Forum Resources
Forums are advanced sessions that feature an expert or panel of experts bringing different viewpoints. 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.
2009 Forum Recordings
Using research on blended and distance education to shape the future of all education and training--Part I 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?
Lead Panelist:
Judith Boettcher, Founder and Consultant, DesigningforLearning.com
Panelists:
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
Using research on blended and distance education to shape the future of all education and training--Part II 
Presenter(s): Janet Poley, Anthony Picciano, Cathy Cavanaugh, William Ferree
What advice can these researchers give to school, campus, and training administrators still operating with ineffective pedagogical approaches?
Lead Panelist:
Janet Poley, President/CEO, American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC)
Panelists:
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?
Presenter(s): Judy Brown, Richard Culatta, Gary Marrer, Kurt Squire
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? The invited panel will address these questions as well as your questions.
Lead Panelist:
Judy Brown, Education Technology Consultant and Founder, mLearnopedia.com
Panelists:
Richard Culatta, Instructional Program Manager, CIA University ; Gary Marrer, Faculty, Business and Information Technology Department, Glendale Community College; Kurt Squire, Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Focusing on the learner's perspective: Emerging distance education models
Presenter(s): Rosemary Lehman, D. Randy Garrison, Tom Reeves, Caroline Howard, Jeff Stevens
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.
Lead Panelist:
Rosemary Lehman, Senior Outreach/Distance Education Specialist, Instructional Communications Systems, University of Wisconsin-Extension
Panelists:
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; Jeff Stevens, President and CEO, Workforce Solutions Company
Lessons from history and the continuing mission of distance education: Who is still at the back door?
Presenter(s): Chère Gibson, Michael G. Moore, Gera Burton, Darcy Walsh Hardy, Curt Bonk
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." Back door learners are those lacking the resources (e.g., time, money, proximity) to participate in traditional learning. Who are these learners in today's world? How can distance education continue to meet the needs of these learners using non-traditional means?
Lead Panelist:
Chère Gibson, Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Panelists:
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
Forum 1 - Strategic directions for institutional support of blended and distance education 
Thursday, August 7th 10:15 am- 12:00 pm
Sponsored by the Sloan-Consortium
Discussion in this forum will focus on two issues involving senior organizational administrators: (1) how strategic planning impacts the growth and sustainability of successful distance education programs, and (2) how strategic realignment consolidates the focus on emerging technologies and their applications in blended and distance education. Panelists will share their approaches for senior administrators to collaborate with faculty in strategic planning and realignment and their approaches to increase campus- wide outreach efforts.
Moderator: Tom Davis, FedEx Ground University
Panelists: 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
Forum 2 - Virtual Collaboration with colleagues, clients, and team members
Thursday, August 7th 1:15 - 3:00 pm
Sponsored by Adobe Systems, Inc.
This forum will discuss the changing nature of how people work. Many different approaches to effective virtual team work and productivity will be 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. Then, we will discuss how to incorporate some of these same models into our teaching as we increasingly serve a global population.
Moderator: Thomas Smith, Program Director, Engineering Professional Development, University of Wisconsin–Extension/Madison
Panelists: 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
Forum 3 - The world of Web 2.0 in distance education
Friday, August 8th
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 will discuss the latest innovations, models, and best practices for utilizing Web 2.0 applications in distance teaching and learning.
Part 1 Forum 3
8:00–9:45 am
This part of the forum will concentrate 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.
Moderator: Pam Scheibel, Clinical Professor, School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Panelists: 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 Forum 3
11:45 am–1:30 pm
Panelists in the second part of this forum will discuss writing, publishing, and scholarly pursuit through the use of Web 2.0 tools such as creative commons, electronic publication, and open educational resources.
Moderator: Pam Scheibel, Clinical Professor, School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Panelists: George Siemens, Associate Director of Research and Development, University of Manitoba; Curt Bonk, Professor, Instructional Systems Technology, Indiana University
2007 Forum Recordings
Instruction in the palm of the learner's hand: Exploring instructional applications of podcasting and vodcasting
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.
Moderator: Pam Scheibel, Clinical Professor, School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Panelists: 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
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.
Please note: Recordings of sessions from 2002-2006 are not currently available. Please check back to access these resources.
