Monday, June 7, 2010

Monday Morning Sessions

8:00 am - 8:45 am: Session 1

Effects of Online Course Orientation Intervention on Course Performance
Tatyana Pashnyak, Bainbridge College
Federal Reserve Room
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of online course orientation intervention as well as four contributing factors (high GPA, internet access at home, high social ability, and low procrastination tendency) on the online course performance in community college courses.

Pecha Kucha: 6:40 to Enhanced Instructor Online Presence
Richard Schilke, Florida State College at Jacksonville
Alexander Room
This presentation looks at the phenomenon of Pecha Kucha, a presentation technique founded in the Japanese art and design culture and adopts its presentation rules and style to online classrooms. Using free software, instructors can add fact-paced, engaging content that brings their presence, passion, and personality into the online classroom six minutes and twenty seconds at a time.

Tweet! Tweet! Effectively Using Twitter in the Classroom
Teresa Kelly, Kaplan University
Aldrich Room
Twitter has become one of the most popular social networking sites. Recent studies indicate that employers want students who have experience in social networking as in professional skill. Through employing appropriate use of Twitter and employing it as a tool for brief reminders and other information, instructors can model the use of the popular social networking tool.

Fishbowl Dialogue Session: Effectively Evaluating Online Instruction of Faculty
Nakia Troutman & Antonio Rozier-Epting, Colorado Technical University Online
Ballroom A
This session will focus on the evaluation of instructor performance to capture the critical data to support development of online instructors and identify issues in online instruction that affect the student’s academic experience. Appropriate for faculty and administrators interested in student learning enhancement and improved evaluation methods for online instruction.

Monday Morning Sessions

9:00 am - 9:45 am: Session 2

Distance Education Program Analysis and Alignment
Sandra L. Franklin, Andrea Stone, Tracy Fairless & Bucky Dodd, University of Central Oklahoma
Federal Reserve Room
UCO’s Center for Professional and Distance Education staffers will discuss our move to richer, more sophisticated faculty development. Learn about our process of dissecting our original offering into finer components, creating more complex learning objectives to help faculty reach the next level, and see our final workshop collection.

Closing the Loop on a Continuous Program Improvement Process
Vickie Booth, Georgia WebBSIT
Larry Booth, Clayton State University
Federal Reserve Room
The Georgia WebBSIT developed a process for continuous program improvement. To close the loop on closing the e loop, stakeholder participation is critical. Each stakeholder (student, instructor, and administrator) needs a set of rules to implement the process.

Monday Morning Sessions

10:00 am - 10:45 am: Session 3

Technology in an Online Class
David Lloyd, Georgia Southern University
Federal Reserve Room
This presentation will discuss ways we can utilize technology in Online Education environments. There are many technologies that can be used inside of our Blackboard, Webct or really any online class. We will discuss some google appplications as well as Twitter, Facebook and other few technology based tools.

Assuring Quality in Large-Scale Online Course Development
Tina Parscal, University of the Rockies
Deborah Riemer, Ashford University view presentation
Alexander Room
How do institutions assure academic quality in rapid, large-scale course development projects? Ashford University of the Rockies will each share their respective course development processes that integrate instructional design, eBook custom publishing, Quality Matters^TM standards, faculty development, internal quality assurance reviews and external peer-reviews.

How Strategic Planning Keeps You Sane When Delivering DL Programs Sonya Foley Dunkin, Dixie MacNeil, & Kim Luzius, University of Alabama
Aldrich Room
The University of Alabama distance program administrators have developed a three-point strategic plan that supports their academic programs. This session will highlight how to be successful in the development/delivery of your programs including the following elements: strategic-planning, goals, evaluation/analysis, marketing, and revenue/expense reporting.

Monday Morning Sessions

11:00 am - 11:45 am: Session 4

Effective Online Instructor Orientation Course
Sallie J. Johnson, Air University, Air Command and Staff College view presentation
Federal Reserve Room
Educational institutions have a critical and vital role to play in proving effective faculty training and development programs to ensure distance learners to receive the same quality of education as traditional “on-campus “students. To meet this threshold of opportunity, the Air Command and Staff College took a proactive and creative approach through a three-week interactive and experiential Instructor Orientation Course designed to orient, train, and develop faculty members.

Assuring Quality in Large-Scale Online Course Development
Tina Parscal, University of the Rockies
Deborah Riemer, Ashford University
Alexander Room
How do institutions assure academic quality in rapid, large-scale course development projects? Ashford University and the University of the Rockies will each share their respective course development processes that integrate instructional design, eBook custom publishing, Quality Matters^TM standards, faculty development, and internal quality assurance reviews and external peer-reviews.

From Consumer to Innovator: Defining the Next Twenty Years of DL
Bucky Dodd,Sandra L. Franklin,Tracy Fairless, & Andrea Stone, University of Central Oklahoma
Aldrich Room
New technologies and instructional strategies’ emerge daily, each contributing to the every-changing landscape of distance learning. This interactive “think-tank” session will explore the challenges and opportunities facing distance learning professionals thought the next twenty years and examine how to move from a consumer mentality to an innovator’s mindset.

Fishbowl Dialogue Session: What’s All the FOSS About?
Jason Huett & Kim Huett, University of West Georgia view presentation
Ballroom A
Learn about the major role Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) plays in the future of education. The world of education is about to be radically altered and that change will be driven by technology, openness, and unprecedented access to knowledge. This presentation will examine the literature, written on the use of FOSS in education with a particular focus on the promise of E-learning technologies to change the current face of our educational landscape.

Wimba Pronto: Instant Collaboration to Support 21st Century Learning
Jesse Girardi & Scott Smith, Wimba
Ballroom B
Engaging 21st century students, increasing administrative efficiencies, or developing disaster preparedness plans - learn how Wimba Pronto, an instant collaboration platform designed for education, is being used to support these and other initiatives at colleges and universities around the world.

Monday Afternoon Sessions

1:00 pm - 1:45 pm: Session 5

The Virtual Ice Cream Social: Building Communities in Online Universities
Jane Henderson, Jan Flegle, Kaplan University
Jason Wiloughby, Kentucky Community and Technical College System view presentation
Federal Reserve Room
The iconic ice cream social has long been a tradition across America. This event brought communities together to share and build bonds that often lasted a lifetime. This paper explores how online universities can offer the same opportunities to build community among students and alumni through social networking.

How Strategic Planning Keeps You Sane When Delivering DL Programs
Sonya Foley Dunkin, Dixie MacNeil, & Kim Luzius, University of Alabama
Alexander Room
The University of Alabama DL program administrators have developed a three-point strategic plan that supports their academic programs. This session will highlight how to be successful in the development/delivery of your programs including the following elements: strategic-planning, goals, evaluation/analysis, marketing, and revenue/expense reporting.

Collaborative Management in International Web-Delivered Programs
Heather A. D. Mbaye, University System of Georgia and University of West Georgia Aldrich Room
I will explain the operation of the collaborative certificate of the USG, and discuss issues of international collaboration in small programs. The paper will discuss budgeting, pedagogy, enrollment management, etc.

Fishbowl Dialogue Session: Academic Rigor or Profit Potential
Jason Caudill, Carson-Newman College
Ballroom A
With competition increasing many educators are faced with increasing pressure to increase student headcount and generate more revenue for their institutions. Online education has received much negative press for lacking academic rigor in favor of bringing in more student dollars. This session will discuss participant’s experiences with this phenomenon and hoe scholars can play a role in improving academic standards of online education.

Why Learning Objects, Inc. is Focused on Social Learning?
Chris Mann, Learning Objects, Inc.
Ballroom B
Today’s students, and educators, need tools for collaboration, personal learning spaces for individuals to collect and reflect on their course work and personal interests, and community areas for group projects, and departmental and administrative collaboration spaces.  A social learning platform, like Learning Objects’ Campus Pack, provides tools for users to create wikis, blogs, and podcasts for assignments or around personal interests, build a portfolio of academic work across time, and collaborate online with self-organized groups or campus-sanctioned organizations.

Monday Afternoon Sessions

2:00 pm - 2:45 pm: Session 6

So - Exactly How Do You Evaluate Online Faculty
Ginger Durham & Mike Rogers, Board of Regents, University System of Georgia
Federal Reserve Room
Do you believe faculty teaching online should be evaluated differently than faculty teaching face-to-face? If so, what are the criteria and standards that should be used? We believe the evaluation should be dramatically different and will share evaluation strategies we consider most important as well as an evaluation rubric.

Distance Learning: A Global Perspective
Angie Parker, Anthem Academic Affairs
Alexander Room
As more and more institutions of higher education in the United States develop curriculum for foreign markets, several key issues need to be addressed to assure the effectiveness of that instruction. This presentation will focus on lessons learned from a Fulbright Senior Scholar project conducted in South Africa.

Distance Learning and Accreditation
Heather G. Hartman, Brenau University
Aldrich Room
The regional accreditation process, whether it’s your first or 50th, is a challenge. With the proliferation of forprofit institutions and the resulting increase in Federal government oversight of accreditation, it’s more important than ever to watch your P’s and Q’s. What do you need to know? Distance education is not addressed in one section of the compliance certificate, but should be addressed in many. What are they?

Think Beyond the Book: To Improve Outcomes & Reduce Costs
Christine Decker, Cengage Learning
Ballroom B
Let Cengage Learning take you to the next degree. We work with schools to create a flexible, high quality learning program founded on the best practices of instructional design that your students will enjoy using and allows you to focus on your most important role: teaching.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Tuesday Morning Session

8:00 am - 8:45 am: Session 7

Using Text Expanders to Improve Feedback and Save Time
Jan Flegle, Kaplan University
Federal Reserve Room
Research has shown that substantive feedback to students enhances their learning. Providing this type of feedback is time consuming. This presentation looks at the use of text expanders to provide quality feedback in minimal time. A free text expander will be demonstrated.

Finding Flexibility in a Fixed Sequence: Student Program Planning Strategy
Linda J Smith, University of Maryland University College view presentation
Alexander Room
College programs assume prerequisite skills and knowledge; however, circumstances and student interest may result in students registering for courses without adequate preparation. This paper outlines a strategy for supporting: a) students who need flexibility and b) faculty with addressing skill/knowledge deficits in courses designed to cover other areas.

Supporting Online Instructors for Creating Distance Learning Contents
Guogi (George) Lu, Delaware Valley College
Aldrich Room
This paper describes a method for creating distant learning contents which are portable, have rich multimedia components and relatively small size, and can be hands-on oriented. The technologies involved are cheap and easy to use for online instructors who have minimum time and computer backgrounds.

Fishbowl Dialogue: Retaining Online Students
Nakia Troutman & Michael Hester, Colorado Technical University Online
Ballroom A
Retaining students will always be a priority for online schools. Students withdraw from school for numerous reasons. This fishbowl will explore some of these reasons as well as provide some solutions and suggestions to help retain students within the online environment.

Tuesday Morning Sessions

9:00 am - 9:45 am: Session 8

Stumbling Down the Yellow Brick Road
Abbot L. Packard, University of West Georgia
Federal Reserve Room
Like a journey to see the wizard hoping to find the elixir of student satisfaction along the way - stressed are the lessons learned over a four-year span about relevance and motivation and attempts to make the lessons learned making like easier for both student and professor without creating and Educational Research class for Dummies. How to increase relevance when as many as five different disciplines taking the same course at the same time?

Channeling Students to Academic Majors for Which They are Best Suited
Phillip McNair, G. Ronald Gilbert & Tedi Thompson-Magrini, American Public University System
Alexander Room
Student profiles were developed in 31 academic majors based on an analysis of over 20,000 responses to the Work Preference Indicator administered as a classroom assignment. This information helps students understand the suitability of their choice of major and occupation, and has relevance to student retention and learning engagement.

It’s Not Our Fault: Debating Faculty Complicity in Textbook Costs
Myk Garn, SREB
Barry Nab Dahl, Lake Superior College
Michael Crafton, Clayton State University
Aldrich Room
The average college student spends $700 to $1,000 each year on textbooks. One community college system over 70 different textbooks specified for English 101. Is this academic freedom or fiscal turpitude? Should greater consideration, responsibility, and accountability for cost be placed upon faculty and institutions? Join the debate and see.

Fishbowl Dialogue Session: Academic Freedom vs. Student Learning
Sandra L. Franklin, University of Central Oklahoma
Ballroom A
Academic freedom in the traditional classroom is every faculty member’s right. UCO is instituting required teaching certification for online instructors to ensure students in online courses benefit from the same high quality learning as students in traditional classes. How should certification be structured to ensure a win for both sides?

Tools for Scaling Your eLearning Program
Mac Adkins, SmarterServices
Ballroom B
No longer are schools asking if they should offer distance learning or even how to provide distance learning. The question now being asked is how do we increase the scale our eLearning program in a context of budget cuts. This session will provide an overview of tools that more than 400 colleges and universities have used to bring scales of efficiency to their programs.

Tuesday Morning Sessions

10:00 am - 10:45 am: Session 9

Demographics and Interest of Prospective Online Students: Georgia ONmyLINE Leads
Diane M. Burnette, University of Georgia
Federal Reserve Room
The Georgia ONmyLINE website includes a Leads Request form that is used by the general public to submit questions regarding online courses and degree programs offered by the University System of Georgia institutions. This presentation will provide a review of the demographic characteristics of the more than the 800 interests in online programs and courses marketed on the Georgia ONmyLINE website and highlight specific program areas.

Social Media and Academic Space
Jeff Miller, University of British Columbia
Alexander Room
The learning environment for UBC’s Masters of Education Technology program mixes a course management system (CMS) and social media sites. This presentation will provide and analysis of models for student interaction and collaborative knowledge building within and beyond closed CMS spaces, and highlight organizational challenges associated with the management and social media sites as spaces for teaching and learning.

Taking Distance Education to the Next Level Using IPTV
Larry Flegle, American Military University
Jan Flegle, Kaplan University
Aldrich Room
IPTV delivers scheduled TV programs and video-on-demand via IP protocol and digital streaming technique. This paper examines how to take online learning to the next level by enhancing learning quality, strengthening the connection with learners and augmenting the institution’s brand through the use of cutting -edge technology.

Fishbowl Dialogue Session: How Much is Too Much? Is Social Networking a Learning Tool or a Distraction?
Teresa Kelly, Kaplan University
Ballroom A
Social networking has become increasingly popular among students and faculty, but how much is too much? What parameters do we need to set to make social networking a tool not a distraction?

Five Low Cost Tools for Team Based Course Design
Sandy Mills-Alford, AliveTek, Inc.
Ballroom B
AliveTek has been building online courses for a variety of organizations for 10 years. Since our clients are never physically in the office with us, we have to adopt tools to keep the collaboration and timelines flowing. Come hear about our top solution picsk for project management, file sharing and video publishing.

Tuesday Afternoon Sessions

11:00 am - 11:45 am: Session 10

There’s a Teacher in Your Pocket
David Babb, Georgia Perimeter College view presentation
Federal Reserve Room
How do you keep your students attention and utilize the technology they are becoming the best at using? Instead of working against the technology, Embrace the mobile device and use it to you advantage. As the popularity of mobile devices continues to grow, the use of mobile devices, in online education is not. The standard hybrid practice is a face to face class with the addition of an online component. This paper covers the theory behind using the mobile device as a component of the online classroom, thus creating a new digital hybrid. Incorporating the mobile device allows additional accessibility and enhances student learning.

The Challenges of Training and Developing Online Faculty
Barbara Manuputy & Phil McNair, American Public University System view presentation
Alexander Room
From the humble beginnings in 1991 serving a handful of students, the American Public University System now has over 60, 000students and 1,000 plus faculty members with 100% online delivery. This session details the training and development program APUS created to ensure faculty members have the skills they need to be effective.

Analyzing Observation and Course Date for Course Improvement
Richard Schilke, Florida State College at Jacksonville
Aldrich Room
Florida State College at Jacksonville requires annual observations of all online adjuncts. Our eQuality program analyzes findings from observations, student critiques, and student success rates to identify skills and area improvements this presentation provides insights and techniques for analyzing this qualitative and quantitative data.

Fishbowl Dialogue Session: Training and Support of Distance Instructors
Norman Hitchcock, Naval War College
Ballroom A
The strength and character of an institution passes through your distant faculty to your Distance Education students. Working to make distant faculty feel they are a part of the “brick and mortar” team can be an essential step to creating an environment of inclusion for faculty and distance education students.

Transcending the Course/Textbook: Student-Centered Learning with Xplana Learning Space
Fred Green, MBS Direct
Ballroom B
This presentation discusses student study and learning beyond the confines of courses and textbooks, and examines how student productivity can be enhanced with a student-centered approach to content and learning tools available through Xplana Learning Space. Xplana Learning Space is a social learning framework that augments traditional e-learning by placing the individual student and his/her learning needs at the center of the learning paradigm.

Tuesday Afternoon Sessions

1:00 pm - 1:45 pm: Session 11

Using Faculty Mentors to Pave the Way
Lisa Ciardulli, Broward College view presentation
Federal Reserve Room
Broward College is successfully using faculty mentors with experience developing and delivering online and blended courses and Associates to help faculty who are new to e-learning. Theses Associates conduct professional development workshops, provide new initiatives and software.

Plagiarism Prevention Initiatives in the Online Classroom
Tedi Thompson-Magrini, American Public University System
Alexander Room
This presentation will describe various initiatives that have been designed for our Foundations of Online Learning course to prevent plagiarism and promote academic honesty. Course materials and associated assignments will be addressed. The audience will be asked to share their own experience at the end of the presentation.

Negotiating Distance Learning
Stephanie Delaney, Cascadia Community College
Aldrich Room
If your college has faculty contract negotiations coming up, you won’t want to miss this presentation of recent doctoral research on distance learning terms in faculty negotiated agreements. We’ll explore types of contract terms (copyright, compensation, load, etc) and review examples of each from negotiated agreements from around the country.

Innovating Without Profit: Engaging the Online Student without Sacrificing Academics
Christopher Mathews-Smith, Georgia Perimeter College Online
Ballroom A
The purpose of this discussion is to determine ways administrators, designers, and faculty at traditional institutions can build their online programs to fit a wider spectrum of students and still maintain their school’s academic worth.  Further consideration will be offered as to how this meaningful balance between student inclusion and academic value can be maintained while competing with institutions that are funded by large, publicly traded corporations.

Course Outcomes Evaluation: Performance-Based Proof That Students Are Meeting Expectations
Lisa Battista, Timecruiser Computing Corporation
Ludmilla Battista, Kaplan University
Ballroom B
Course outcomes and mapping are vital aspects of development in online, blended or traditional classes. But how do you really know if the outcomes that are so carefully designed are actually being mastered? Explore a structured, data-driven approach with student, instructor and institutional benefits that lead to improved student performance.

2:00 pm - 2:45 pm: Session 12

Georgia ONmyLINE: Past, Present, and Future
Diane M. Burnette, Board of Regents, University System of Georgia
Federal Reserve Room
This presentation will present a summary of GeorgiaONmyLINE, the University System of Georgia distance education initiative.

WIMBA Stretches Pedagogical Boundaries: Peer Teaching Across Two Institutions
Karen L. Dunlap, Texas Woman’s University
Myrna W. Gantner, University of West Georgia
Alexander Room
This session relates how two professors used WIMBA Classroom to create optimal learning environment for students to interact through peer teaching. University of West Georgia graduate students engaged pre-service teachers from Texas Woman’s University in the collaborative analysis of PK-12 student’s assessment data and subsequent discussion to improve instruction.

The Way of the Wiki: Wikis as an Organizational and Communication Tool for Online Programs
Jason Huett, Kim Huett & Elizabeth Bennett, University of West Georgia view presentation
Aldrich Room
This paper presentation details the adoption of a wiki to serve the administrative needs of an online graduate program. The presentation discusses the evolution of the wiki adoption from initial failure to its current success as a collaborative online content repository and communication tool.

Fishbowl Dialogue Session: Motivating Students in the Online Environment
Nakia Troutman & Michael Hester, Colorado Technical University Online
Ballroom A
Motivating students who take courses online has always been a challenge. Since online courses are more selfpaced and require more discipline from the student, how can we as online instructors help students be more successful within their online courses? This fishbowl will help provide some ideas and suggestions.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Wednesday Morning Sessions

8:00 am - 8:45 am: Session 13

E-portfolios and the Culture of Lifelong Learning
Stella Porto & Christine Walti, University of Maryland University College view presentation
Federal Reserve Room
E-portfolios are commonly used to capture formal and informal learning experiences, gains and insights. In this presentation, we discuss the advantages and major challenges faced by online programs, in the adoption of eportfolio activities with the ultimate goal of promoting and enduring lifelong learning culture among students and graduates.

Hire Education? Employer Perceptions of Online MBA Degrees
Maryann Lamer, University of Phoenix
Alexander Room
While numerous studies have indicated there is no significant difference between online and on ground learning (Ausburn, 2005; Bernard, Abrami, Lou, Borokhovski, Wade, Wisher, 2001; Russell, 2001; Stansfield, McLellahn, & Connolly, 2004), more recent studies indicate some bit of skepticism from the ivory tower surrounding an online master’s degree (Adams & DeFleur, 2005). Little research, however, has been done to understand employer perceptions of online degrees, a crucial factor when a working adult considers the time and tuition involved in preserving a MBA. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of human resources professionals regarding the value of an online MBA from a for-profit university and to compare this perception to the value of an MBA from a traditional on ground university.

Encouraging DL Faculty Evaluation and Professional Development in the Distance Learning Environment
Barbara Weschke, Walden University
Aldrich Room
The presentation will report on research that examined faculty assessment strategies, which were used to create an effective, interactive model for instructor assessment and development. Faculty engaged in collegial methods, such as creating professional-development workshops and tutorials, as well as becoming lead faculty, ensuring an interactive professionals development process.

Who Done It? Practices for Engaging Students in Online Groups
Elizabeth Adkins, University of Cincinnati
Mary Bruder, Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences
Ballroom B
Since it is imperativethat all involved in a group assignment participate equally, we’ve created some highly engaging activities using collaborative technologies. This session will show some of the tools to use, how to use them, and will provide the materials to set up your own engaging group projects.

Wednesday Morning Sessions

9:00 am - 9:45 am: Session 14

Effect of Quality Matters^TM Training on Faculty’s Online Self-efficacy Tool Box
Jim Wright, Kennesaw State University
Federal Reserve Room
Using Bandura’s (1997) theoretical framework of self-efficacy, this session present the findings of an action research study. The purpose of the study was to determine if there is a linkage between faculty training with the Quality Matters^TM framework and faculty perceptions of their ability to be successful online teachers.

Supporting and Retaining your Best Online Teachers
Janice Hilyard, Darton College
Alexander Room
In this session attendees will learn what strategic processes and resources are in place for all online teachers with Darton College. In Spring 2010 term Darton offered 325 sections of fully online courses with 6,8000 enrollments. Of those 325 sections, 65% were taught by adjunct teachers. The hiring process for adjuncts into Darton’s approved pool for online teachers is critical to the overall quality of Darton’s online program.

Distance Education Regulation in Brazil: Seeking for the Right Answer
Eduardo Lobo, Kroton Educational & Márcia Eunice Lobo, CNPq view presentation
Aldrich Room
This paper focuses on Brazilian regulation for higher education, especially for Distance Learning programs. It is reported a time line from 1996 to 2009, considering higher education organizations and the influence of governmental policies in such programs. The role of distance learning managers is also reported, in this scenario, and the direct and non-direct impacts of the regulation over the decision taking processes and management.

Closing the Loop on a Continuous Program Improvement Process
Vickie Booth, Georgia WebBSIT
Larry Booth, Clayton State University
Ballroom A
The Georgia WebBSIT developed a process for continuous program improvement. To close the loop on closing the e loop, stakeholder participation is critical. Each stakeholder (student, instructor, and administrator) needs a set of rules to implement the process.

Wednesday Morning Sessions

10:00 am - 10:45 am: Session 15

A Pythagorean Model for DE in Brazil: The Kroton Case Study
Eduardo Lobo, Kroton Educational & Márcia Eunice Lobo, CNPq view presentation
Federal Reserve Room
This paper reports some impressions of the author’s first year as Distance Education director and some thoughts from his post-doctoral project, which refers to Pitágoras and its history, and educational organization that has been present for more than 40 years in Brazil. The main challenges of his position at Kroton Educational, a top five enterprise in its segment, are also reported. Budgeting, new projects, leadership and the samples of the founding fathers (engineers, educators and businessmen) who created and still work and teach there, are focused too.

Real Challenges: How to Get Your Faculty Using Media Without a Hitch
Becky Stinson, Dallas TeleLearning
Alexander Room
Do you find your faculty scrambling to transfer their face-to-face courses to online lessons only to have 50 percent of the students drop the course? Are adjunct faculties tossed into online session’s days before the first class starts? Have your faculty exacerbated the IT department trying to upload massive media files only to crash the server? The Dallas County Community College LeCroy Center will present real life case studies that outline such common faculty problems and pose solutions to solve them. We’ve partnered with infrastructure experts San Bernardino Community College District to meet these faculty demands for more media storage space, engaging video clips and interactive exercises with focused learning objectives. DCCCD? LeCroy populated a searchable repository with more than 2500 media tools to help faculty bring their courses to life. During this presentation, we’ll provide real-life examples that demonstrate how educators can easily search for and integrate content while participants share ideas for implementing video learning objects across their campuses.

Building a Distance Learning Graduate Degree Program
Johanna L. Hodges & Paul J. Brooks, BioPharma Regulatory Affairs Graduate Program
Aldrich Room
Born out of a conference sponsored by both Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and University of Georgia (UGA), the College of Pharmacy, in 2005 began offering graduate-level, distance learning courses in an emerging new field commonly referred to as Regulatory Affairs. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the development of BiPharma degree program from which no traditional curriculum was available. The development process included a number of administrative hurdles, such as new degree codes, new curriculum, hiring and training faculty, technology and distance learning considerations, as well as marketing of this program to its intended audience of adult learners.

News Blogs: Transforming Learning in the Traditional Lecture Course
Camilla Gant, University of West Georgia
Ballroom A
Social media tools such as blogs offer promising possibilities for transforming learning in the traditional lecture course. A constant comparative analysis of a purposive sample of students enrolled in Introduction to Mass Communications at a southeastern, comprehensive university indicates that blogs foster critical, creative, and collaborative thinking for both students and the professor.

It’s All About Me: Adding Digital Personality to Online Courses
Sandra L. Franklin, Tracey Fairless, Andrea Stone & Bucky Dodd, University of Central Oklahoma
Ballroom B
Perceived instructor presence influences learner performance, retention and satisfaction in online courses. Students want to know their instructor. Text is often the primary communication method, making this presence challenging. We will demonstrate technologies like avatars, green screen video, and podcasts to help instructors introduce their personalities and enhance learners’ experiences.

Wednesday Morning Sessions

11:00 am - 11:45 am: Session 16

Currently Under Construction - The Rasmussen College “VCLT”
Sabine Meyer, Rasmussen College
Federal Reserve Room
The “Virtual Center for Learning and Teaching” is Rasmussen College’s “hub” for training, professional development, and general faculty support. Relying heavily on the participation and support of a vibrant community of “full time part-timers,” a group whose growing presence several recent studies foreground, the VCLT maintains an online site (VCLT Teaching Lab) as well as provides new faculty training for online teachers and develops/facilitates beginning, intermediate, and advanced professional development activities geared toward the specific needs of Rasmussen College instructors.

E-Commerce Life Cycles: Where is Online Education?
Jason Caudill, Carson-Newman College
Alexander Room
The ever-increasing presence of for-profit players in the online education market is pushing the field to a corporate ecommerce market competition model. This presentation will asses where in the product life cycle online education is and what that position means for existing providers and potential new entrants.

Starting from Scratch; Nirvana or Nightmare?
Patrick Whitaker, Shelton State Community College
Aldrich Room
Starting a program from scratch is challenging and exciting! It can also be quite frightening. A look at one process will suggest some tools, strategies, and wisdom for those starting and for established programs.