An item from the folks at the USDLA.
Oct. 4, 2022: This month’s USDLA Member Spotlight is on Dr. Beverly D. Hill
It’s a pleasure to introduce you to Dr. Beverly D. Hill, the Dean of Academic Affairs, Ira C. Eaker Center for Leadership Development. She previously served as Eaker’s Chief, Institutional Effectiveness.
A retired USAF Chief Master Sergeant, Dr. Hill’s expertise is curriculum, organizational and professional development, where she daily serves as a reliable, committed teammate who goes the distance for the Eaker team.
“I am passionate about bettering the community and the families therein, particularly our youth,” says this active USDLA member from Macon, Georgia. “My husband Wyatt and I are Montgomery transplants who are heavily involved in our church and community. Foremost is our love of family. We are the proud parents of one son, Cori, who, with his wife Ashley, gave us three beautiful grandchildren, Cori Jr., Xylan, and Aubrei.”
Scroll down for our Q&A with Dr. Hill.
8 Questions from USDLA for Dr. Hill
USDLA: Tell us a little about yourself and the work you do.
Dr. Hill: I am employed at Air University in Montgomery, AL, as Dean of Academic Affairs at the Ira C. Eaker Center for Leadership Development. In this role, I oversee and consult on various aspects of instructional systems design of 70+ courses representing five agencies, ensuring compliance with higher echelon directives and guidance.
USDLA: You have had an impressive career. What are you most proud of?
Dr. Hill: I am proudest of using my previous experience in subsequent roles. For example, I spent 9 years producing and evaluating training courses. Using such experience in faculty development, as director of curriculum, and subsequently, in my current position, I view courses from the user and producer, which allows me to provide more comprehensive decisions.
USDLA: What has been your biggest challenge?
Dr. Hill: The biggest challenge was believing in myself and remaining motivated when my naysayers and detractors attempted to perpetuate an untrue or one-dimensional view of me and my talents to other colleagues.
USDLA: Regarding the distance learning industry, what are you most excited about in the future?
Dr. Hill: The ability to holistically support all components of the human domain with the ability to reach more disadvantaged populations. I immediately think of telehealth from a physical, emotional, and mental standpoint.
USDLA: What do you think are the biggest challenges for distance learning?
Dr. Hill: Compatibility of systems to maximize efficiency. For example, learning management systems should be able to add another proprietary “add-in,” which enhances learners’ and faculty’s ability to reduce cumbersome processes and academic reporting requirements and data gathering.
USDLA: As a member of USDLA, how has the organization helped you professionally?
Dr. Hill: USDLA allows me to open my aperture to varied ways to engage learners and perpetuate faculty development.
USDLA: Why do you think joining our organization is a great idea?
Dr. Hill: It is a network of committed diverse educators and trainers providing a wealth of knowledge and experience. They are inclusive and influential in an innovative educational space.
USDLA: What’s next for you professionally and personally?
Dr. Hill: Honestly, my current position is the highlight of my career. I never had aspirations of becoming a dean and influencing leadership, faculty, students, and colleagues; however, preparation and possibilities led me here, and I plan to retire and leverage everything I have experienced on my terms. Being part of USDLA resides in this plan.
Join us for this week’s episode of the USDLA’s Friday Webinar Series — 1-2pm Eastern
Friday, Oct. 7: Flexing with Purpose
As the learning experience shifts further toward online formats, we continue to experience a significant influx of instructors and students who are newer to this reality – or certainly to experiences that are more effective than not.
Many will continue to struggle with how to navigate, manage, and complete these experiences effectively – whether instructor or student. In addition, there is an increased number of modalities to negotiate across the online-blended-HyFlex-augmented delivery spectrum.
A combination of these factors makes it critical to have a more effective framework for understanding how to create courses that are designed and delivered in a way that is humanized, inclusive, and engaging. This enables a learning community where the greatest number and diversity of students can succeed. This session will demonstrate ways the Purposeful Learning Framework enables more effective learner-centric courses while not lowering course outcomes or expectations. Participants will be engaged around research-based and proven examples and will have access to many of these, including the Purposeful Learning Framework, via a Creative Commons license.
Meet the Speakers
Dr. Brett Christie has worked in higher education for over 25 years, leading large-scale efforts related to teaching-learning effectiveness across all modalities, particularly in service of the greatest number and diversity of students succeeding.
Carrie O’Donnell has been a change agent in the education industry, focusing on digital learning solutions for the workplace and higher education and on using customer insight to build great learning experiences. She founded O’Donnell Learn 30 years ago as a virtual company and has built the team to include hundreds of learning designers who partner with institutions and their faculty to improve virtual or blended learning.
About This Week’s Sponsor
The Arizona Telemedicine Program & Southwest Telehealth Resource Center is multidisciplinary, university-based programs that provide telemedicine services, distance learning, informatics training, and telemedicine technology assessment capabilities to communities throughout Arizona and the region.
The programs have successfully created partnerships with a wide variety of not-for-profit and for-profit healthcare organizations, as well as new interagency relationships within state government. Always exploring and supporting digital tools and technology, the Arizona Telemedicine Program continues to create new paradigms for healthcare delivery over the information superhighway.
The program is recognized as one of the premier departments at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and has received many national awards for its research and innovations including several from USDLA.
For more information, please visit telemedicine.arizona.edu and southwesttrc.org
Connect to YOUR TRC @telehealthrewsourcecenter.org
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Thank You to Our National Sponsors D2L, Instructure, JDL Horizons, Logitech, NC SARA, Poly, TSU, TEDU, Verizon, Harmonize, IntelliBoard, IAP, Nearpod, Yamaha Unified Communications, Yellowdig, Anatomage, Arizona Telemedicine Program and Southwest Telehealth Resource Center, Enrollment Resources, Proctorio, VDO360, VirtualCare, Vyopta, XanEdu, Merlot, FlexPoint, Skills Commons, BocaVox, PIP, Quickly, WonUp,
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