10/19: USDLA BRIEF
Don’t miss this week’s Free Friday Webinar — Oct. 20, 1-2pm EST |
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What’s the buzz with Perlego? How can it address affordability and access for students?
October 20: 1-2pm
Presenters: Dr. Gerry Hanley and Ginny Schenk
About the Webinar: We know that a big barrier to affordability in education is access to high-quality content at price points students can afford. Perlego is on a mission to help faculty teach without limits and unlock learning for students.
What you’ll learn: Join our upcoming webinar as we explore the exciting possibilities Perlego offers to enhance the learning experience for all. Together, we’ll unlock the potential of this incredible resource and discover how it can revolutionize education.
Learn and gain access to over 1M titles for free. Your students can access all the content they need for $10/month. Think of Perlego as the “Spotify of Textbooks.”
Gerry Hanley, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching, www.merlot.org) and SkillsCommons (www.skillscommons.org), which are free and open digital libraries of academic and workforce development educational resources administered at California State University Long Beach. At CSULB, Gerry is also the Director of the Center for Usability in Design and Accessibility and Professor Emeritus of Psychology. A current priority is the Innovation Marketplace as the Chief Academic Officer for Partner in Publishing. Gerry’s previous positions included Assistant Vice Chancellor and Senior Director for Academic Technology Services at the CSU Office of the Chancellor, Director of the CSULB Faculty Development Center, and Center for Strategic Planning. He received his BA, MA, and PhD from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in Experimental/Cognitive Psychology.
Ginny Schenk has spent the last 17 years in education, first as an educator and then as a consultant for big brands such as National Geographic Learning, Houghton Mifflin & Pearson. Today, she works as a Senior Project Manager for Partner in Publishing (PIP), a market research and development firm where she partners with Gerry Hanley as a PIP’s Chief Academic Officer, to gather insights from key stakeholders at progressive institutions focused on student persistence and success.
Register for the Oct. 20 webinar: usdla.org/webinars
Start exploring Perlego today with this free code: USDLA Member Access |
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Next Friday learn about:
Reducing and Responding to Microaggressions in Distance Education
October 27: 1-2pm
Presenter: Tish Wade-Gallon
About the Webinar: Remote learning has undoubtedly positively impacted educational equality and inclusion. As our classrooms have become more diverse, discrimination may not be as blatant (or even intentional) as it once was. In the 21st century, conscious and unconscious biases are commonly displayed as microaggressions.
What you’ll learn: Microaggressions are covert derogatory offenses directed at a marginalized group member. Over time, being on the receiving end of microaggressions can negatively impact students and/or faculty’s mental health. This interactive workshop will provide a safe space to discuss the various types of microaggressions in distance education. Practical strategies and interventions aimed at decreasing such occurrences will be shared.
Dr. Tish Wade-Gallon has over 20 years of experience in distance learning and curriculum development. Her industry experience includes higher education, human services, and executive coaching. Dr. Tish is known to collaborate with people and programs to align their strengths with larger goals and initiatives. Her work focuses on supporting the professional development of facilitators, educators, and health-focused leaders. These experiences benefit Dr. Tish in her current roles at TLC Life Plans and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she leads efforts such as the Health Communicators Early Career Initiative, Formal Mentorship Program, and Pathway Achievement Series. Her passion for empowering others has led her to facilitate workshops nationwide. She has been an honored recipient of the Excellence in Education Award and the Rouche Award by The League of Innovation for these efforts. Her long-standing involvement with the University of Michigan’s Atlanta Alumni Association and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated will not surpass these accolades. Dr. Tish holds degrees in Psychology, Organizational Management, and Education. She continued her commitment to learning by recently becoming a DiSC-certified facilitator and completing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certificate from the Muma College of Business.
Register for the Oct. 27 webinar: https://usdla.org/webinars/ |
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Tues., Nov 7
1-2 pm EST
Using AI and Hard Data to Teach Soft Skills
Presenter:
Scott Provence, MA, MFA
About this session: Ask ten people to express empathy, and you will get ten different answers. How can we expect Artificial Intelligence to teach us about something we can’t even agree on ourselves? Perhaps you’ve struggled in the past to justify the ROI of a soft-skill training program. Or perhaps you’ve had groups push back on virtual role-plays. In this session, you’ll journey from the evidence-based shores of clinical psychology to the new frontier of Large Language Models as we uncover new AI-powered conversation tools. You’ll see real-world examples of how machine learning can help us standardize how we use communication skills for talking to customers and to each other.
Presenter Bio:
Scott Provence, MA, MFA, is a health-tech leader and content developer whose print and web-based curricula serve millions annually. Scott has worked in both the public and private sectors, creating federal education programs and leading L&D teams from small startups to Google. Scott is the founder of Versant Metrics, whose award-winning algorithm empirically measures how well caring gets communicated in a conversation.
Register here: usdla.org/2023-ndlw |
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Tues., Nov. 7
3-4 pm EST
Uncovering the Potential, Realities, and Future of Generative AI through Research
Presenters: Dr. George Veletsianos, Canada Research Chair in Innovation Learning & Technology, Royal Roads University, and Dr. Cristi Ford, VP of Academic Affairs, D2L.
About this session: While much has been said and written about Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, systematic investigations about its use are slow to emerge. The Canadian Digital Learning Research Association recently surveyed 438 administrators and faculty across 126 Canadian institutions to gauge their perspectives on generative AI. This webinar will present findings and provide a space for an expansive discussion. Findings reveal that AI policy development in Canadian higher education is nascent. AI use appears to be inconsistent and primarily experimental, driven by individual faculty yet supported by some institutional initiatives. While respondents believe that AI offers potential and may become a staple in higher education, they note that its value hinges on multiple factors and are concerned about its biases and limitations.
Dr. George Veletsianos (Γιώργος Βελετσιάνος) is a professor in the School of Education and Technology at Royal Roads University, where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Innovative Learning and Technology. His research agenda focuses on designing, developing, and evaluating online and blended learning environments, studying learning experiences and participation in emerging online environments, and learning futures. Learn more: veletsianos.com.
Dr. Cristi Ford is a Vice President of Academic Affairs at D2L. She has over 20 years of experience in higher education, secondary education, project management, program evaluation, training, and student services. She is a tireless advocate for quality online education and has helped institutions build capacity to launch and expand online programming through effective faculty development, instructional design, and pedagogical practices.
Register here: usdla.org/2023-ndlw |
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Thursday, Nov. 9: 3pm Eastern/2pm Central
AI: The Impact on Higher Education
Presenter: Dr. Robbie Melton
About the Presentation: Dr. Robbie Melton will highlight and showcase how artificial intelligence will impact various areas of higher education.
She will:
- Demonstrate AI’s power to advance research through modeling and data analytics while discussing chatbots and their benefits for student support.
- Share innovations in AI music and the arts that are transforming creative fields.
- Emphasize the need to develop these technologies with diversity and cultural perspectives in mind while outlining AI’s vast potential.
- Stress that to realize AI’s benefits, its applications must be inclusive and accommodate varied cultural learning needs and styles.
- Address the importance of promoting diversity among AI researchers and developers to help guard against unconscious bias.
- Describe the transformations AI may bring, from improving teaching to pioneering new research frontiers.
- Highlight the fact that responsible, people-centered development is key to ensuring AI transforms in higher education for the betterment of students and society.
About Dr. Robbie Melton: As Interim Provost/VP of Academic Affairs and VP of Technology Innovations for the SMART Global Technology Innovation Center and tenured professor at Tennessee State University, Dr. Melton serves as a global researcher and international consultant for Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Education and Emerging IOE (“The Internet of Everything”) Smart Mobile Technology of mobile devices, smart phone-tablets, wearables, smart gadgets and tools, and mixed reality of VR and AR. She formerly served as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Emerging Technologies for the Tennessee Board of Regents and the primary developer and chief administrator for the system-wide Regents Online Degree Programs. Her tributes include The 2023 Top 50 Women Leaders in Education, the 2019 USDLA Hall of Fame, the 2018 Distinguished Women of Legend, the 2017 OLC Leadership, the 2016 WCET Lifetime Achievement, the 2014 Top 30 Technologists, the 2013 Apple Distinguished Educator, 2012 Top Fifty Technology Innovator; and 2012 WOW EdTechnology Awards.
Register here: usdla.org/2023-ndlw |
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| Thank You to Our National Sponsors
D2L, Instructure, JDL Horizons, Poly, Google, Verizon, Edu Alliance Group, Harmonize, FDLA, IAP, IPX, Nearpod, ViewSonic, Wolfvision, Anatomage, Arizona Telemedicine Program and Southwest Telehealth Resource Center, GoReact, Huddly, BocaVox, Softchalk, NC Sara, Simple Syllabus, VDO360, VirtualCare, Waldorf University, Merlot, IntelliBoard, Flo-ops, Upswing, Questionmark, Perlego, Padlet |
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| Thank you for supporting USDLA, our Sponsors, and our State Chapters.
Chuck Sengstock, President
Valary Oleinik, President-elect
About United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA)
The USDLA, a 501(c) 3 non-profit association formed in 1987, reaches 20,000 people globally with sponsors and members operating in and influencing 46% of the $913 billion. U.S. education and training market. USDLA promotes the development and application of distance learning for education and training and serves the needs of the distance learning community by providing advocacy, information, networking, and opportunity. Distance learning and training constituencies served include pre-K-12 education, home schooling, higher education, and continuing education, as well as business, corporate, military, government, and telehealth markets. Visit USDLA.org |
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