discuss in detail what is working and what has not.

• Ann Clarkson, New York University

Moderator: Vanessa Williams, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Creating Learner-Centered Micro-credential Programs With Design Thinking
International Ballroom East | Program Planning and Implementation | Foundational |
A learner-centered micro-credential program begins with engaging with your learners to better understand their motivations, needs, and experiences. Today’s learners are increasingly career-oriented, and we want to make ensure skills and achievements are validated and recognized, especially by employers. In this session, we use design thinking methods to develop empathy for our learners, iterate new solutions to help our learners thrive, and review the Design Thinking process. With this mindset, we'll lead you through an exercise to identify critical internal practices for executing a micro-credentialing program that sticks.

• Todd Foley, University of Cincinnati
• Luke Dowden, Alamo Colleges
• Kelly Hoyland, 1EdTech

Moderator: Daniel Kalef, Green Flower

Playing the Strategic Game of Student Re-entry: What Would You Do?
International Ballroom West | Program Planning and Implementation | Strategic | Policy
Representatives from four campuses that form the University of California Reengagement Consortium (UCRC) utilize various stop-out student personas, role-playing, and gamification to engage session participants in brainstorming strategies and reflection on what policies and practices need to be addressed to implement a re-entry/reengagement program at participants' institutions.

• Jen Schwedler, University of California, Davis
• Marie Martin, University of California, Riverside
• Michael Pierick, University of California, Merced
• Sheetal Gavankar, University of California, Santa Barbara

From Catching up to Leading the Way: Increasing Enrollment and Quality Across Modalities in a Language Program
Georgetown | Program Planning and Implementation | Applied | Faculty
In a time when most institutions are suffering from decreasing majors/enrollment and budgetary restrictions, this presentation offers a detailed example of how the innovative use of technology can transform a language program to revolutionize both online and face-to-face course offerings. By adopting the Three Pillar Model (Marull and Kumar, 2020), this institution has been able to increase course enrollment, student engagement, course quality, and provide increased revenue and reduced instructional loads across modalities.

• Crystal Marull, University of Florida
• Katherine Brooke, Texas Tech University

Moderator: Paula French, Search Influence

Program Showcase
Lincoln West | Program Planning and Implementation | Applied |

What’s the Buzz? Training for the Cannabis and Alcohol Industries
Non-credit programs can be uniquely positioned to support adult learners in new and growing industries. But what about when those industries haven’t historically been aligned with your institution’s mission and values, or until recently weren’t even legal? In this session, we’ll discuss programs we’ve developed–or tried to develop–that relate to the alcohol and legal cannabis industries. We’ll highlight opportunities and potential barriers, and discuss areas including community impact, workforce development, and DEI issues. We’ll also think about the models for third-party program partnerships versus developing new programs in-house. Join us as we share success and failure stories and lessons learned.

• Vanessa Williams, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
• Eric Latham, University of California, Riverside
• Lynda Wilson, California State University, Dominguez Hills
• Daniel Kalef, Green Flower
• Christopher Cellars, University of Washington Continuum College
• Sandra von Doetinchem, University of Hawai'i at Manoa

Cybersecurity Education: Immersion - En Route to the Metaverse
This session will provide best practices & sound methodology around teaching a robust cybersecurity curriculum to make participants workforce - ready.

• Lalitha Subramanian, University of Washington
• Randy Hinrichs, University of Washington
• Barbara Endicott-Popovsky, Portland State University
  

Lowering Online Course Accessibly Costs Using a Supplier Partnership
This presentation brings to light the successful partnership and established program created to ensure online course accessibility meets federal guidelines within institutional budgetary constraints and in a timely manner.

• Alan Openshaw, Brigham Young University

Rapidly Upskilling Faculty to Support Student Learning & Engagement: Cases from the Field
Georgetown | Program Planning and Implementation | Applied | Faculty
Developing a systematic approach to the development of teaching and learning materials is especially valuable in schools with continuing education and/or professionally-focused degrees where many instructors are industry experts but lack formal training as educators.  This presentation reviews two complementary approaches to support faculty and accelerate student learning through online resources and a framework for course planning.  We showcase Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota (SMUMN) reIMAGINE online course and NYU’s PDER framework.  This session will touch on best practices, observations about communication and training as well as the implementation experience and lessons learned.

• Matt Isaia, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
• Spencer Wanlass, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
• Michael Diamond, New York University

Moderator: Reba-Anna Lee, Northwestern University

Meeting Post-Pandemic Labour Market Shortages with Competency-Based, Employer-Leveraged Programming
International Ballroom West | Program Planning and Implementation | Applied |
Our GEN Z learners’ face barriers to financial equity and workforce inclusion in skilled, in-demand careers. Our CE university-credentialed online, non-credit, skill-based offerings need to be “just-in-time, up-to-the-minute” and employer co-designed, with “in-real time” expert practitioner-educator-mentors providing individualized competency-based learning and career supports. This session is a role-play between the presenter in the role of Program Director, and attendees in the employer and learner roles, all coming away with: 1) strategies on how to co-design innovative non-credit short programming with employers; and 2) the HOW TO’s in skilling up workers with personalized learner and career supports so workers, on their own merit, have within reach financially equitable salaries and careers.

• Anne-Marie Brinsmead, Toronto Metropolitan University
• Alexander Ferworn, Toronto Metropolitan University

Moderator: Matt Jong, Modern Campus