2020 Central Region Conference: Virtually Together

If this is your first UPCEA conference or if you are an UPCEA veteran, don’t miss the chance to network and welcome other attendees at the Newcomers’ Welcome. This session is dedicated for you as a first-time attendee and is designed to help you make the most of this unique conference experience. This session includes networking, knowledge sharing, and tips on how to make the most out of  your UPCEA membership.

The rapid transition required to maintain instruction in the spring semester brought online education into the spotlight and created new advocates and skeptics in our faculty, staff and student ranks. For some, online was found to be lacking while others now see great potential in online and hybrid modalities. Given this spotlight, we suddenly see our campuses moving away from if we teach online to how and when to capitalize on these instructional tools. For those of us that have been in the online education space for any period of time, we finally find ourselves on the cusp of institutionalization. How do we maintain this positive momentum and leverage our expertise to drive strategic advances at our institutions by reaching new markets, diversifying revenue streams and breaking down historic barriers in support infrastructure. This interactive discussion will examine best practices for developing campus advocates and engaging faculty members, providing instructional design expertise at scale and developing just-in-time technology assistance. Come with your questions, ideas and enthusiasm as we move into this new era of online education.

• Jennifer Bott, Western Michigan University

Creating Dynamic Learning with Zoom
Program Planning and Implementation
Recently, faculty pivoted quickly to remote learning. This required switching from teaching in physical classrooms to virtual spaces, using web-conferencing technology. Success in doing so depends on an understanding of the pedagogical underpinnings needed to engage learners in this setting. This session provides tips for creating a community of learners while engaging them using dynamic teaching strategies.

• Joanne Serembus, Drexel University
• Dana Kemery, Drexel University

Forecasting Online Education Enrollment Trends – An Econometric Framework
Marketing, Enrollment, & Student Services
Colorado State University’s (CSU) Online is a division of Continuing Education, offering more than 80 different degree programs to enhance student learning across the globe. The quality of the programs offered by CSU’s Online is well recognized (ranked 11 in the nation) by the U.S. News & World Reports (Moody, 2020). CSU Online is quite instrumental in the case of embracing innovative learning technologies, emphasizing student engagement to help improve the overall student learning experience.

• Rezwanul Parvez, Colorado State University Online
• Alysha Tarantino, Colorado State University Online

Online Administration
Flipping classrooms is a pedagogical approach where students first explore content outside of class. In-class time is organized around student engagement, inquiry, and assessment. But can you flip an online class? Explore this topic first-hand by participating in a flipped class model. Materials will be provided prior to the breakout session, including recorded interviews, select readings, prep assignments. Session time will be spent exploring concepts of flipped online classrooms through facilitated discussion and small group activities.

• Christina Trombley, Drake University
• Steve VandenAvond, Northern Michigan University

Learning outcomes for this session:

• Understand the fundamental concepts of flipping the classroom
• Recognize best practices for faculty to successfully flip their classroom
• Determine strategies for encouraging faculty to incorporate flipped classrooms in their teaching

The following materials should be read and reviewed prior to the session:

• The “Classroom Flip”: Using Web Course Management Tools to Become the Guide by the Side (Baker)
• What is Flipped Learning? (Flipped Learning Network)
• Flipping the Classroom...A Goldmine of Research and Resources To Keep You On Your Feet (Gorman)
• 7 Things You Should Know About™...Flipped Classrooms (EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative)
• Gurung Interview
• Lindsey Interview
• Owens Interview

As you interact with the session content, please reflect on the following questions:

• What tools and support can you provide faculty to help them flip their classroom? What do you believe they will need to be successful in flipping their classrooms?
• How can you facilitate faculty to adopt flipped classrooms? What will need to change at your institution to adopt flipped classrooms as a best practice? 

Moving Orientation Online: A Cross-Campus Collaboration
Marketing, Enrollment, & Student Services
The COVID-19 pandemic drove institutions of higher education to explore new methods for all aspects of learning. The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) was forced to rethink the format of new student orientation. A team of professionals from across campus collaborated to develop the online new student orientation for on campus majors. During the session, we will explore the goals of the orientation, discuss the development process, and share results from the initial offering.

• Emily Boles, University of Illinois Springfield
• Lisa McGuire, University of Illinois Springfield

Expanding the Circle: How Cultural Training Can Increase Native Student Success and Enhance Faculty Skills
Program Planning and Implementation
Our presentation reports on how providing training for faculty and support staff on working with indigenous on-line graduate students along with person-to-person onboarding resulted in over 80% retention of students. Analysis of the interviews, focus groups, and Ripple Effect Mapping sessions indicate that not only does faculty training increase under-represented student success and satisfaction; it also had a long-term impact on faculty approaches to pedagogy and potentially research foci.

• Mary Emery, South Dakota State University
• Nicole Lounsbery, South Dakota State University
• Sana Illahe, South Dakota State University

The Best-Laid Plans Often Go Awry: Launching a University Continuing Ed Office in the Time of COVID
Program Planning and Implementation
Launching a university continuing ed office on the eve of the pandemic meant that after just a few weeks we had to quickly refocus, reconfigure and re-prioritize. We pivoted. . . hard. Instead of onsite employer trainings, we taught 1,400 faculty in online instructional pedagogy. CAPE Associate Directors Dr. Melissa Andrews and Rob Kerr for a conversation about how our plans changed, but our goals did not.

• Robert Kerr, University of Illinois Springfield
• Melissa Andrews, University of Illinois Springfield

Join us in topic-focused breakout rooms to yap with your new and old friends about things affecting each of us today. Personal or professional, we have something for everyone! Grab a snack and drink and get ready to share, laugh and learn something new.

Anyone in attendance will be entered to win an Amazon Gift Card!

Running on Empty but our Sippy Cups are Full

Do you feel like you are drained professionally and your home life is taking over? Join others in the same boat to share experiences, ask questions and overall connect on how while running on empty your sippy cups need to be full! (Kids welcome)

No Shame in the PJ Game

Does working from home make you feel like you never get out of your PJs? Join like minded colleagues who have been thrust into the work from home game to discuss best practices, experiences and the like!

Virtual Cocktail Hour to Share PCO Stories

This session is designed as a community opportunity in a BYOB virtual cocktail hour which will consist of new and veteran PCO professionals sharing stories about navigating the often challenging waters of higher education to provide professional, continuing and online education activities. This informal forum provides a chance to vent, share tales and problem-solve. All the stories, encouragement and problem-solving ideas will be captured and shared with attendees as a reference tool, though identifying information will remain confidential. 

Professional Development in an Online World

How do we grow professionally in these crazy times? Bring your ideas and thoughts to share with others who don’t want to become stagnant but also don’t want to spend every minute on their computers. Brianstorm and have fun talking about what next in the world of professional development. 

Navigating Working with People in Online Environments Who Weren't There Before

This session will target navigating working with people in online environments who weren’t there before. Share tips and tricks and stories of how to make this new virtual world work and how to include everyone at all levels.

Open Source Tools to Navigate Today's Virtual Challenges

As we continue to work in remote or hybrid environments, open source tools can help with scale, speed, and cost. Bring your best resources and tools to share and discuss.

The 60-year curriculum is the modern approach to a lifetime of learning. Getting a degree, getting a job and never setting foot in a classroom again are not today’s reality, as many people alive now will live to be 100 years old. That means people will have five to seven stages in their lives, not just the three traditional stages of school, work and retirement, and learning must be constant throughout our careers. Automation and changes in the workplace mean professionals must continually retool to stay relevant and competitive. Employers in every industry and profession are looking for higher education to help their workers upskill. Through dynamic conversation and audience engagement, this session will first focus on an overview of this movement and then dive deeply into what a 60-year curriculum means for UPCEA member institutions.

• Rovy Branon, University of Washington
• Nancy Coleman, Harvard University
• Lori Crose, Oakland University
• Jerry Rhead, Michigan State University

Introduction to HyFlex instruction
Program Planning and Implementation
The session will examine HyFlex instruction. The focus will be on providing an overview of the strategy, the basic components of HyFlex, the implications of HyFlex on the learning environment, and the challenges associated with course design and faculty work load. Participation through chat features and polling will be utilized.

• Vickie Cook, University of Illinois Springfield
• Vance Martin, University of Illinois Springfield

Lights! Camera! Pandemic? Create Adaptive Content that Connects to Prospective Students
Marketing, Enrollment, & Student Services
Storytelling can be a powerful tool for grabbing the media’s attention, increasing awareness of your institution, and recruiting students. Now is the time to leverage, repurpose and reuse content for maximum impact. Attendees will receive practical tips that are applicable to any medium: a testimonial, blog, email campaign, video interview or social media post. Case studies include a news release video, relaunching a social media campaign and repurposing content for microcasts.

• Sarah Whorton, University of Missouri

Reshaping Compliance for 21st-Century Higher Education
Business & Operations
The 1,385 EdTech companies in the US are currently valued at $252 billion. Universities are avid consumers of these services and must redesign compliance efforts to properly govern this utilization. Failure to do so creates extremely high levels of risk. This presentation takes a close look at two key components of this urgently needed compliance redesign, i.e. comprehensive third party vendor life cycle management, and successful solution specific compliance for marketing and enrollment management services.

• Gerald Rhead, Michigan State University
• Ravi Seepersad, The Concept Law Group

Join senior leaders at a rotating roundtable discussion. Senior leaders will have the opportunity to share perspectives about the recent COVID related events with the immediate and future impact on the higher education landscape. The goal of this session is to provide insights and experiences to conference participants about the “new normal.”  Sessions will be highly interactive and last 25 minutes for each round to support engagement among participants. This will be a lively conversation! Come with your questions and join us!

Enhancing Online Learning Through Innovative Forms of Educational Technology
Program Planning and Implementation
This presentation will engage attendees by providing an overview of innovative technologies that can be implemented into online education. An overview of educational technologies will be provided and examples of how to use educational technology to promote and enhance student learning will be described. Attendees will also participate in a discussion focused on their perceptions of innovative technologies and provide examples of technologies that they have successfully integrated into their own instructional practices.

• Kelly Torres, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

An Evolution of Collaboration for Institutional and Student Success
Program Planning and Implementation
This session will provide an in-depth look at the evolution of the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (IDEA) as a model for interstate alliances. Attendees will learn the rational for an alliance, how to allocate resources, and how to adapt to institutional policies and procedures. Further, presenters will address delivery of academic programs and student services and the benefit for institutions and students.

• Amanda Burris, Great Plains IDEA
• Chelsea Barbercheck, Great Plains IDEA
• Bronwyn Fees, Kansas State University
• Jim Deal, North Dakota State University

Faculty’s Perceptions on Online Video Proctoring: Benefits, Challenges, and Lessons Learned
Online Administration
Despite the growth of online video proctoring, there has been little research on whether faculty have found them to be effective in improving the integrity of their online examinations. This session will share the results of a qualitative study that investigated whether faculty who have used an online video proctoring service provider found their services to be valuable. Findings will share the faculty’s perceptions and their students’ reactions, impact on teaching practices, and lessons learned.

• Michele Gribbins, University of Illinois Springfield

Grab your favorite snack and drink and jump on for Trivia Extravaganza. This team trivia event will have you meeting new people while having a blast. Everyone in attendance will be entered to win a gift card and the winning team will get a special prize! We hope to see you there!

A Culture of Innovation and Change for Digital Learning
Program Planning and Implementation
Quality online education, culture of equity, digital fluency, and attention to an increased and diversified student population, are essential goals that institutions have to achieve. Hear about the initiatives, lessons learned and successful stories that a Digital Learning department has to share about its journey into digital transformation during the COVID-19 crisis.

• Claudia Arcolin, The University of Texas at San Antonio
• Marcela Ramirez, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Master Course Development in Higher Education
Program Planning and Implementation
The presentation will focus on how to develop master courses for higher education. Master courses can help ensure that students are receiving the same information and having common experiences in courses regardless of the instructor. Information will be shared about the additional benefits as well as challenges associated with developed and utilizing master courses. Example procedures and processes of how master courses have been created and utilized will be shared with attendees.

• Jill Tussey, Buena Vista University
• Leslie Haas, Buena Vista University

How to Lead a Successful First Virtual Residency
Program Planning and Implementation
As a requirement to graduate from the MA online program in Forensic Psychology, Professional Counselor Licensure Track, students must attend two residencies. The main goals of a residency are to provide guidance to students with learning hands-on counseling skills, to refine learned knowing from courses and face to face mentoring. Given COVID-19 and assuring safety of students and faculty, this program adapted an onground residency to an online format.

• Erika Liljedahl, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
• Jim Iaccino, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
• Lisa Faille, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Balancing Work, Life, and Terminal Degree Completion Status

• Amy Heitzman, UPCEA

This program is designed to help new members and first-time conference attendees navigate their first Central Region Conference and the professional, continuing, and online education industry.

As the marketplace continues to shift, and the demand for alternative credentials (micro-, nano-, stackable) rises, this session will cover the recently released Hallmarks of Excellence in Credential Innovation, along with the results of a recent UPCEA survey of 176 institutions on the role that alternative credentials plays in their portfolio of programs. The survey, sponsored by Mindedge, will share actionable data of those members involved in alternative credentialing efforts, in what areas, and with what results. This lively session will examine the emergent phenomenon of credential innovation as well as showcase data that undergird credential evolutions and how UPCEA member institutions are leading this charge.

• Jay Halfond, Boston University
• Jim Fong, UPCEA
• Vickie Cook, University of Illinois at Springfield

Doctoral Cohort Mentor Model Implementation: Evaluating the Mentor Experience
Online Administration
Doctoral students benefit extensively from direct mentorship throughout their degree programs and this mentorship can be particularly beneficial for doctoral students completing their degrees in the online format. This study provides an analysis of the implementation of a Doctoral Cohort Mentor Model at the Online Campus of a mid-sized University. Further, the experience of the initial group of mentors is explored utilizing the focus group method.

• Michelle Dennis, Adler University
• Donna DiMatteo-Gibson, Adler University
• Sarah Fornero, Adler University
• Swapna Kumar, University of Florida

Leadership in Change: Virtual Bootcamps & Mini-Retreats as a Means of Supporting Faculty Members through Challenging Times
Program Planning and Implementation
In response to COVID-19, one campus proactively planned summer virtual bootcamps and mini-retreats to support faculty in responding to ever-changing local and national expectations. Our goal in delivering these offerings were to shift from a reactionary, emergency mentality, to a proactive, thoughtfully planned approach to Fall. We will share our virtual bootcamp and mini-retreat plan from conception to reflection. You will walk away with tools, strategies, topics, and exemplars for planning your own offerings.

• Sarah Ackermann, Ball State University
• Cheri Madewell, Ball State University

The year 2020 has forcefully increased our online communication and virtual connections. Yet, it has also reminded us of the deep social inequities that U.S. society faces and the renewed need for dialogue around diversity, equity, and inclusion in education. In her talk, Dr. Gretter explores ways that collaboration and interdisciplinary conversations can lead change in higher education. Drawing from the work of the Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology at Michigan State University, she discusses the use of design practices in education to address systemic inequities and student success in the 21st century.    

• Sarah Gretter, Michigan State University