Forum Resources
Forums, symposia, closing panels, etc. have long been a part of this conference, generally featuring a panel of experts bringing different viewpoints, but occasionally highlighting an individual expert in the field about a specific topic. Questions and comments from members of the audience are part of these engaging sessions. Recordings range from two to four hours in length and require Windows Media Player.
2011 Recordings
Federal regulations regarding state authorizations
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A panel of administrators will provide background on the 2010 U.S. Department of Education State Authorization Regulation, requiring institutions to have state authorizations in place to offer federal student loans for instructional courses/ programs delivered to learners in other states. Join this discussion to share plans to meet and maintain state authorizations.
Panel:
- (Moderator) Rick Shearer, Director of World Campus Learning, Penn State World Campus
- Sharyl Thompson, External Regulatory Affairs Manager, Capella University
- Reed Scull, Director, Outreach Credit Programs & Associate Dean, Outreach School, University of Wyoming
- Peg Wherry, Director of Online and Distance Learning, Montana State University
Impacts of mobile learning on distance education/training
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A panel of experts share their visions of the impacts of mobile learning on future instruction. Participate in the discussion about this fast-emerging technology.
Panel:
- (Moderator) Paul Anjeski, Consultant
- Clark Quinn, Executive Director, Quinnovation
- Judy Brown, Mobile Learning Lead and Founder, Academic ADL Co-Lab
- Allison Rossett, Professor, San Diego State University
- Rovy Branon, Associate Dean, Academic ADL Co-Lab
2010 Recordings
Co-sponsored by Compass Knowledge Group
This panel describes the partnerships that bring together higher education administrators and faculty with a diverse professional team to assist in managing all aspects of e-learning, from program development and course delivery to student support and retention. Learn best practices from system audits of more than 50 online programs and take away benchmarks to assess your scalability potential.
Panel:
- (Moderator) Rob Bishop, Vice President of Partner Development, Compass Knowledge Group
- Larry Pawola, Clinical Associate Professor/Associate Dean for Academic Practice and Distance Education, University of Illinois at Chicago
- Ann Millacci, Field Service Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati
- Marsha Ham, Executive Director, Ohio University
- Fred Snow, President, UAT Online and Former VP of Business Development, formerly with Compass Knowledge Group
Best practices in online faculty development
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Effective instructors and instruction are the
strongest marketing tools an online program
can have. Research evidence suggests that a
good instructor is the key to student persistence
in online courses. Thus the hiring,
training, and evaluation of online instructors
has become a high priority for most institutions.
This includes providing training for many new
to distance education and also providing
incentives to keep good faculty. This symposium
explores faculty development from a
number of perspectives with the objective of
presenting models that work even when
budgets are tight.
Panel:
- Rena Palloff, Faculty/Managing Partner, Fielding Graduate University/Crossroads Consulting Group
- Keith Pratt, Faculty/Managing Partner, Fielding Graduate University/Crossroads Consulting Group
- Rita Marie Conrad, Faculty/Consultant, LERN
- Denise Burbey, Director of Distance Learning, Jamestown Community College
- Robin Smith, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Web-based Learning, University of Arkansas for
Medical Sciences
Distance education in the decade ahead
Think tank facilitators summarize their
earlier group discussions and lead an open
discussion of the opportunities, challenges,
and predictions for distance education in the
decade ahead.
Panel:
- (Moderator) Jane Terpstra, Conference Director, Distance Education Professional Development, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Focus on K-12 instruction: Cathy Cavanaugh, University of Florida & Katherine Hayden, California State University, San Marcos
- Focus on higher education instruction: Judith Boettcher, Designing for Learning & Rick Shearer, Pennsylvania State Universit
- Focus on corporate training: Mohamed Ally, Athabasca University & Jon Aleckson, Web Courseworks
- Focus on administration & management: David King, Oregon State University & Tracey Wilen-Daugenti, University of Phoenix
- Focus on international perspectives: Cherry Stewart, University of New England, Australia, & Ari-Matti Auvinen, HCI Productions Ltd. & Aalto University, Finland
2009 Recordings
Using research on blended and distance education to shape the future of all education and training
Co-sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Colleges and UW-Extension Chancellor's Office
Part 1--What does research from blended and distance education tell us about ways all education and training may be modified for increased quality and cost-effectiveness?
Panel:
- (Lead) Judith Boettcher, Founder and Consultant, DesigningforLearning.com
- Michael Simonson, Program Professor, Instructional Technology and Distance Education, Nova Southeastern University
- Farhad (Fred) Saba, Professor, Educational Technology, San Diego State University and Founder, Distance-Educator.com
Part 2--What advice can these researchers give to school, campus, and training administrators still operating with ineffective pedagogical approaches?
Panel:
- (Lead) Janet Poley, President/CEO, American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC)
- Anthony Picciano, Professor, Hunter College and CUNY Graduate Center
- Cathy Cavanaugh, Professor, Educational Technology, University of Florida
- William Ferree, Professor, College of Distance Education, Naval War College
Mobile learning: Are we there yet?
Co-sponsored by the University of Wisconsin System's Office of Learning and Information Technology
Mobile learning requires mobile instruction, instruction that can be delivered to hand-held devices. The devices have become more advanced (e.g., iPhones, Blackberries, mini-laptops, etc.). Has development of instruction/training kept up? Are we there yet?
Panel:
- (Lead) Judy Brown, Education Technology Consultant and Founder, mLearnopedia.com
- Richard Culatta, Instructional Program Manager, CIA University
- Gary Marrer, Faculty, Business and Information Technology Department, Glendale Community College
Focusing on the learner's perspective: Emerging distance education models
Co-sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Provost's Office
This forum focuses on the learner and learning. Panelists present/discuss the emerging models to prepare us to design and study learning now and into the future. These models include: constructivism, community of inquiry, authentic activities and learning, social presence, scaffolding, metacognition, collaboration, and more.
Panel:
- (Lead) Rosemary Lehman, Senior Outreach/Distance Education Specialist, ICS, University of Wisconsin-Extension
- D. Randy Garrison, Director of Teaching & Learning Centre and Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Calgary
- Tom Reeves, Professor, Educational Psychology & Instructional Technology
- Caroline Howard, Independent Educator and Consultant, HC Consulting
Lessons from history and the continuing mission of distance education: Who is still at the back door?Co-sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Continuing Studies
As Charles Wedemeyer wrote in his 1981 book, Learning at the Back Door, "Back door learners are a largely unacknowledged source of the vitality, energy, creativity, and survivability of human existence on this Earth." Who are these learners in today's world? How can distance education continue to meet the needs of these learners using non-traditional means?
Panel:
- (Lead) Chère Gibson, Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Michael Moore, Professor of Education, Pennsylvania State University
- Gera Burton, Associate Director, Center for distance and Independent Study, University of Missouri
- Darcy Walsh Hardy, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Executive Director, University of Texas Telecampus
- Curt Bonk, Professor, Indiana University
Learning at the Back Door: e-book order information
2008 Forum Recordings
Strategic directions for institutional support of blended and distance education
Co-sponsored by the Sloan-Consortium
How does strategic planning impact the growth and sustainability of successful distance education programs? How does strategic realignment consolidate the focus on emerging technologies and their applications in blended and distance education? Panelists share their approaches for senior administrators to collaborate with faculty in strategic planning and realignment and their approaches to increase campus- wide outreach efforts.
Panel:
- (Moderator) Tom Davis, FedEx Ground University
- Cole Camplese, Director of Education Technology Services, Penn State University
- Janet Poley, CEO and President, American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC)
- Patrick Farrell, Provost, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Meg Benke, Dean of the Center for Distance Learning, Empire State College
Virtual Collaboration with colleagues, clients, and team members
Co-sponsored by Adobe Systems, Inc.
This forum discusses the changing nature of how people work. Many different approaches to effective virtual team work and productivity are addressed. Learn how many are working globally in developing programs, sharing knowledge, creating, writing and publishing with colleagues at a distance. Get a good picture of the tools that help to make this process more effective and efficient. Find out how to incorporate some of these same models into our teaching as we increasingly serve a global population.
Panel:
- (Moderator) Thomas Smith, Program Director, Engineering Professional Development, University of Wisconsin–Extension/Madison
- Megan Stewart, Director of Higher Education, Adobe Systems, Inc.
- Deborah LaPointe, Assistant Director, Education Development, Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center, University of New Mexico
- Constance Steinkuehler, Assistant Professor, School of Education, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Rick Shearer, Assistant Director, Instructional Design and Development, Penn State World Campus
The world of Web 2.0 in distance education, Part 1 & Part 2
Online learning environments have been changing quickly over the past few years. The Web has shifted from a passive medium to an interactive one in which content is created, shared, remixed, repurposed, and passed along. Learners are playing a more active role in their experience moving content creation and models of teaching to a new level. This forum discusses the latest innovations, models, and best practices for utilizing Web 2.0 applications in distance teaching and learning.
Part 1 This part of the forum concentrates on the many approaches for creating community and increasing social learning utilizing technologies such as wikis and blogs, podcasting, mobile computing, social bookmarking, and personal learning environments.
Panel:
- (Moderator) Pam Scheibel, Clinical Professor, School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Michael Simonson, Program Professor, Instructional Technology and Distance Education, Nova Southeastern University
- Marilyn Lombardi, Director, the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) Center, Duke University
- Paul Kim, Chief Technology Officer, Stanford University School of Education
Part 2 The second part of the forum discusses writing, publishing, and scholarly pursuit through the use of Web 2.0 tools such as creative commons, electronic publication, and open educational resources.
Panel:
- (Moderator) Pam Scheibel, Clinical Professor, School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- George Siemens, Associate Director of Research and Development, University of Manitoba
- Curt Bonk, Professor, Instructional Systems Technology, Indiana University
2007 Forum Recordings
Handheld devices are becoming more ubiquitous in distance education as well as in health and business training settings. This forum explores and discusses the successes and limitations of podcasts/vodcasts, providing instruction in the palm of the learner's hand.
Panel:
- (Moderator) Pam Scheibel, Clinical Professor, School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Jan Cheetham, Academic Technology Consultant, Division of Information Technology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Jeffrey Henriques, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology and School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Laura Florand, Senior Lecturing Fellow, Duke University
- Walter Milligan, Chief Information Officer and Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Michigan Technological University
The power to know you're making a difference: Embracing insight initiatives
The expectation that technology will be thoughtfully used to better enable teaching and learning have been driven by services like 
Amazon.com, TiVo, and online banking. Moreover, such services have driven the expectation that institutions will leverage "insight" to make a difference in how they teach and reach students, better customize services, and drive strategic planning and accountability efforts. This forum reviews "insight" movements in the commercial, government, and health care industries and discusses the implications and issues surrounding the search for "insights" to make a difference in distance education.
Moderator: Paul Anjeski, Organizational Development Specialist, Wisconsin Education Association Council
Presenter: Mark Milliron, Suanne Davis Roueche Endowed Fellow, Senior Lecturer, and Director of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD), College of Education, University of Texas-Austin
Using social software tools to enhance distance education
Co-sponsored by the Sloan-Consortium
New applications are changing the Internet from a distribution network to a multi-mode communications and collaboration platform. Such tools, generically known as social software or Web 2.0, combine multi-media content and communications with intelligent agents to filter, prioritize, and coordinate individual and group interactions. They offer opportunities to build personal learning environments, allowing learners to more actively shape their learning. The session offers theoretical rationale, research, and practical experience using social software tools to enhance distance learning.
Moderator: Chere Gibson, Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Presenters:
Terry Anderson, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Distance Education, Athabasca University; Director, Canadian Institute for Distance Education Research; Editor, International Review of Research on Distance and Open Learning
Peter Tittenberger, Director of the Learning Technologies Centre, University of Manitoba
Next generation e-learning: Merging physical and virtual worlds
Co-sponsored by Adobe Systems, Inc.
This session reviews research and emerging practices around trends such as experience design, social learning, and mobile learning. Discussion includes the wide variety of ways institutions are responding to the opportunities and challenges of teaching and learning when the physical world and the virtual world merge to become our future world of teaching and learning.
Moderator: Alan Wolf, Academy Technology Consultant, Division of Information Technology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Presenter: Ellen Wagner, Senior Director, eLearning Solutions, Adobe Systems, Inc.
