Newcomers to the Region sessions are informal, two-way, 30-minute, unrecorded conversations hosted at the UPCEA 2021 Regions Week, designed to help those new to the organization get the most out of this event and UCPEA membership. Facilitated by seasoned regional leaders, this session includes networking, knowledge sharing, and tips on how to make the most out of your UPCEA experience.

Central

• Shannon Owen, Northern Michigan Programs
• Moderator: Ryan Torma, University of Minnesota

New England

• Matt DiPirro, Southern New Hampshire University
• Michael Jones, University of Connecticut

Mid-Atlantic

• Matt Davis, Wilmington University

South

• Mili Maldonado, Florida International University
• Brian Crose, Seminole State College of Florida
• Tyler Ritter, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

West

• Cynthia Welle, University of California, Riverside
• Christina May, University of Washington
• Moderator: Christina Chavez, California State University, Sacramento

In a year complete with a global pandemic, political unrest, and a multitude of social reckonings, the inequities that have plagued society for decades were brought to the forefront. Legacy systems that have systemic biases built into them forced women, people of color, and frontline workers to exit the workforce and put their academic endeavors on pause at the highest rates.As higher education is one of the most effective catalysts of upward mobility, it is incumbent upon leaders in the industry to design systems that make access to higher education more equitable for those who it has traditionally been out of reach for. To do this, we need to design programs that account for the real lives and whole person experiences of these students. Two impactful interventions we will dive into are:

• Stackability: learning has no start or end date, it is lifelong and all types of learning can and should stack to a degree.
• Credit for X: acknowledging that skill and knowledge can be gained in a variety of ways inside and outside of the classroom - and all learning should count.

• Amber Garrison Duncan, Executive Vice President
Competency-Based Education Network


• Saskia Knight, Executive Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Student Affairs
  University of Massachusetts Global 
  
  
• Lisa McIntyre-Hite, Vice President, Solutions Exploration
  Guild Education
  
  
• Tiffany Watson, Associate Provost for Executive Projects and Initiatives
  Spelman College
  
  
• Eloy Oakley
  Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Education
  U.S. Department of Education

Regions Repond are informal, facilitated, two-way, 45-minute, small group, unrecorded conversations hosted at the UPCEA 2021 Regions Week, that are heavy on networking and connecting, light on didactic, which allow attendees to reflect on general session presentations with regional peers. The format is a Zoom “meeting” setting, which allows facilitators and attendees to be on screen together. There are five Regions Respond sessions hosted simultaneously after each general session, one for each of UPCEA’s five regions, facilitated by regional leadership. While each Regions Respond session may be unique, attendees can expect a warm welcome, a chance to meet other UPCEA members in their region, and an opportunity to reflect, informally, on the content shared in each of the Regions Week general sessions.

Central

• Amanda DeBlauw, Kansas State University
• Suzanne Rovani, Northwestern University

New England

New England’s Regions Respond will be joined by Nancy DeAngelis, SNHU Associate Vice President of Learning Solutions, and Jonathan Wesley, SNHU Sr. Director of Equity and Inclusion in Academic Affairs, for a discussion on successful learner recognition and DEI initiatives at New England institutions.

• Nancy DeAngelis, Southern New Hampshire University
• Jonathan Wesley, Southern New Hampshire University
• Matt DiPirro, Southern New Hampshire University

Mid-Atlantic

• Nichole Henry, Syracuse University
• Vic Wang, University of Delaware

South

• Tyler Ritter, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Jessica Brinker, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Susan Seal, Mississippi State University

West

• Inez Bush, Otis College of Art & Design
• Lynda Wilson, California State University, Dominguez Hills
• Rebecca Morgan, Boise State University

From Transition to Transformation: Battling Burnout and Building Resilience in the "New Normal"
Business & Operations | Mid-Atlantic | Applied
A global pandemic, mandatory and prolonged remote learning, a struggling economy, a tense sociopolitical environment, and increasing mental health challenges created an environment that is rife for stress and burnout among higher education professionals, ultimately leading to lack of productivity and negative health effects. Yet the end of 2020 does not necessarily signal an end to the challenges that made the past year so hard to cope.  Stress and burnout remain a concern for all roles within higher ed and are taking a toll on our personal wellbeing and organizational culture. This session will offer a proactive and positive approach to re-imagining and re-engineering your old way of work into a healthier and more fulfilling pursuit at the individual and organizational level.

• Beth Romanski, Maryland University of Integrative Health

Moderator: Nicole Westrick, Temple University

Three Unique Healthcare Partnerships and How They Developed
Community and Economic Engagement | Central | Foundational
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville currently partners with multiple hospitals in three major healthcare-related areas. Join Mary Ettling, Director of Online Services and Educational Outreach and Emily Skowron, Assistant Director for Off-Campus and Corporate Partnerships in learning how to build relationships, secure those contractual partnerships, and help both your school and regional workforce. In six years, SIUE has managed to enroll hundreds of regional healthcare employees each term by providing accessible education opportunities for this critical industry. We will also cover how we anticipate these partnerships to evolve in a post-pandemic economy and how they can continue to benefit their companies.

• Mary Ettling, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
• Emily Skowron, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Moderator: Andrea Tessier, Penn State University

The Instructional Design Sprint
eDesign Collaborative | Mid-Atlantic | Applied
Building online courses and programs is hard work requiring a team of people who have multiple duties. Often it is difficult to gather people, and when you do, much of the time is spent reviewing where you were last meeting and brainstorming with little decision making. Imagine a different world where designing a course or a program takes just five meetings. Based on the methods presented in the book Sprint, by Google Venture’s Jake Knapp, the ID Sprint is designed to quickly create, sort, discuss, and make decisions about ideas, cutting through the cycle of endless brainstorming with little decision making. Developed specifically for the context of higher education, the ID sprint engages participants in essential components of the instructional design process to create a minimum viable course in just five days. This session will outline the steps and methods involved and include past participants reflecting on their experiences.

• Matt Dingo, Penn State University

5 Ways Student Employees Can Revolutionize Your Institution's Recruitment Practices
Marketing, Enrollment & Student Success | West | Applied
Empower your institution by discovering five tried-and-true ways that teams of student employees can drive recruitment and enrollment outcomes. In this fun and practical session, you'll learn how Colorado State University Online built a successful student employee team to qualify and transfer new leads to student success coaches and conduct registration reminder call blitzes. You'll also get an insider look at how to build an online student ambassador team that can help you to better understand your institution's diverse student voice, create student-produced content marketing, and facilitate focus groups with other online students.

• Genevieve Spering, Colorado State University Online
• Kristina Reda, Colorado State University Online
• Emily Burns, Colorado State University Online

Moderator: Marly Miller, Blackboard

Faculty Development in a COVID World: How Two Universities Promote Excellence in Teaching and Learning
Online Administration | West | Applied
This collaborative session will explore the various ways two universities engage with faculty to promote their development, whether they’re teaching online, in-person or hyflex. We’ll look at how each institution approaches faculty development and how COVID shifted these approaches. We will move into exploring the technology, tools and resources, systems, structures and processes, and content universities can consider as they set up, enhance or maintain their faculty development programs. Some approaches we’ll explore include tiers of learning opportunities to provide best practices in teaching and learning and facilitated peer-to-peer opportunities to establish a network of experts in supporting educational technology practices inside the classroom.

• Emily Breuker, University of Phoenix
• Ediz Kaykayoglu, Central Washington University
• Joy Fuqua, Central Washington University
  
  

Universal Design as a Framework for Campus DEI Initiatives
Program Planning and Implementation | West | Applied
The COVID-19 pandemic unveiled inequities in online learning opportunities experienced by marginalized groups, including students with disabilities and English Language Learners.  Lessons were learned that can apply to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in departments, support units, and entire institutions that can be applied now and post-pandemic. This presentation will share how a Universal Design Framework holds promise for guiding DEI efforts for all campus offerings (e.g., courses, services, online resources) and for all marginalized groups and how it simultaneously minimizes disconnected silos and builds in the flexibility needed to address unique issues with respect to each specific group. Participants will be given an opportunity to flesh out the UD Framework and an Inclusive Campus Model for their campus and learn about resources for further learning.

• Sheryl Burgstahler, University of Washington

Moderator: Danielle Gross, 2U

To Virtual and Beyond: What we Learned from Virtual Recruitment and Events that Will Shape Recruitment in the Future
Marketing, Enrollment & Student Success | South | Applied
In 2020, higher education recruiting teams scrambled to develop new virtual recruitment techniques and participate in virtual events across dozens of new platforms to offset the loss of traditional face to face recruiting strategies. In this discussion based session we will share what worked, what really didn't, and lessons learned with a focus on how to apply our collective learnings to the future of professional and continuing education recruitment and marketing.

• Patricia Milner, University of Arkansas
• Jaime Ashmore, University of Arkansas

Operation Rescue: Reengaging the Disengaged Student
Online Administration | Central | Strategic
So many people start college and never finish. Let’s get them back! This presentation uses empirical research to illuminate who, what, where and why students disengage and how to work with them to re-enroll. While all disengaged students are individuals, there are common characteristics.  They have similar reasons for stopping out (life commitments and financial burdens), and for wanting to return (complete a goal and job mobility).  In fact, 89% have considered re-enrollment (EAB, 2019). So who are these students and what helps them return?UPCEA and StraigherLine conducted research profiling the disengaged learner and how their situations and motivations are different from other adult learners.  This study surveyed individuals who have college credits but are no longer attending college, and profiled this population to identify why they stopped attending college and what motivates them to re-engage. This presentation informs institutions on the landscape of needs, reasons for leaving college, motivations for returning -- and what really brings these students back into higher education

• Amy Smith, StraighterLine
• Jim Fong, UPCEA

Pandemic Lessons Learned:  Best Practices and Emerging Trends
Business & Operations | West | Applied
There is no disagreement that the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic changed the higher education landscape. The need to pivot curriculum delivery was critical. The virtual 2021 Annual UPCEA conference featured a panel discussion entitled: “Innovating Non-Credit Operations During Disruptive Times” in which UPCEA West colleagues discussed the challenges faced in the COVID-19 environment. Topics included forecasting and scheduling in uncertain times, innovating to meet new demands, and best practices to stay connected in a virtual world. The panel members are back at this year’s UPCEA West Conference with lessons learned and post pandemic re-population strategies throughout the West Region. Panelists will discuss: perceptions of safety and “hygiene theatre”; psychological impacts of returning to campus; resistance to returning to work; equity vs. fairness; vaccination requirements; change management; among others. The panel discussion will be interactive with solicitation of audience input of their post pandemic re-population strategies and experiences.

• Sandra von Doetinchem, University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Lynda Wilson, California State University, Dominguez Hills
• Christopher Cellars, University of Washington, Tacoma
• Annette Webb, University of California Riverside

Moderator: J. Kim McNutt, California State University, Dominguez Hills

DEIR and Design
eDesign Collaborative | South | Applied
The Learning Design team at Georgia State University’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Online Education (CETLOE) has improved our internal quality assurance processes and led the collaborative creation of faculty-facing checklists that provide concrete ways to infuse diversity, inclusion, equity, and respect (DEIR) into our online courses and programs. Grounded in an asset-based approach, our standards and recommendations position our designers as champions and advocates rather than quality reviewers or assessors, making it possible to have sometimes difficult conversations while increasing faculty buy-in and ultimately improving the quality of online learning experiences. In this session, we’ll discuss some of the adjustments we made to our internal review processes, walk through our Diversity Readiness Recommendations Checklist, share some examples of DEIR-related course improvements, and outline our next steps.

• Justin Lonsbury, Georgia State University
• Will Kerr, Georgia State University
• Sarah Hepler, Georgia State University
• Mat Munson, Georgia State University

The Holy Grail: How to Engage Faculty and Establish an Interdisciplinary Degree for Adult Learners
Program Planning and Implementation | Mid-Atlantic | Applied
Over the past few years, SUNY Oswego set out to establish the Holy Grail of programs for adult and non-traditional learners. Integrating best practices, stackable micro credentials, and projections of the "Future Of Work" into an intentional interdisciplinary design, this college-wide effort engaged over 13 departments and 100 courses in unprecedented ways with the express intent to provide students to guided but customized interdisciplinary, thematic pathways to degree completion. Faculty and administrative leaders involved in establishing this innovative degree option at a state comprehensive college will discuss how this was accomplished and plans for the future.

• Jill Pippin, SUNY College at Oswego
• Sandra Bargainnier, SUNY College at Oswego
• Lisa Glidden, SUNY College at Oswego
• Julie Pretzat, SUNY College at Oswego

Learning Through Listening and Collaboration: Building Inclusivity in the wake of George Floyd.
Community and Economic Engagement | New England, Mid-Atlantic | Foundational
In this conversation with Colleagues, the session facilitators will share their experience of creating workspaces in their universities to explore issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. Following the killing of George Floyd in 2020, both Southern New Hampshire University and Georgetown University's School of Continuing Studies created safe spaces in which people could collaborate and work through issues of race, racial injustice, equity and what it means to belong. This work resulted in the Diversity, Equity, Belonging & Inclusion Council at Georgetown University's School of Continuing Studies and two Diversity Equity and Inclusion Communities of Practice at Southern New Hampshire University. The facilitators will share their experiences in creating their groups, as well as the progress made in their endeavors, lessons learned in the process and future directions.

• Kristen Hodge-Clark, Georgetown University
• Jamie Kralovec, Georgetown University
• Caitlin Cochran, Georgetown University
• Elizabeth Johnson, Southern New Hampshire University
• Laman Tasch, Southern New Hampshire University
• Rachel Teague, Southern New Hampshire University
• Ann Marie Moynihan, Southern New Hampshire University

Posters are on-demand, asynchronous slide presentations showcasing research and/or programs. Some posters include additional audio narration from presenters. 

Attendees may access posters during the entire conference (and in the virtual event platform for 30 days following the conclusion of the conference), not just during the scheduled date and time for posters. Presenters include their contact information as part of their slides, so be sure to follow up with them individually for further discussion!

Building a Noncredit Team from Scratch
Community and Economic Engagement | Mid-Atlantic | Foundational
In this session we will walk you through how to build a noncredit team while implementing strategies for success while engaging with your local and state workforce boards. Learn how to utilize the high priority occupation (HPO) list by making data driven decisions for program creation. We will engage in conversations on how to build a successful noncredit and continuing education team while exploring best practices and creative new ways to engage with your community and lifelong learners!

• Natalie Toma, Shippensburg University
• Mark Chimell, Shippensburg University
• Alexa Matia, Shippensburg University

From Zero to Standard 8: A Student’s Experience with Accessibility of Online Content
eDesign Collaborative | South | Foundational
In the spring of 2021, the two week course, Applying the Quality Matters (QM) Rubric, was offered as part of a larger course on online course design. If you are unfamiliar, QM is a set of standards intended to guide course developers through quality course design for their online and blended courses. QM Standard 8, Addressing Accessibility & Usability, was my biggest struggle and for that reason accessibility became a special focus in building my online course. And, when given the chance to apply for a summer internship on accessibility of online content, I jumped at the chance! This presentation will start with my struggles at starting from zero and how I ended up supporting faculty to ensure accessibility of their online courses. Although a student, I was able to relate to faculty that find providing accessibility in their online course a challenge.

• Pamela Mason, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

How a Professor and an Instructional Designer Collaborated to Transform the Student Experience
eDesign Collaborative | South | Applied
How do you bring an online course to life? How do you make it flexible, current, relevant, and meaningful to students outside the ‘classroom’? How do you create a course to be a feeder into a graduate program? These were some of the considerations that went into the recent development of the new online course ‘Morphology of Disaster’ at Tulane University. Professor Regardt Ferriera worked in partnership with Ease Learning to create a program employing instructional design that was thoughtful, purposeful, pedagogically sound, and sets students up for success. Dr. Ferreira’s course is highly relevant; he’s teaching students to create disaster risk reduction investment solutions that address disaster impact. Through engaging group and hands-on course activities, the learning experience transforms what might typically be focused on just the theoretical to one based in reality, even involving FEMA to provide feedback on student’s final projects.

• Regardt Ferreira, Tulane University
• Marc Harrington, Ease Learning

Cultivating Gratitude, Mindfulness, & Self-Care for the Remote Work Culture
Marketing, Enrollment & Student Success | West | Foundational
In this session, we will cover gratitude and the benefits it has in both one’s personal and professional life. We will discuss the importance of self-care and how it can look different for the fully remote vs. hybrid employees. We will demonstrate how to foster a culture that focuses on gratitude, mindfulness, and self-care in the workplace. Examples of this would be how to incorporate gratitude and mindfulness through ice breakers and activities, zoom fatigue and how to avoid it, the value in scheduling breaks, and building mindful moments into meetings.

• Grace Hurd, University of Arizona
• Chrissy Schopf, University of Arizona

Bridging the Gap between Recruiters and Advisors through CRM Automation
Marketing, Enrollment & Student Success | South | Applied
This session will highlight our implementation of CRM automation, bridging communication and workflow gaps between recruiters and advisors to enhance internal cohesiveness and grow enrollment.

• Joseph Mews, University of South Carolina
• Mickey Baines, Kennedy & Company

Humanize for Success: How to Crush Your Recruitment Goals While Being a Virtual Human
Marketing, Enrollment & Student Success | West | Applied
We acknowledge that the cultural shift to the online environment has already changed student-to-University engagement. As prospective students click instead of call as they research schools, marketing managers face even greater pressure to attract students with online ads and website pitches.  However, a recruitment team that strategically and purposefully humanizes all messaging, from web sites to student appointments, will capitalize on their efforts and enjoy the results.  This session will explore how one recruitment team has continuously met and exceeded engagement and recruitment goals, even throughout the pandemic, by leveraging a simple, humanizing idea: rely on authenticity as a critical part of marketing communication and student interaction.  Attendees will be rewarded with a detailed look at how willing teams can turn generic messaging into meaningful communication, and ultimately engage even the most skeptical of students.  The results might surprise even the most experienced recruitment team!

• Scott Erickson, Boise State University

Professional Wellness Checks: From Waning Commitment and Task Dependence to Empowered Engagement
Online Administration | Central | Applied
In 2020, institutions of higher education learned how to navigate change – we used words like “adjust,” “accommodate,” and “pivot.”  Professional agility, however, came at the expense of engagement, with some faculty and staff approaching work as a series of unrelated tasks that did not require commitment or critical thinking to perform.  In 2021, the focus is now on self-care, where we posit that self-care in a post-Covid world must include professional considerations designed to restore engagement.  This interactive panel discussion will encourage attendees to engage in an exciting and dynamic exchange about professional wellness checks.

• Sloane Signal DeBose, Colorado Technical University
• Karen O'Donnell, Colorado Technical University

Embracing the Virtual Environment to Lead and Engage Remote Faculty
Online Administration | Central | Applied
The educational environment for faculty and staff is shifting. In 2020, the traditional educational environments were thrust into virtual learning and management. How can leaders in professional, continuing, and online education embrace virtual leadership? What are the key opportunities, challenges, and strategies to accomplish effective virtual leadership? This discussion will ignite participants to discover possibilities and methods to engage and foster virtual leadership in higher education, including the explanation of the methods used to develop a needs assessment to gauge faculty virtual aptitude. Additionally, how leaders can use professional development opportunities and innovative collaborative events to foster virtual faculty engagement will be discussed.

• Tomicka Williams, Purdue University Global
• Holli Vah Seliskar, Purdue University Global
• Gurmit Kaur, Purdue University Global
• Shane Kelley, Purdue University Global

How Does That Sound?: Collaborating with Pharmacists and Audiologists on an Online OTC Hearing Aid CE Course
Online Administration | Mid-Atlantic | Applied
In this session, we'll discuss the design, development, and launch of a grant-funded continuing education course spearheaded by a collaboration between two schools and managed by the university's Center for Teaching and Learning. To address forthcoming OTC hearing aids, professionals across the country work with the course designers to determine appropriate course competencies for pharmacists who will sell the devices. The discussion will center around faculty and designer collaboration to create a multimedia-rich Canvas course for self-paced online learners.

• Robin Albright, University of Pittsburgh

Recognizing Good Teaching Using a Student-generated Thank-a-teacher Survey
Program Planning and Implementation | South | Applied
Coming out of the pandemic many institutions are faced with low faculty morale. Because of this, it is more important than ever to find ways to recognize good teaching especially when the recognition can come directly from students. We piloted a new “Thank-a-Teacher” program at the end of the 2021 Spring semester through the three-week Maymester. This program is not connected to the end of course evaluations. Students were invited via a message posted on the LMS to complete a Qualtrics survey to thank one of their instructors.  We received 528 individual student responses, with 54 instructors receiving more than one note. Of those 54, 42 taught courses at the 1000 or 2000-level.  In total, 44% of the thank yous were sent by students who took 1000 or 2000 -level courses. This response to the pilot demonstrates that no-cost and student-generated instructor recognition is feasible and impactful.

• Laura Carruth, Georgia State University
• Jennifer Hall, Georgia State University

Preserving the Pedagogy of Compassion: Moving Toward an Evidence-based, Whole-student Approach to Teaching
Program Planning and Implementation | South | Applied
Teaching through a global health crisis empowered instructors to approach students with a level of flexibility and kindness that in another time may have been viewed as lenient or even indulgent; as we faced uncertain circumstances it made sense for instructors to relax late penalties, revise syllabi to be less punitive and more positive, and work to recognize students as individuals with responsibilities and priorities outside of the classroom. This “whole-student” approach to teaching, or the “pedagogy of compassion,” must be preserved on the other side of the pandemic in order for higher education to be more inclusive, accessible, and mindful of all student needs. This session aims to define the scope of this approach to teaching, consider the existing literature on this topic, and call for evidence-based research on the pedagogy of compassion that seeks to assess its efficacy on course learning objectives and student outcomes.

• Jennifer Larson, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Leslie Rowen, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Adjusting for COVID in Prison Education
Program Planning and Implementation | South | Strategic
UNC-CH’s Correctional Education Program (CEP) brings for-credit UNC-CH courses to students in prison. In March, 2020, we stopped teaching face-to-face because of COVID, converting our courses to correspondence form.  Both UNC-CH and North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) staff assumed new roles. NCDPS staff distributed books and materials and collected and sent assignments to UNC-CH, who delivered them to instructors. We asked NCDPS staff to do more than they’ve ever done when their jobs were at their most stressful. Our results were different than in our face-to-face courses. There was greater student attrition, massive delays in getting materials to and from students, and a lack of clarity on where students were in their courses.  But, much of great value happened, students learned and instructors taught, and we provided moments of joy and meaning to lives otherwise dominated by the fear and anxiety of COVID.

• Raphael Ginsberg, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Serving Learners and the Institution from a Remote Work Structure
Business & Operations | Central | Strategic
As most know, the work-from-home “movement” sparked by the pandemic has changed the way many employers think about remote work. Higher education has traditionally been a face-to-face operation for most institutions but there is starting to be a shift and openness to allow employees options for remote work. This session will explore the remote work structure possibilities along a continuum and will share the steps K-State Global Campus took to research, propose and implement a remote work structure for their unit. From surveying staff to assisting with policy development, Global Campus had an active role in K-State’s move toward allowing remote work agreements across the institution.

• Karen Pedersen, Kansas State University Global Campus
• Marci Ritter, Kansas State University Global Campus

Moderator: Michael Jones, University of Connecticut

Assessing Student Perceptions for Online learning- Evidence from the Survey
Community and Economic Engagement | Central | Foundational
Existing literature indicates the value of online education and its increasing demand ultimately led to numerous new programs (e.g. rise of affordable online degrees) across academic institutions in the U.S. (Magda et al. 2020; Wiley Education Services, 2021; David et al. 2016; Duncan et al. 2020). The importance of assessing student perceptions about online learning is critical to draw a clear picture to justify the increasing trend of online degrees. This survey study investigates students’ perceptions about online learning in recent years and factors impacting their decision-making process using both primary survey data and secondary data (IPEDS, National center for education statistics, Wiley education services report, EMSI, Hanover Research Data Lab, etc.). Preliminary findings indicated the top three factors of choosing a higher academic institution for students are the cost of education, the reputation of the institution, and the ability to apply transfer credits toward their degree program. This survey research will help the academic institution identifying factors to attract potential new students and establish best management practices for program expansion.

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

Moderator: Andrew Magda, Wiley Education Services

Designing, Developing, and Deploying a System-Wide OER Initiative
eDesign Collaborative | South | Applied
Overcoming the challenges of rapid transition to remote learning during the pandemic, University of North Carolina System successfully launched a system-wide OER initiative to provide ready-to-use, high quality course resource repository.  The OER initiative engaged more than 70 faculty across the system, teams of librarians and instructional designers, and administrators collaborating over six months. The team members researched high-demand courses and topics, took rapid development processes, implemented faculty peer reviews, training programs, and a central repository to make the resources available under open license. This session will share an overview of the initiative, the project development and deployment processes, assurance of diversity, equity, and inclusion of the resources, review of data, reflections and future plans.  The presenters will use web-conferencing and collaborative notes to answer questions and share the on-going discussions with the audience. The OER course packages, training programs, webinar archives, and project plans will be shared.

• Enoch Park, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
• Michelle Solér, University of North Carolina System Office

Moderator: Emory Maiden, Appalachian State University

Disability as Diversity and Inclusion: Things to Consider in an Online Educational Environment
Marketing, Enrollment & Student Success | West | Foundational
What are recent trends related to students with disabilities in online education? Online education by nature is generally more accessible for students with disabilities but how do we create an inclusive online learning environment beyond just access? In this presentation the Assistant Director of Disability Services at Oregon State University and the Proctoring Manager for Ecampus at Oregon State University will discuss recent trends regarding students with disabilities at Oregon State Ecampus. We will examine some of the challenges and barriers that are often encounter by students with disabilities and discuss ways to make online, professional, and continuing education more inclusive. This presentation will explore methods to improve recruitment, retention, and student services support for students with disabilities by creating more inclusive online learning environments.

• Tay McEdwards, Oregon State Ecampus
• Earlee Kerekes-Mishra, Oregon State University

“It Takes a Village:” Collaborative Relationships for the Development of Interdisciplinary Online Graduate Courses
Online Administration | Mid-Atlantic | Applied
In 2018, the School of Graduate Studies at Excelsior College embarked on the development of required online interdisciplinary courses: “Interdisciplinary Approaches to Ethical Leadership” and “A Strategic Approach to Talent Management in a Complex World.”  Development included:(1) Co-development by five subject matter experts of module notes, required learning materials, assignments and discussions, and podcasts modeling interdisciplinary conversations.(2) Course development oversight by five faculty program directors.(3) Creative development from two learning experience designers.(4) Marketing of the courses and programs by a team of marketing specialists.(5) Librarians to suggest required readings and videos for the courses, including multicultural open education resources.(6) Development of rubrics and program outcomes from specialists in assessment.This presentation will provide an overview of the interdisciplinary approach we took in developing these courses, including lessons learned and future directions with interdisciplinary courses.

• Michele Paludi, Excelsior College
• Anna Zendell, Excelsior College
• Tina Vasquez, Excelsior College

Moderator: Desiree Young, ThriveDX

The Role of Authentic Assessments in the Development of Critical Thinking Skills
Program Planning and Implementation | Mid-Atlantic | Applied
Have multiple-choice, closed format tests passed their prime? Are they no longer effective? Can those kinds of assessments really determine whether the learner has developed skills and knowledge to be successful in their job? The future of work is calling for Professional, Continuing and Online education programs to use effective assessment strategies that are relevant to the job skills of tomorrow. In order to be worth the cost of tuition, learners need knowledge and applied skills that solve current and future workplace problems. Learning opportunities need to be aligned with learners' practical career goals. Assessment should show how learners exercise critical thinking skills in real-world scenarios that are in-time and adaptable to emerging innovations. In this session, leaders from two institutions will share promising practices on the future of authentic assessments and how they can make learning more relevant and impactful.

• Juan Mavo-Navarro, University of Toronto
• Breeda McGrath, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Get ready to take a break and play a series of short Kahoot games on some fun topics! Hop onto our Zoom link, and log onto www.kahoot.it or download the Kahoot! app. Once we get started, you'll be able to enter the game PIN projected on the screen to join the game. Enter a nickname of your choosing, and you're in! You'll be competing with everyone else by how correct and fast your answers are to some trivia-style questions. 

Sponsored by

Using up to the minute findings from the UPCEA Center for Research and Consulting, Jim Fong, UPCEA’s Chief Research Officer, will share an overview of several influences the pandemic has had on the demand for credentials, learner expectations around customer service and marketing, as well as trends in retention, persistence, and staffing. Being competitive post-pandemic isn't only about the credential, delivery, or degree—it's also about operations and how we center our processes around the New Adult Learner. What does this emergent set of data tell us about the pivots needed for learner success? What does this mean for our legacy processes? What does the PCO unit of the future (or next year) look like, and how can we intentionally be user-designed?

• Jim Fong, Chief Research Officer
  UPCEA Center for Research and Strategy

Regions Repond are informal, facilitated, two-way, 45-minute, small group, unrecorded conversations hosted at the UPCEA 2021 Regions Week, that are heavy on networking and connecting, light on didactic, which allow attendees to reflect on general session presentations with regional peers. The format is a Zoom “meeting” setting, which allows facilitators and attendees to be on screen together. There are five Regions Respond sessions hosted simultaneously after each general session, one for each of UPCEA’s five regions, facilitated by regional leadership. While each Regions Respond session may be unique, attendees can expect a warm welcome, a chance to meet other UPCEA members in their region, and an opportunity to reflect, informally, on the content shared in each of the Regions Week general sessions.

Central

• Stephanie Swanson, University of Denver
• Janet Staker Woerner, University of Wisconsin-Madison

New England

• Rebecca Watts, Western Governors University

Mid-Atlantic

• Carolyn Jankowski, Stony Brook University

South

• Yakut Gazi, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Jessica Brinker, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Doragnes Bradshaw, Rollins College

West

• Inez Bush, Otis College of Art & Design
• Lynda Wilson, California State University, Dominguez Hills
• Rebecca Morgan, Boise State University

Unchartered Waters: Navigating Through A Large Scale Implementation in A Virtual Environment
Business & Operations | West | Applied
When the university transitioned to a fully virtual format in March 2020, there were a number of initiatives in development. One of largest initiatives was the implementation of a new scheduling platform, which would streamline scheduling students at all campus locations. Despite the daunting logistics associated with a large-scale roll-out in a virtual work setting, the implementation team determined that this would be the perfect project to test the resiliency and strength of the organization. This presentation will share best practices for developing strong communication flows in a virtual environment, build buy-in from end users who were dealing with a large amount of stress, the power of team synergy, tools and technology instrumental to the success of the roll-out, creation of a comprehensive training plan, and how lessons learned throughout the implementation will be integrated into current work flows upon transitioning back to a more normalized working environment.

• Patricia Graham, Brandman University
• Steve Farnsworth, Brandman University

Moderator: Aaron Lawrence, SmartBrief

Open Learning as a Critical Response: Supporting Workforce Development through the Pandemic and Beyond
Community and Economic Engagement | Central | Strategic
At the onset of the pandemic, employers across the globe had to immediately adapt both their operations and strategy. Fifteen months on, the nature and mode of working has changed fundamentally, and with it, the skills needed for both organizations and individuals to be successful. How can employers provide the training needed to reorient their teams, particularly with continued financial constraints, and how can individuals prepare for new careers or gain the skills needed to retain their current jobs in a digital-focused future? This informal, facilitated discussion will highlight examples of how open learning can be used to support workforce development in the pandemic/post-pandemic economy, with a global shift in the skills and training needed for the future of work. Participants will hear from experts and be encouraged to share their own ideas and experiences through an interactive session.

• Janelle Simmonds, University of Michigan
• Monica Miklosovic, University of Michigan
• Soukaina Lamrani, University of Michigan

The Forgotten Ones: Exploring the LXD Model to Address the Barriers UDL Creates for Neurodivergent Learners
eDesign Collaborative | Mid-Atlantic | Applied
Universal Learning Design has stepped to the forefront of education as a method for increasing learner engagement, inclusion, and accommodating learners of varying needs. Yet, several principles of UDL may create barriers and alienate individuals who are neurodivergent (ADD/ADHD/Autism). While strategies such as replacing multiple choice exams with essays may better support neurodivergent learners, this is a small step in impacting the overall learning process. Through offering learning experiences, we can break down the barriers caused by traditional UDL and offer a context by which neurodiverse students’ unique learning needs are more effectively supported. The LXD model holds the potential to provide experiences which are inclusive to all learners. This session will engage attendees in an exploration of the unique needs of neurodivergent learners, the barriers created by UDL, and how we can use the LXD model to create experiences which help students thrive.

• Tracy Balduzzi, Syracuse University
• Megan Kohler, Penn State University

Moderator: Steve Ernst, LearningMate

Stories and Stats: Qualitative and Quantitative Data to Drive Decisions & Success
Marketing, Enrollment & Student Success | West, South | Foundational
We are in higher education for one reason, student success. But how do we measure such a lofty ideal? What tools, techniques, and criteria can we develop as best practices to share with our program partners and other stakeholders to display our effectiveness? For too long the qualitative (story) and the quantitative (stats) have been at odds with each other. We will take these two often divisive ideas and demonstrate how to not let the story be lost in the stat.
Tulane School of Professional Advancement will showcase how they pull together data from disparate sources into a single dashboard and how to use lead scoring to impact campaigns. Boise State University will then demonstrate how to boil down your data into a compelling 15 min or less story for internal stakeholders, and dive into a case study of how they balance stories with stats to understand recruitment success.

• Rocky Wing, Boise State University
• Alison Bellais, Boise State University
• Christa Payne, Tulane University
• Alison Zeringue, Search Influence

Moderator: Alison Zeringue, Search Influence

Using High Impact Practices to Improve Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in an Online Healthcare Management Undergraduate Program
Online Administration | South | Applied
High impact practices, such as internships, capstone projects and undergraduate research, can improve student engagement and value in online programs. The use of several high impact practices at the University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Science Management (BPHM) online degree program has provided opportunities to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) concepts and applications in the curriculum. Some high impact projects have included the assessment of inequities and health disparities in local communities, interviews with diverse groups of stakeholders to understand different perspectives, and problem assessment to improve population health and the health status of underserved or vulnerable populations in the community. Students are able to actively manage and participate in these projects, even in remote settings. This presentation can foster discussion and an exchange of ideas on how to integrate DEI with high impact practices in an online program.

• Maria Kronenburg, University of Virginia
• Ann-Marie Plunkett, University of Virginia

Moderator: Carmin Chan, University of Arizona

Virtual Coaching for Systematic Leadership Development
Program Planning and Implementation | New England | Applied
The higher education landscape has never been more challenging.  During these times, leaders are called upon to do more with less.  Sticking with the status quo won't work and often, new ideas and innovation need to take hold.Several impactful higher education institutional partnerships have been created with BetterManager designed to support leaders through a comprehensive executive coaching program.  This workshop will showcase how an executive coaching program can benefit learning and development and other initiatives.  Models of successful executive coaching and group coaching programs will be shared.  These models include executive coaching for workforce development, professional and continuing education, students, faculty, and staff.  Representatives from both BetterManager and higher education partner institutions will be presenting.

• Tina Neil, Pima Community College
• Keri Crossley, Fairfield University
  
• Susan Metros, BetterManager  
  
• Gordon Freedman, BetterManager
• Wendy Hanson, BetterManager

Moderator: Wendy Hanson, BetterManager

Awards Live Conversations are informal, facilitated, two-way, 45-minute, small group,unrecorded conversations hosted at the UPCEA 2021 Regions Week, which allow award recipients an opportunity to share more about their award-winning work, and for attendees to ask questions and network with each other and award recipients. The format is the Zoom “meeting” setting, which allows facilitators and attendees to be on screen together. There are five Awards Live Conversations hosted simultaneously, one for each of UPCEA’s five regions, facilitated byregional leadership. While each Awards Live Conversation will be unique, attendees can expect a warm welcome, a chance to meet other UPCEA members in their region, and an opportunity to learn more from each award recipient.

Central

• Alysha Tarantino, Colorado State University Online

Moderator: Jerry Rhead, Michigan State University

New England

Moderator: Marybeth May, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Mid-Atlantic

• Julie Thalman, West Virginia University
• Nichole Henry, Syracuse University

Moderator: Andrea Willis, Syracuse University

South

Moderators: Crystal Davis, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University & Carolyn Callaghan, Western Carolina University

West

Moderators: Hal Morgan, University of Phoenix & Krissy Jones, University of Washington

Posters are on-demand, asynchronous slide presentations showcasing research and/or programs. Some posters include additional audio narration from presenters. 

Attendees may access posters during the entire conference (and in the virtual event platform for 30 days following the conclusion of the conference), not just during the scheduled date and time for posters. Presenters include their contact information as part of their slides, so be sure to follow up with them individually for further discussion!

Port of Long Beach Academy of Global Logistics: Responding to Workforce Development Needs Through Industry and Education Partnerships
Community and Economic Engagement | West | Foundational
This proposed poster session provides an overview of an UPCEA award winning partnership between the CSULB College of Professional Education, the Port of Long Beach and Long Beach Unified School District. The Academy of Global Logistics offers a unique model for Continuing Ed units to build pathways in support of a local industry cluster. The poster will focus on impacts through the first five years of the program.

• Tom O'Brien, California State University, Long Beach

What’s Next for Online Teaching? Rethinking Faculty Development for Online Teachers in a Post-COVID World
eDesign Collaborative | Central | Applied
Like many other institutions, COVID-19 introduced faculty at the University of Michigan to online teaching for the first time. The rapid transition to educate faculty and students on the technology, pedagogy, and management of teaching online led to rapid changes in what and how we taught faculty to teach in an online modality. Looking forward, there are still many unknowns about how the year of the pandemic will influence future online educators. In this session, we’ll discuss the way COVID-19 fundamentally altered our “online best practices,” teaching/learning strategies that we’ll take forward in a post-COVID world, and the new challenges we see ahead.

• Evan Straub, University of Michigan

Beyond Crisis: Using Feedback + Data to Inform Course Design
eDesign Collaborative | West | Foundational
This presentation will provide general information as well as specific examples from courses and experiences at Otis College - over the last year specifically when it comes to strategies for applying data to course design and how this can guide us as we transition out of COVID-19.

• Natalie Salvador, Otis College of Art and Design
• Jean Marie Venturini, Otis College of Art and Design

The Changing Practice of Student Recruitment: Post Pandemic and Beyond
Marketing, Enrollment & Student Success | New England | Strategic
The 21st Century has ushered in significant changes in recruitment practices. New technologies, volumes more data, phasing out of SAT/ACT, a complex student profile that includes adults, and a large population of students with some college credit but no degree are just some of the significant factors leading to these changes. Please join us as we briefly summarize these factors, address learnings from the 18 months of Covid, and then map out our view of how to succeed going forward. Bre Simkin will describe the innovative perspectives of Excelsior College, a fully online school. Lee Maxey of MindMax will summarize learning from working with dozens of schools wrestling with this new landscape.

• Lee Maxey, MindMax
• Breanne Simkin, Excelsior College

Well Informed Guesses: A Home Grown Solution to Predicting Online Seat Demand
Online Administration | South | Applied
As online populations grow in large public institutions with online classes open to both traditional and fully online student, so do the opportunities to apply data to operational decisions.  What will be the demand for an online course? How many seats need to be reserved for online-only students? When can any open seats be released to on-campus students?  The University of Arkansas' Global Campus tackled these questions by applying software the institution already had on-hand to create effective approachable tools that could be unpacked for departments and advisors.  This presentation will demonstrate the process by which the University of Arkansas Global Campus analyzed past enrollment trends in their online undergraduate core courses, brought in course preference by student major, and incorporated cohort application information to predict which courses would need additional sections opened and how to balance the wishes of on-campus students with the needs of online-only students using software already available on many campus: SAS EG to access and prepare the data, Power BI to mine it, and Excel to step through it.

• Noel Sharif, University of Arkansas
• Patricia Milner, University of Arkansas

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Conducting A Comprehensive LMS Review At Your Institution
Online Administration | Central | Applied
Conducting a learning management system (LMS) review can be daunting, but it is easier if you have clear guiding principles. In this session, you will learn how one institution centered their review on being open and transparent, inclusive, ethical and compliant, locally grounded, and future-proof. We will also share templates and examples you can use in your own LMS review.

• Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University
• Stephanie Richter, Northern Illinois University

In Pursuit of Inclusion:  A Vision for Further Engagement of Diverse Student Communities through Informed DE&I Practices
Program Planning and Implementation | West | Applied
As a university welcoming students in throughout the United States with a goal of exponentially increasing success for students from historically underserved communities, we at Western Governors University are profoundly aware that we must embrace an ever evolving demographic by expanding the design, development, and administration of learning and assessment content.We are committed to ensuring that identities, values, beliefs and cultures of the broadest are reflected in the learning materials and experiences they are exposed to. To help us incorporate culturally relevant pedagogy and multiculturally inclusive practices that celebrate diversity, we use an emerging model of the relationships between 1) principles of content development for diverse learner populations 2) best practices associated with each principle, and 3) the improved outcomes that can be attained (or pursued) by adopting these principles and employing these practices. In this presentation we will share and encourage participants to critique our model.

• Joann Kozyrev, Western Governors University
• Brad Washington, Western Governors University

Integrating a Classroom Plus Model to Support Learning and Professional Development
Program Planning and Implementation | South | Applied
With the goal of bridging the gap between academia and industry, we designed a Classroom Plus model to help prepare our students to make an immediate impact in the real world. Our approach incorporates tools implemented based upon a unique blend of previously established theories, methods, and models to create an effective and engaging online learning environment.As many of our students are college educated, experienced workers looking to upskill or reskill, our Classroom Plus model utilizes a flipped classroom approach including both asynchronous e-learning and virtual instructor-led training elements. Along with the incorporation of High Impact Practices (HIPs) such as ePortfolios, we have created a blended, skills-based training approach that can be successfully delivered and completed virtually.

• Kimberly Allison, University of South Florida
• Mark Koulianos, University of South Florida
• Megan Sauer, University of South Florida

The University of Missouri Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Technology Program –  Providing Access to Advanced Education in Veterinary Technology
Program Planning and Implementation | Central | Applied
Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVTs) play a vital role in increasing the efficiency and quality of veterinary care offered in veterinary practices across the nation. Like nurses who care for human patients, these hardworking RVTs require education and training to become licensed in their profession.  However, until now, RVTs have had few options to further their education and advance their career while maintaining their employment. Here at Mizzou, we took an innovative approach to overcome obstacles preventing veterinary technicians’ access to quality advanced education. The MU College of Veterinary Medicine has developed an online bachelor of science in veterinary technology degree plan for licensed RVTs. This bachelor’s completion program will meet the demand of currently practicing veterinary technicians by providing online, asynchronous distance learning, making advanced education available while they continue to work within the profession. These hardworking individuals deserve this opportunity to advance their careers in their chosen vocation, and we are excited to welcome them to the Mizzou family.

• Cindy Cravens, University of Missouri
• Laurie Wallace, University of Missouri

From the Dark Age to the Digital Age: Program Development and Re-Vitalization
Program Planning and Implementation | Central | Applied
Professional and continuing education units are often charged to innovate, create, and revenue generate! This session explores how to meet this charge by re-energizing a dated training program and transitioning it into a modern, online program. Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus moved a 20+ course program serving 3,000 students online in 6 months. Join us to learn practical tips you can apply as we use this case study to explore program development. We will discuss a four-stage model for program development that can be applied to both new and existing, credit and non-credit, online or in-person programs. As a group we will explore how to identify key elements of an existing program in order to preserve or improve when moving to a new program model. And we will identify the benefits and challenges of working with both full-time faculty and adjunct or industry professionals as online instructors.

• Kirsten Zoller, Kansas State University
• Lisa Shappee, Kansas State University

Reimagine Workforce Online Career Training As You Know It' Reimagine Arkansas Workforce Project D.O.E. Grant
Program Planning and Implementation | South | Applied
Interested in learning successes and failures of colleagues experiencing the same struggles designing workforce programs with all types of learners in mind? We will review our tips and tricks with creating online workforce programs that focus on Universal Design best practices with an emphasis on learners with differing demographics. Using the free resource ‘padlet.com’ we will create an interactive ‘location’ for attendees to share successes and failures to learn from each other, saving time creating accessible robust programs focusing on all types of learners.  Sharing links and content from Open Educational Resources which, if used properly, can be a game changer when creating courses and programs for the workforce environment. Having access to free content can drop your research and course development time in half. Unfortunately, navigating through all the free resources can be overwhelming and time consuming, our successes and failures will help save time with creating online programs.

• Mandy Eppley, University of Arkansas
• Manoel Franco, University of Arkansas

A Holistic Approach to Meeting Accessibility Needs: Leveraging a Cross-campus Collaboration to Making a Residential Graduate Program Accessible for a Deaf-blind Student
Program Planning and Implementation | South | Applied
UNC-CH's Accessibility Resources and Service (ARS) determines reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. A small number of students experience impacts that go far beyond the effectiveness of individual accommodations and which call for input and action from program staff and faculty.In 2019, UNC Chapel Hill established a Digital Accessibility Office (DAO) which has worked diligently productive partnerships across campus, ultimately creating more stakeholders to help provide accommodation support.When a deaf-blind student enrolled at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health for Fall 2021, a new communication system would be needed to ensure an effective support response. This talk outlines the coordinated efforts to address this challenge, describes efficiencies from the timely engagement and of all stakeholders as early as possible, and will share the tools, systems, and structures established to ensure student success.

• Aiya Williams, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Brad Held, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Simon Bloor, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Does The Rise of In-house Corporate Education and Training Certificates Pose a Threat to Higher Ed Continuing Education Programs
Business & Operations | West
LinkedIn Learning. Grow With Google. AWS Educate Cloud Degree. Private Coding Boot Camps. There is an accelerating trend of Fortune 1000 companies developing education and training in house, bypassing higher education entirely.  The trend is not new; think McDonald's and Disney University. But the increased pace of corporate based certificate programs combined with the perceived glacial pace of higher education cannot be ignored.  Pre-pandemic spending on employee training globally reached $370B; only 8% of training budgets was spent on outsourced education and training.  Corporate training executives cite slow response and lack of agility by universities and colleges to provide timely upskilling and reskilling programs to meet industry needs.  Scheduled panelists including leaders in the continuing education space will join corporate training experts to discuss the increasing transition and strategies to meet the challenge.

• Kim McNutt, California State University Dominguez Hills
• Annette Webb, University of California, Riverside
• Lee Maxey, Mind Max
• Vanessa Williams, Temple University

Moderator: Lee Maxey, MindMax

The Digital Ready Intern Pipeline at Drake University
Community and Economic Engagement | Central
Universities must matriculate graduates who can hit the ground running and help an organization thrive in a variety of competitive environments. Drake University has a new model for collaborating with employers to prepare graduates who are “Digital Ready” — poised to be an entrepreneurial leader who is confident using virtual tools to solve problems.  Drake University’s Digital Ready Talent Pipeline consists of three elements: (i) students master both deep domain knowledge within the major and the broad communication, collaboration, and critical-thinking skills rooted in the liberal arts, (ii) students, faculty, and employers collaborate using a mixture of virtual and in-person modalities from the beginning on the student’s academic career through employment, and (iii) faculty and employers collaborate to align the curriculum in the discipline with increasingly complex professional demands.  This session will review the structure of the Drake Digital Ready Talent Pipeline, the value to both students and employers, and the novel ways virtual tools are allowing students to gain experiential learning as digital interns.

• Keith Summerville, Drake University
• Christina Trombley, Drake University

The Role of Higher Education in Delivering Employability
Program Planning and Implementation | South
A striking number of companies worldwide have a currently reported talent shortage, yet many students are still finding themselves hunting for jobs upon graduation. Why does this gap exist and how can leaders in professional, continuing, and online education domains support the employability of their students by aligning curriculum to these market needs? Join us as we explore the most in-demand skills that employers are seeking in today’s ever-changing economy. Discover how higher education institutions can leverage data from millions of learners to implement a skills-first approach that advances their curriculum, and helps students prepare for the jobs of tomorrow.

• Lisa Kolm, Coursera
• Betty Vandenbosch, Coursera
• Juliana Guaqueta, Coursera
• Ralph Russo, Tulane University

Challenges in the Online Environment: Best Practices, Lessons Learned, and Creative Engagement in Advising and Supervision
Marketing, Enrollment & Student Success | New England, West
In the online world we have to be creative in how we support staff and students. This presentation highlights how the University of Arizona and the University of Maine have adapted the ways we support staff and students through a sense of community and a personal touch in a digital environment. The first part of the session will include lessons learned around zoom fatigue, on-boarding staff remotely, relationship building, and being a remote supervisor. The second part of the session will share some of the ways we have maintained the personal advising touch that is the staple of our approach, while streamlining our processes and student support, and increasing automation. We will provide real-life examples of what’s worked well through new and innovative approaches for attendees to implement when working with remote employees and student advising.

• Amanda Cupps, University of Maine
• Richard Roberts, University of Maine
• Tiffany Peterson, University of Maine
• Bonnie Fortini, University of Maine
• Grace Hurd, University of Arizona
• Brittany Gordon, University of Arizona

Leveraging Cohort-Based Online Teaching Certification for Institutional Change
Online Administration | Mid-Atlantic
To prepare for the large increase in online and hybrid courses for the 2020-2021 academic year, our regional public institution knew we needed to deliver a higher quality experience than the emergency remote courses delivered in the Spring 2020 semester. In an attempt to increase course quality and faculty knowledge, we established a total of four institutional cohorts in the Quality Matters Teaching Online certificate program to quickly bring faculty up to speed on online quality best practices. The training created a shared language and understanding for participants, which also expanded across the university as participants shared what they learned. The more widespread understanding of best practices has led to lasting policy changes that have brought the university more than a decade forward in a short period of time. This session will explain our cohort-based training and certification initiative, how it has led to institutional-level changes, and the persisting challenges.

• Mark Chimel, Shippensburg University
• Justin Sentz, Shippensburg University
• Scott Gallagher, Shippensburg University

Moderator: Brad Neuenhaus, MindEdge

Collaborative Strategies for Enhanced Teaching and Learning
eDesign Collaborative | Mid-Atlantic
When it comes to designing both in-person and online courses, increasing collaboration between faculty and instructional designers (IDs) has the potential to increase student engagement and learning outcomes. The PSU Collaborative Content Design (CCD) model helps establish the faculty/designer relationship, then shifts to support a more collaborative design process, and culminates with a focus on student learning and engagement. Using a similar model during the transition to remote teaching because of the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty and IDs at JHU collaborated to identify ways to replace tangible hands-on learning resources used in traditional in-person coursework. This collaboration generated critical learning resources that not only increased student engagement during remote teaching, but also continue to be used as faculty return to in-person and blended instruction.

• Penny Ralston-Berg, Penn State University
• Megan Kohler, Penn State University
• Kelly Cooney, Johns Hopkins University
• Donna Schnupp, Johns Hopkins University

Moderator: Shawn Moore, Oakland University

Regional Lounges are informal, facilitated, two-way, 45-minute, small group, unrecorded conversations hosted at the UPCEA 2021 Regions Week, which allow attendees an opportunity to network with each other and unwind at the end of the conference’s Day Two. The format is the Zoom “meeting” setting, which allows facilitators and attendees to be on screen together. There will be five Regional Lounges hosted simultaneously, each one designed for and hosted by facilitators from UPCEA’s five regions. The formats of the Regional Lounges will vary, but attendees can expect a warm welcome, a chance to meet other UPCEA members in their region, and an opportunity to converse informally. Imagine “water cooler conversation” meets “happy hour” or as the Swedes say, “fika.”

Central

• Terry McDonough, Strategic Education Inc.
• Christina Trombley, Drake University

Moderator: Wendy Erickson, Strategic Education Inc.

New England

• Michael Jones, University of Connecticut
• Holly Tapper, Ruffalo Noel Levitz

Mid-Atlantic

• Matt Davis, Wilmington University

South

• Tyler Ritter, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Doragnes Bradshaw, Rollins College

West

• Inez Bush, Otis College of Art & Design
• Lynda Wilson, California State University, Dominguez Hills

Join Network leaders and other attendees for informal, facilitated, two-way, 45-minute, small group, unrecorded Coffee Chats on Network-related topics. The format of these conversations is the Zoom “meeting” setting, which allows facilitators and attendees to be on screen together. There will be six Network Coffee Chats hosted simultaneously, each one designed for and hosted by facilitators from UPCEA’s professional Networks. Attendees can expect a warm welcome, a chance to meet other UPCEA members in the Networks, and an opportunity to converse informally.

Business & Operations Network Coffee Chat
Micro-credentialing, PLA, and Badges: Operational Best Practices

Moderator: Lorelee Isbell, PASSHE

Community and Economic Engagement Network Coffee Chat
Return to Campus Part II: Lessons and Observations about Organizational and Community Engagement Changes Amid the Pandemic

Moderator: Laurel Hogue, University of Central Missiouri

eDesign Collaborative and Online Administration Network Coffee Chat
Learning Design Teams: Challenges and Opportunities Amid Change

• Olysha Magruder, Johns Hopkins University

Moderator: Kristlyn Thomas, Loyola University

International Network Coffee Chat
What are you doing during these unprecedented times to have a global impact?

Marketing, Enrollment, and Student Success Network Coffee Chat
Learning from our Learners: A Student Panel on Equipping Students for Success

Program Planning and Implementation Network Coffee Chat
From the Dark Age to the Digital Age: Program Development and Re-Vitalization

Learn more about UPCEA's Networks and how to join one or all!

After months of pivoting amid the pandemic, the challenges (and opportunities!) for 2022 loom large.  Institutions have many goals moving forward, and companies who serve higher education are embracing new concepts and ideas. What have we learned? Where are we going? What’s next? Join in this LIVE, two-way conversation to get valuable insights from partners who have been on the forefront in helping UPCEA members navigate the past year and move into what lies ahead. After a brief welcome from UPCEA’s CEO and Board President, who will set the stage for the session, attendees will be randomly placed into breakout rooms where small group discussion will be facilitated by representatives from UPCEA’s partners and include conversation among attendees, leveraging multiple perspectives, insights, and questions.

• Nancy Coleman, Dean, Division of Continuing Education
  Harvard University
  
  2021-2022 UPCEA Board President
  

• Bob Hansen, CEO
  UPCEA

Regions Repond are informal, facilitated, two-way, 45-minute, small group, unrecorded conversations hosted at the UPCEA 2021 Regions Week, that are heavy on networking and connecting, light on didactic, which allow attendees to reflect on general session presentations with regional peers. The format is a Zoom “meeting” setting, which allows facilitators and attendees to be on screen together. There are five Regions Respond sessions hosted simultaneously after each general session, one for each of UPCEA’s five regions, facilitated by regional leadership. While each Regions Respond session may be unique, attendees can expect a warm welcome, a chance to meet other UPCEA members in their region, and an opportunity to reflect, informally, on the content shared in each of the Regions Week general sessions.

Central

• Christina Trombley, Drake University
• Barbara Kopp Miller, The Univerity of Toledo

New England

• Daniel Gannon, Southern New Hampshire University

Mid-Atlantic

• Mary Angela Baker, Formerly Salisbury University

South

• Tyler Ritter, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Jessica Brinker, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Yakut Gazi, Georgia Institute of Technology

West

• Inez Bush, Otis College of Art & Design
• Lynda Wilson, California State University, Dominguez Hills
• Rebecca Morgan, Boise State University
  
  

What’s Your Game Plan? Proven Coaching Tactics to Support Individuals and Teams Through Organizational Change
Business & Operations | South | Applied
Higher education professionals are facing significant organizational, social, and even personal changes as institutions grapple with and absorb planned and unplanned transformations as a result of the pandemic. Supporting and guiding teams and individuals through periods of uncertainty and change has always been a key responsibility of leaders. However, the current environment seems to present unprecedented challenges for everyone, leader, manager, teams, and individual professionals. This presentation will offer practical and proven coaching tools to help teams and individuals find their footing amidst the upheavals we are all facing in the workplace and develop a game plan to realize their potential.

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

Moderator: Teri Markle, University of Denver

Building Capacity and Addressing Disparities through Low Cost and Scalable Professional Education:  Lessons from Project ECHO
Community and Economic Engagement | Central | Applied
Project ECHO is a synchronous collaborative learning model that disseminates specialist health care knowledge to distal communities to reduce health disparities.  More than 600 ECHO hubs, often housed within academic medical centers, convene subject matter expert teams to facilitate topic-specific, regularly scheduled programs.  Participants or learners are community providers seeking to advance their skills in treating a condition, improving process, or advancing policy. Knowledge generation occurs through didactic presentation and case-based learning and follows an “all teach all learn” principle.  Professional and continuing educational programs have yet to adopt the ECHO model although it could open access and address disparities in the broader world of work.  This presentation provides an overview of Project ECHO and provides examples of its application at the University of Chicago.  The discussion portion asks participants to consider how this model of learning can inform their own work and assist higher education in democratizing knowledge.

• Sam Larson, Michigan State University
• Karen Lee, University of Chicago

Moderator: Kimberly Love, Weber State University

Recognition in a Sea of Anonymity: Supporting Students at Every Level
eDesign Collaborative | New England | Applied
Online students often feel like they’re adrift in a sea of anonymity. At Southern New Hampshire University, our conversations with graduating students reinforce the importance of recognition. It makes a major impact on students when they know that their good work is noticed.In higher education we tend to focus on the high and low ends of the student performance spectrum, but what about the middle? B and C students often juggle jobs, family responsibilities, personal issues and more. They may work harder for that grade than your typical A student, and they should be just as proud. Unfortunately, they slip through the cracks and don’t get recognition for their sometimes herculean efforts.In Recognition in a Sea of Anonymity, you’ll hear about research on the importance of student recognition and learn how the Social Sciences department at SNHU makes sure that all students get the recognition they deserve.

• Barbara Lesniak, Southern New Hampshire University
• Jeff Czarnec, Southern New Hampshire University

Moderator: Carrie Ozuna, InsideTrack

Helping Learners and Workers Quickly Switch to a Remote Environment Through a PCO Unit
Program Planning and Implementation | Mid-Atlantic | Applied
When the world went remote in March 2020, both populations that our PCO unit serves, our students and our regional workforce, had to quickly switch to remote learning and working. At an institution with a limited online presence at the undergraduate level, and in a region with relatively little experience with remote working prior to COVID-19, this required rapidly standing up new solutions. This session will describe how a regional public institution quickly created new resources for students and workers that moved online, including some interesting overlap and key differences between the two groups. Resources discussed will include a self-paced online orientation and an evolving array of synchronous training sessions for students and remote work training for workers that included using remote technologies, time and self-management, self-care, and even how to search for jobs remotely. The session will conclude with a discussion on how this rapid response resources have led to lasting infrastructure as we return to a new environment post-COVID.

• Mark Chimel, Shippensburg University
• Natalie Toma, Shippensburg University

Moderator: Tracy Chapman, Collegis Education

Redefining Graduate Student Experiences and Success in the Online Classroom Through Thorough and Engaging Onboarding and Retention Efforts
Marketing, Enrollment & Student Success | West, New England | Foundational
If you build it, will they come? And furthermore, will they stay?  In this session, we will break down the steps that we are taking to start conversations regarding both graduate student satisfaction and success in an online space. We will share how we have initiated institutional collaborations, the tools and metrics we are using to guide the changes that we are working to implement, and what we are hoping to achieve based on the foundation we are setting. We will show how we created a strategic onboarding plan for new students. From building a live, virtual orientation from scratch, to enhancing website and email communication resources and content, to adopting the use of a student success management system, a great deal of attention has been paid to onboarding new students with the goal of increasing student retention and overall satisfaction. We hope that this session will provide you with ideas to guide similar conversations at your institution.

• Heidi Hopkins, University of Arizona
• Marla Rodrigiuez, University of Arizona
• Jennifer Murray, Fitchburg State University
• Amber Deschenes, Fitchburg State University
• Erin Turchetta, Fitchburg State University

Moderator: Tim Gerstmyer, Thinking Cap

Fostering Community and Belonging: Institutional and Program Perspectives
Online Administration | West | Foundational
Fostering community among non-traditional college students and part-time faculty in an Online program requires innovation and purposeful action given the unique teaching and learning environment. This presentation will describe a University’s efforts to build community and belonging from two perspectives, institutional efforts through the Office of Educational Equity, and college specific efforts through the creation of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council in the College of Education (COE). Sharing these two approaches showcases the way large-scale University initiatives contribute to more focused college efforts, and vice versa. Community building does not happen in a vacuum and macro and micro approaches are critical to this effort. To highlight its institutional approach, this presentation will describe two initiatives from the Office of Educational Equity: the Inclusive Café and Educational Equity Webinars. For a college perspective, the presenter will describe COE’s journey with the creation of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council and its successes and challenges.

• Alexandra Escobar, University of Phoenix
• Saray Lopez, University of Phoenix

Moderator: Scott Gutowski, Salesforce.org

Posters are on-demand, asynchronous slide presentations showcasing research and/or programs. Some posters include additional audio narration from presenters. 

Attendees may access posters during the entire conference (and in the virtual event platform for 30 days following the conclusion of the conference), not just during the scheduled date and time for posters. Presenters include their contact information as part of their slides, so be sure to follow up with them individually for further discussion!

We’re Nowhere near the End, the Best Is Ready to Begin: Lessons Learned Making Canvas Modules
eDesign Collaborative | South | Applied
A campus-wide shift to the Canvas LMS seemed like an ideal opportunity for the library to reach new audiences. Two librarians organized a team to make LMS modules for instructors to import into their courses. Faculty librarians chose the topics, each team member volunteered for the work they could feasibly accomplish, deadlines were well in advance of launch date with padding, there was a rigorous editorial process, and the campus IT was a willing and engaged partner. The Georgia Tech Library was able to meet students where they were in a new learning environment. The library is inspired to further develop its suite of asynchronous offerings as a complement to live instruction, post-pandemic.

• Marlee Givens, Georgia Tech University
• Liz Holdsworth, Georgia Tech University

(Really) Everybody Hurts: Creating Innovative Faculty Training in Times of Crisis Using Alternative Subject Experts'
eDesign Collaborative | South | Foundational
The subject of learning design most frequently centers on faculty learning and creating for the betterment of their students, but faculty themselves are less likely to be the direct subjects of the same efforts. At Mississippi State University, the Covid-19 pandemic brought this disparity to the forefront as the entire institution shifted to bring over 3,000 courses online in a single week, with only one full-time employee dedicated to assisting faculty. This presentation focuses on how many experts in varied technical fields came together to create an innovative, effective, and efficient method to assist faculty learning to teach online for the first time.This session will open with a brief introduction to how Mississippi State Online is structured, and then move into how we informed and mobilized the CRM coordinator, web developer, and student support coordinator into a viable technology unit actively assisting with moving courses online and answering faculty questions. We will then explain the foundational knowledge that each specialty found missing in our faculty at large and how we used each technical specialization to address those gaps in more advanced faculty training and assistance. Finally, we will speak to how we are continually pulling on the varied technical expertise to create new and relevant training to assist faculty in teaching online.

• Tracy Craven, Mississippi State University
• Kiley Forsythe, Mississippi State University
• Ben Kaminsky, Mississippi State University

Doing AND Teaching: Balancing a Full-Time Job and Adjunct Instruction
eDesign Collaborative | Central | Applied
In this Conversation with Colleagues session, we will discuss the struggles and rewards of working as higher education staff and teaching in an adjunct role. Teaching can be personally and professionally fulfilling, providing the opportunity to connect with students and better understand their needs and motivations. Frankly, it can also be exhausting; the “end of the day,” isn’t really the end of the day, is it? Last year, we did all of that during a global pandemic. Going forward, how do we make sure that we are taking care of ourselves? Come to this session to meet your peers, share your challenges and successes, and brainstorm time management and self-care strategies.

• Kristina Wilson, Northwestern University

Meeting Students Where They Are: Beyond the Elevator Pitch - Establishing Student Grit and Determination in the Discovery Phase of the Recruitment Process for Non-traditional, Adult Learners
Marketing, Enrollment & Student Success | West | Foundational
As recruiters for online programs, our goal is to coach students from the point of inquiry to program admission. We often begin the conversation by highlighting program features and admission processes rather than trying to start with trust building. This can lead us to losing what recruitment is all about -- changing lives. Adult learners often come to us with preconceived ideas of their ability to succeed due to previous experiences attempting to complete their degree. Adding a “why” discovery phase in recruitment processes allows the recruitment coach to help students think beyond extrinsic motivators and identify intrinsic motivators that the student can emotionally connect to. In this workshop, we are going to dig into the importance of the “why” discovery phase and how to implement that information as a recruitment and advising strategy.

• Thomas Kimble, Boise State University
• Heather Ropelato, Boise State University

Land-Grant Universities FTW: Leveraging Your Institution’s Local and Online Resources Throughout the Three Stages of the Post-traditional Student Recruitment Funnel
Marketing, Enrollment & Student Success | West | Foundational
As post-traditional students’ educational priorities and program delivery preferences shifted to online and remote learning environments this past year, land-grant universities strived to increase their enrollment numbers by leveraging their unique combinations of local campus resources and online program offerings. Learn how one such institution, Utah State University (USU), has been able to fulfill its mission by adopting a three-stage recruitment strategy aimed at engaging online and place-bound post-traditional students across Utah and turn community members into enrollees. Following USU’s example and by engaging in a workshop-like series of team assignments and self-reflective questions, you too can learn how to strategize, prioritize, and balance your own institution’s resource allocation in terms of time, budget, and personnel across the three major stages of the post-traditional recruitment funnel:1. Community Engagement2. Focused Recruitment3. Admissions Management & Yield

• Anca Matcovschi, Utah State University

Instructional Design Successes in Teaching Graduate-Level Psychology Courses
Online Administration | West | Foundational
Presenters will provide a visually engaging presentation on instructional design successes in teaching graduate-level psychology courses. Faculty work collaboratively with the Center of Instructional Innovation (CII) to create unique, one-of-a-kind media projects for psychology courses to engage students beyond written text and lecture. Presenters will provide examples of interactive and instructional media in psychology that strives for inclusion by providing learning modalities to students with a variety of different learning styles. By including media, this approach also allows for application of learning psychological principles through the use of multi-modal tools. Presenters will share qualitative information from students on their learning experiences in courses that have integrated media.

• Jenny Good, Brandman University
• Vanessa Holtgrave, Brandman University
• Isa Ribadu, Brandman University

Enhancing Student Learning Experiences Through Mindfulness
Program Planning and Implementation | Central | Applied
At various points in students’ academic careers, they experience stress and uncertainties in completing their studies. One effective approach to reducing student anxiety is the inclusion of mindfulness activities. By having a mind centered approach, students can feel more positive toward their coursework and program requirements. Faculty can guide students through mindfulness activities in both their on-ground and face-to-face courses to help students’ focus and feel gratitude toward their daily activities. Mindfulness techniques that faculty can utilize include short activities where they request for students to relax and sit comfortable and simply listen to the sounds in the room or they can tell a guided story. Other activities include body scans, color breathing, a daily gratitude, and the five senses. When integrating these activities, faculty should make the experience positive, be clear about their expectations, and explain how students can identify their feelings through the exercise.

• Kelly Torres, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Reimagining the Professional MBA: Increasing Value through Digital Badges
Program Planning and Implementation | Central | Strategic
Digital badges and short-form credentials are expanding rapidly due to their fast completion timelines and tangible skill assessments. To respond to student and employer demand, the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison created a hybrid Professional MBA program, which incorporates digital badges directly within the degree. Students complete a predetermined set of MBA courses before personalizing their degree by selecting up to four digital badges, each consisting of three two-credit course electives. The program will launch with up to eight badges: business analytics, strategic innovation, marketing, financial management, entrepreneurship, business social responsibility, international business, and supply chain strategy. The program is built to provide additional badge electives in the future. A second benefit of the program is that most digital badges will be available as stand-alone credentials for school alumni. Current MBA students will interact with non-credit-seeking professionals in class, offering built-in professional networking opportunities.

• Ian Muehlenhaus, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Marty Gustafson, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Enno Siemsen, University of Wisconsin, Madison

HEaRT: Higher Education and Real-world Training: An Innovative Online Experiential Learning Model Adaptation to Meet Current Needs
Program Planning and Implementation | New England | Applied
Experiential learning is an integral part of nursing and healthcare education. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted students’ ability to secure in-person clinical practice experiences. Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) offers an innovative online asynchronous experiential learning model, Higher Education and Real-world Training (HEaRT), which allows its nursing and healthcare learners to collaborate with companies to solve real problems related to healthcare marketing, policy, regulation, and healthcare finance. The HEaRT model provides learners with an opportunity to network and develop 21st century skills to ensure they are prepared to address challenges in the workplace. During the pandemic, the HEaRT model was adapted to allow students in SNHU’s accredited nursing and health professions programs to continue their mandated clinical practice experiences in a virtual setting. The adaptation of the student-centered HEaRT model allowed students to continue to progress through their programs, reducing the likelihood of a delayed graduation despite the obstacles created by the pandemic.

• Kristi Dalby, Southern New Hampshire University
• Stacey Rosenberg, Southern New Hampshire University
• Beth VanOrsdale, Southern New Hampshire University

Creating a Pathway to Education During the Pandemic and Beyond
Program Planning and Implementation | West | Applied
Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE) units at the California State University system created the “Courses for Causes” program during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering select discounted and free courses to support essential workers and working adults, as well as those who had been affected by the pandemic to be able to develop a skill set that would be useful for them in their professional careers. Implementation strategies (which could vary depending on a number of factors including institution size and type of programs offered), student demographics, and lessons learned will be presented to support replication of the program across the country as the economy recovers.

• Angie Lipschuetz, San Francisco State University
• Kate White, California State University, East Bay
• Daniel Banyai, California State University, Channel Islands
• Regina Cash, California State University, Los Angeles
• Jennifer Patino, California State University, Bakersfield
• S. Jimmy Gandhi, California State University, Northridge

An Accessible LMS: Our Journey in Creating a Student Friendly Experience
Program Planning and Implementation | Central | Foundational
Meeting each learner where they are at starts with ensuring your systems are set up, designed, and curated in such fashions so that learners receive the best overall experience. This session will explore our journey into a new LMS and how we worked alongside faculty to update, enhance, and further engage their content. Common usage, accessible content paired with instructional tools helped shape the new system

• Abram Hedtke, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Building Psychological Safety in Online Learning
Program Planning and Implementation | Central | Applied
Online instructors know that building engagement with students in courses is the key to higher rates of retention and success for students in mastering the curriculum. The big ideas in online courses include designing with interaction in mind, giving students the space to participate, and using student input in course delivery. But what happens when, after following all these guidelines, learners are simply not engaged? Sometimes the issue is that students don't feel safe enough to share their thoughts with peers and you? Promoting a psychologically safe climate is an underestimated factor in effective teaching. Learning involves taking cognitive risks, and feeling socially insecure can distract the focus. Learn the strategies that two institutions are using to create safe learning environments and help instructors develop more effective online teaching skills.

• Breeda McGrath, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
• Juan Mavo-Navarro, University of Toronto

Out-of-state, Not Out of Mind: Internship Compliance Review Processes
Program Planning and Implementation | South | Applied
Most institutions deal with internships, and any institution offering a licensed profession is almost guaranteed to require students to complete an internship. So, how does a university manage the out-of-state compliance issues for distance education and internships? At the University of Arkansas, we utilize two mechanisms; limiting the states from which we accept student applications and an internship contract review process. The compliance team identifies the relative compliance burden for each degree brought online nationwide. Individual state requirements are identified and the compliance team works to meet those requirements. As states approve individual programs the university allows applications from those states. The second step of the process is individual internship site contract reviews. Internships are reviewed individually for compliance in each state. This continual review process has been able to address problems as they arise with changing state regulations. This process identified issues that the team addressed preemptively.

• Cleston Murray, University of Arkansas

Senior Leader Roundtables are informal, facilitated, two-way, 45-minute, small group, unrecorded conversations hosted at the UPCEA 2021 Regions Week, which allow attendees an opportunity to network with senior PCO professionals and with each other. The format is the Zoom “meeting” setting, which allows facilitators and attendees to be on screen together. There will be five Senior Leader Roundtable sessions hosted simultaneously, i.e. concurrently, each one featuring three to four senior leaders from UPCEA’s five regions, facilitated by regional leadership. After a brief introduction, facilitators will help engage attendees and senior leaders in an informal but lively dialogue, followed by time for questions and potentially wrap up with a lightning round.

Central

• Christina Trombley, Drake University
• Lori Crose, Oakland University
• Steve VandenAvond, Northern Michigan University

Moderator: Kristin Hrynczuk, Western Michigan University

New England

• Michael Jones, University of Connecticut
• Stacy Chiaramonte, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Nancy Coleman, Harvard University
• Karen Sibley, Brown University

Moderator: Matt DiPirro, Southern New Hampshire University

Mid-Atlantic

• Sallie Reissman, Wilmington University
• Nora Lewis, University of Pennsylvania
• Rich Novak, Rutgers University
• George Irvine, University of Delaware
• Michael Frasciello, Syracuse University

Moderator: Matt Davis, Wilmington University

South

• Todd Nicolet, University of North Carolina
• Robert Sanders, Rollins College
  
• Alice Warren, North Carolina State University
• Caryn Lavernia, Florida International University

Moderator: Susan Seal, Mississippi State University

West

• Michael Spagna, California State University, Dominguez Hills
• Ricardo Lorenzana, University of Massachusetts Global
• Lisa Templeton, Oregon State University
• Regina Cash, California State University, Los Angeles

Moderators: Saralyn Smith, University of Washington, Tacoma & Paul Del Piero, University of Washington Continuum College

Actions Speak Louder than Words: Implementing Initiatives for a More Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Organization
Business & Operations | West | Applied
We suggest public statements against racism, bigotry, and violence are necessary, but not sufficient, and must be accompanied by meaningful, purpose-driven actions facilitating change towards a more socially-just world. To provide equitable learning opportunities, address the needs of diverse student populations, and to create safe spaces for staff with disparate experiences, UCR-Extension has devoted time/resources to training and discussions around issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In this session, we will present briefly on DEI initiatives implemented recently (mandatory workshops, voluntary discussions on shared readings, a self-audit of instructor/staff pools, and the implementation of formal recruitments to improve candidate diversity). Attendees will learn the importance of multiple approaches to change and the value of communicating a long-term vision accompanied by small, attainable actions. We will discuss best practices and lessons learned from both structured and organic initiatives and facilitate a conversation with prompts invoking reflection and future action.

• Kevin Vaughn, University of California, Riverside
• Cristina Sanford, University of California, Riverside
• Jessica Martinez, University of California, Riverside
• Marie Martin, University of California, Riverside

Moderator: Ken Woo, Northwestern University

#Prepared4PA - Preparing Pennsylvania's Workforce of the Future
Community and Economic Engagement | Mid-Atlantic | Strategic
Currently, PA higher education is shrinking in the number of newly credentialed individuals it produces annually. To meet its workforce needs, Pennsylvania must significantly increase the number of adults with some postsecondary education. With over 400,000 students seeking degrees or enrolled in certificate and other career-development programs - affordable, career-relevant post-secondary education is an engine of social mobility and economic development, which is essential to the future of this Commonwealth and an opportunity for the system to be a leader in addressing this critical need.Come to this session to learn the strategy behind how the PA State System of Higher Education is prioritizing workforce development across the Commonwealth.

• Lorelee Isbell, Shippensburg University
• Hope Lineman, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

Moderator: Andrew Vorwald, Emsi

Ready and Willing to Pivot: Implementing a New Admissions Pathway for Online Transfer Students
Marketing, Enrollment & Student Success | South | Applied
Join this session to learn how UF's Enrollment Management team partnered with UF Online to launch a new admissions pathway for transfer applicants. This program, called “UF Online Ready” increases access to Florida’s flagship university for top-performing students. Attendees will learn how the pilot developed, how leadership buy-in was secured around campus, and how the EM team operationalized the program. Student facing communication, system modifications, and training efforts will be reviewed in the session in a collaborative spirit to advance transfer admissions across the South region. The pilot's results and some  lessons learned will also be shared.

• Melissa Allen, University of Florida

Moderator: Karina Kogan, Education Dynamics

Education Unbundled - Building Workforce Relevant Skills Through University Initiatives and Digital Badges
Program Planning and Implementation | Central, New England | Foundational
The need for reskilling and upskilling within the labor market has been fueled by the global pandemic and 4th Industrial Revolution. One way that higher education institutions can increase the value of a post-secondary education is by being transparent about the workforce relevant skills embedded in the learning experiences. In this presentation, Southern New Hampshire University and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota join together to provide two examples of how institutions are leveraging internal and external partnerships to validate and display workforce relevant skills in their curriculum and outside the classroom.

Southern New Hampshire University’s Curriculum Design team and Career Services team have partnered in an effort to educate students on the workforce relevant skills that they encounter throughout their degree programs. Together, these two SNHU teams are working to support skills-fluency and equity by equipping students to market themselves and utilize a common skills language when communicating with employers.

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota understands that employers are increasingly looking to hire based on verified skills that align with job-task requirements.  Through this understanding, Saint Mary’s renews its commitment to ensuring that students are well-prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow. Saint Mary’s is meeting the growing needs of students and employers through the introduction of 87 new digital credentials across a number of graduate and professional programs. These credentials have become valuable additions to students’ professional portfolios, allowing students to communicate the skills they have acquired at Saint Mary’s, using language that employers understand.

Join us to learn about two distinctly different approaches to meeting the same common goals: enhancing the value and relevance of a college degree and meeting the needs of students by transparently surfacing skills relevant to the workforce.

• Carrie Wandler, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
• Andrea Carroll-Glover, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
• Emily West, Southern New Hampshire University
• Kristen Letourneau, Southern New Hampshire University

Moderator: Courtney Fraylick, Springboard

From Workaround to Workflow: A Workshop for Facilitating Remote Video Production
eDesign Collaborative | South | Foundational
When the pandemic forced most faculty to switch to remote instruction, many created videos to reach their students—but what does it take to produce a good instructional video, and how do you teach faculty to create their own videos at home effectively? UNC-Chapel Hill’s Digital and Lifelong Learning videographers transformed their typical full-service, custom approach into a facilitated development model to support faculty teaching remotely. What did this new approach look like, and how did it work? What tips, tricks, and tools did we share to help faculty succeed? How will we continue using this model after returning to campus? In this session, we’ll start by explaining how we made the shift and how we’ve adapted it for permanent use since then. We’ll then share a series of practical tips and best practices that you can provide to faculty at your institution who want to create their own videos.

• Katie Meersman, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Joey Schenkenberg, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Andy Wells, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Moderator: Brian Malone, Washington State University