Jan. 25, 2023: USDLA Call for Awards and Proposals

An item from the folks at the USDLA.  Note the deadlines as early as today.

Registration is now open for the 2023 National Conference July 17-20!! The home for the conference will be the Wyndham Orlando Resort. This complex is a true resort with more than 500 rooms and dedicated meeting spaces that will provide our attendees with an abundance of networking opportunities. 36th USDLA National Distance Learning Conference Dates: July 17th – 20th, 2023 Location: Wyndham Orlando Resort on International Drive The Wyndham is in the famous ICON park and central to all the Orlando attractions. This is a great opportunity to catch some of the best distance/digital learning presenters in the industry and tie in a weekend of fun either prior or after the conference. To make this even sweeter – the Wyndham has agreed to honor the USDLA room rate for 3 days prior and after the conference – a no-brainer for extending your trip to beautiful Orlando! Conference Registration is Now Open – Click Here Hotel Reservations are Now Open – Click Here The Conference and Events committee has been hard at work planning the event with several enhancements: This year’s event is in a traditional hotel setting to provide more flexibility for you during the day to take a rest, freshen up, network with your colleagues and enjoy the venue In fact, it’s more than a hotel – the Wyndham Orlando is a resort! All menus will take into account dietary needs and there will be plenty of refreshments during the day to keep you energized plus plenty of water, coffee and tea! ICON park has the best on-site restaurants in the area with something for everyone so no need to have a car, everything is in walking distance Advanced presenter preparation for those requiring virtual assistants with increased audience interaction ALL sessions will be end-user led, with clear descriptions that share best practices within the world of distance and digital learning Enhanced keynote presentation area with over 9000 square feet of space designed for integrated gathering, presentations and networking Improved poster-session accommodations along with focused “power sessions” that eliminate fluff and get right into the important topic details Tight integration of the of virtual sessions to provide an immersive experience The conference promises something for everyone: Five Keynote Speakers Monday Kickoff Party Free Pre-Conference Sessions 60+ Concurrent Sessions Virtual Option for Select Sessions International Awards Dinner and Celebration Bill Jackson Memorial Walk/Run Night on the Town at ICON Park Public Policy Forum Closing Keynote Address Our USDLA National Conference has long been an event where we mingle, discuss technology and learn from an audience broader than our own. Nothing can replace those live in-person interactions and conference feedback has always focused on those personal relationships made with one another. For our 36th anniversary will be focusing on tracks that are in high demand as we continue to navigate both remote and in-person learning strategies. These tracks include: Micro-certifications Leadership tracks HyFlex Strategies for Success Student Engagement Techniques Professional Development for the Online Staff/Faculty Policy, Regulation and Governance in Distance Education Distance and Digital Leadership Ensuring Quality, Flexibility and Access (OER, Hyflex, and more) Innovative Techniques and Technologies Best Practices in Instructional Design and Learner Engagement Great IDEAs: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility What’s Next for Distance Education For ALL conference details including Keynote speakers please visit https://usdla.org/2023-national-conference/ Become a MEMBER of USDLA Become a SPONSOR of USDLA Higher Education Certification Professional Learning Certification Support USDLA When You Shop @Amazon Smile Thank You to Our National Sponsors D2L, Instructure, JDL Horizons, Logitech, NC SARA,  Poly,  TSU,  TEDU, Verizon, Edu-Alliance, Harmonize, IntelliBoard, IAP, IPX, 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, Upswing,  WonUp, Thank you for supporting USDLA, our Sponsors, and our State Chapters. Eric Jones, President Chuck Sengstock, 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 USDLA | www.usdla.org

USDLA | 10 G Street, NE, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20002

Jan. 25, 2023: USDLA Call for Awards and Proposals

An item from the folks at the USDLA.

CALL FOR AWARDS The USDLA is now accepting award submissions and session proposals for our 2023 National Conference. The USDLA Awards Committee has five award categories, and your award submission fee for non-members includes a single USDLA membership for one year. 1 — USDLA Trendsetter in Distance Learning Award Award Description: The Trendsetter in Distance Learning award is given to an agency, institution, company, project, individual, or unique pedagogy that has shown innovation in the field of distance learning. The award recognizes pioneering initiatives in the field that have profoundly changed distance learning and existing practices or developed new and effective solutions. 2 — USDLA Rising Star Award Award Description: The Rising Star Award is presented to an individual demonstrating exceptional promise in the field of distance education. The individual will have spent less than 5 years in the field of Distance Education. 3 — USDLA Excellence in Distance Learning Teaching/Training Award Award Description: The Excellence in Distance Learning Teaching/Training award is given to an outstanding individual or team of individuals whose teaching at a distance demonstrates an extraordinary impact on student growth and engagement. The teaching or training must demonstrate effective learning facilitated through technology with measurable outcomes. 4 — USDLA Outstanding Leadership Award Award Description: This award is granted to an Individual leader demonstrating outstanding leadership in the field of Distance Education in their respective constituency (Pre-K-12; Higher Education; Government; Corporate; Health) through advocacy, professional affiliation, influence, and/or scholarship in the field of Distance Education. 5 — USDLA Excellence in Distance Learning Research Award Award Description: The Excellence in Distance Learning Research Award is given to a person(s) or organization(s) that currently conducts research in the field of distance education. This award recognizes high-quality research that serves to advance the field of distance learning. The USDLA 2023 Awards will be presented to the winners at the 2023 National Conference at the Orlando Wyndham Resort the week of July 17-20, 2023. Click here to learn more and to submit your award application today CALL FOR PROPOSALS We are now accepting proposals for the 2023 National Conference. Share your ideas, best practices and results with like-minded professionals. There will be several days of keynotes, presentations, team-building and fun in the sun! For those who can’t travel, the conference will be a hybrid event with our content being streamed to a diverse global audience. Click here to submit your proposal today Time to Shine: “Many lessons have been learned over the past few years, and countless new participants and practitioners are in the distance and digital learning space,” says USDLA executive director Pat Cassella. “To help us all to reflect on the power and importance of distance education and to collaborate on the ideas and innovations, we have selected the theme: “Distance Learning’s Time to Shine.” Be a session speaker: We welcome proposals from all who work in distance or digital education, across all constituencies. We have speakers and attendees from corporate, education (higher and K-12), telehealth, government, military, and more. While you may submit any topic you choose, we are providing feedback from our community that should be considered when submitting proposals. The following tracks will be featured this year: Distance and Digital Leadership Ensuring Quality, Flexibility and Access (OER, Hyflex, and more) Innovative Techniques and Technologies (e.g., AR/VR/XR, Gamification, and more) Policy, Regulation, and Governance in Distance Education Best Practices in Instructional Design and Learner Engagement Great IDEAs: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility Proposal Options Available Concurrent sessions: These 45-minute sessions allow you to give an interactive presentation on a specific topic. Conference attendees expect sessions to provide practical advice and the sharing of experiences. The committee seeks high-quality, thought-provoking, and engaging sessions – not lecture format. Co-presenters are encouraged. Also, the USDLA Program Committee reserves the right to select your proposal to be featured in a panel along with other presenters. Pre-conference and conference workshops: In addition to concurrent sessions, we are offering you the opportunity to submit for either a 2.5-hour pre-conference workshop or a 90-minute workshop that will be scheduled during the conference. These sessions must be hands-on with most of the time spent with participants actively involved. You should provide detailed information in your submissions about the types of interactions and engagement you have planned. Pre-conference workshops will be held on the afternoon of Monday, July 17, 2023; other workshops will be throughout the conference dates. Poster sessions and table talks: Rather than limiting participation to the traditional poster-style sessions, we are opening this category to additional options. Please consider submitting for this category if you want to: present your research; lead a discussion around a topic of interest; demonstrate how you solved a particular challenge; and share best practices in a less formal way than a full concurrent session. This is an excellent opportunity for first-time speakers. Participants will have an opportunity to visit several different presenters during the periods in which the poster sessions and table talks will be offered. Preparing Your Proposal: The committee recommends that proposals be specific about what will make the presentation valuable to attendees. Any proposal perceived as a “sales pitch” will not be considered. Your proposal should be focused on issues, and innovative working solutions and include information about how you intend to engage attendees. All presenters and co-presenters (regardless of session type) will be expected to register for the full conference. Note: You may submit more than one proposal and be a co-presenter on multiple sessions. The submission form will ask you for the following, so please gather this information before the time of submission: Contact Information: the names and emails of any presenter and co-presenters Session Type: Workshop, concurrent, or poster Delivery Format: In-person or virtual Constituencies: Who would benefit most from attending your session? Track: While you may submit on any topic, select the one that best fits your presentation Title: A succinct but descriptive title of no more than 10 words Abstract: 200 words (or less) – Please note: the session abstract will be used to promote your session. Make sure it accurately reflects your session and how it will benefit attendees. This is what draws people to your presentation. Description: A clear summary of learning objectives, session content, and takeaways. You are also encouraged to share the types of audience participation you will use (e.g., hands-on exercise, polls, small group discussion, Q&A, etc.) Bio: Provide a bio for the lead presenter; you will be contacted for additional information on co-presenters if accepted Review Criteria: Conference participants will expect well-delivered presentations containing quality information that is of practical value to their day-to-day professional lives. Members of the USDLA Program Committee will look for clear descriptions. Considerable weight will be given to proposals that specify session learning objectives, clearly describe why the content will be valuable to attendees, and how you plan to encourage audience participation. Specifically, reviewers will look for the following: Quality of the presentation: substance, clarity, and consistency between the title, abstract, and description within the proposal Measurable outcomes of the presentation and takeaways Evidence of innovation and effective practice Audience breadth, engagement, and the likelihood of future application Are you ready? Click here to submit your proposal today: https://usdla.org/2023-call-for-proposals/ Become a MEMBER of USDLA Become a SPONSOR of USDLA Higher Education Certification Professional Learning Certification Support USDLA When You Shop @Amazon Smile Thank You to Our National Sponsors D2L, Instructure, JDL Horizons, Logitech, NC SARA,  Poly,  TSU,  TEDU, Verizon, Edu-Alliance, Harmonize, IntelliBoard, IAP, IPX, 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, Upswing,  WonUp, Thank you for supporting USDLA, our Sponsors, and our State Chapters. Eric Jones, President Chuck Sengstock, 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 USDLA | www.usdla.org

USDLA | 10 G Street, NE, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20002

Jan. 24, 2023: USDLA Partner Spotlight is on IpX

An item from the folks at the USDLA.

January 24, 2023: A Note from USDLA Executive Director Pat Cassella I hope you are having a great week, friends! As we embark on an exciting new year in this week’s issue of USDLA News, it’s our pleasure to introduce you to our newest sponsor, IpX — Institute for Process Excellence. IpX brings decades of experience and capability across industries to help companies transform, thrive, and sustain while disrupting their markets. “We believe true transformation and interoperability is born from the continual evolution of people, processes, systems, and data,” says Joseph Anderson, the president of IpX, who was instrumental in building the True North Enterprise Calibration™ model. “Through our IDEA Academy (Innovation Driven by Excellence and Accountability) learning experience platform for workforce development, CM2 certifications, True North services, and digital solution advisement, we enable your organization always to evolve and design the blueprint for the ecosystem of tomorrow,” says Joe, who has more than 20 years of experience within the automotive, aerospace, marine and defense industries in various executive positions. “Drive innovation, create a better customer experience, and enable your workforce as an organization built for quality and resiliency. Please scroll down for our Q&A with IpX’s Joseph Anderson Also, be sure to mark your calendar: Jan. 24-26: Intelliboard is hosting a webinar entitled “Higher Ed Costs: Do More with Less. Leveraging Technology in Student Retention Plans.” The presenter is DeVon Hunt, Director of Training & Onboarding. Scroll down for details! Learn more about the USDLA National Conference, July 17-20: https://usdla.org/2023-national-conference/ Call for Proposals ends Jan. 31: https://usdla.org/2023-call-for-proposals/ Submit your nomination for the 2023 Distance Learning Awards: https://usdla.org/2023-international-distance-learning-awards/ Questions about becoming a sponsor that we highlight? Don’t hesitate to reach out to Sponsors Chair Farah Bennani – fbennani@usdla.org USDLA Partner Spotlight is on: IpX with President Joseph Anderson   USDLA: Tell us about your company. You have a long history. Since 1986, IpX has provided education and services to over 2000 companies worldwide. We serve everyone from Nutrition to Nuclear and from Automotive to Outer Space. In our early years, we were best known for our CM2 industry standard certifications, which laid the groundwork for our True North professional services. This is a proven, pragmatic methodology to guide organization’s through decision making, managing the disruptive aspects of change, and reducing risk. Our goal is to unearth underlying issues and help companies address their most challenging business concerns. Then, we help them develop and implement new processes and ways of working that apply across their enterprise making them scalable and sustainable. USDLA: What have been your organization’s biggest challenges? Organizations tend to take a siloed approach to transformation without viewing themselves as a connected ecosystem or looking to a third-party expert on process improvement and transformation. We’ve overcome this in multiple ways, primarily through our large portfolio of comprehensive training courses, our proven services approach, and by adopting a philosophy that requires direct and transparent interactions with our customers. This creates confidence, trust, and shared purpose among our internal experts and our customer, which leads to a true partnership. USDLA: What are the company’s big wins?   We thrive on building great relationships with our customers. We work with the most impactful organizations that partner with us to streamline their processes and ensure product quality and safety. These are the products and experiences that consumers encounter everyday. It’s the health devices that keep us alive, the transportation that gets us to work, the technology that keeps us connected, and even the energy and natural resources that drive the economy and sustain the environment. It means a lot to know we’re a part of that. USDLA: Who is your ideal client, and how has the business grown in recent years? We work with SMB and corporations from around the world. Our ideal client is any size organization who is eager to improve not only their processes and systems but, most importantly, their people and their mindset. Investing in your workforce creates an organization that is eager to learn, collaborate, grow, and innovate. It improves the overall organizational culture, which people now realize is crucial for employee retention, profitably, productivity, and the customer experience. USDLA: What does the future look like for your organization? We will see continued growth and an even stronger industry leading presence. 2023 has already seen the expansion of our training portfolio with new courses focused on educating professionals and students in topics across the digital transformation landscape. Organizations are always looking to transform, and we’re excited to develop the relationships to help them succeed. We also anticipate new partnerships with great organizations like the USDLA and a chance to create more meaningful engagement with customers and students. Connect with IpX: Website: www.ipxhq.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/instituteforprocessexcellence/mycompany Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ipxhq Twitter: https://twitter.com/ipxhq IpX True North Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjpWQHQiMwenXUnF7B6C-Bg Jan. 24, 10 AM  and Jan. 26, 2 PM: IntelliBoard Webinar Title: Higher Ed Costs: Do More with Less. Leveraging Technology in Student Retention Plans Presenter: DeVon Hunt, Director of Training & Onboarding In this session: DeVon will discuss using technology to create cross-department retention strategies that include early student interventions. We will also cover how to decide the best technology and which criteria you should evaluate, including: Ease of Setup Scalability Identifying Key Success Metrics Click here to register! Become a MEMBER of USDLA Become a SPONSOR of USDLA Higher Education Certification Professional Learning Certification Support USDLA When You Shop @Amazon Smile Thank You to Our National Sponsors D2L, Instructure, JDL Horizons, Logitech, NC SARA,  Poly,  TSU,  TEDU, Verizon, Edu-Alliance, Harmonize, IntelliBoard, IAP, IPX, 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, Upswing,  WonUp, Thank you for supporting USDLA, our Sponsors, and our State Chapters. Eric Jones, President Chuck Sengstock, 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 USDLA | www.usdla.org

USDLA | 10 G Street, NE, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20002

1/19: Don’t miss this week’s Free Friday Webinar!

Note this event tomorrow from the folks at the USDLA.

Friends — Mark your calendar: Friday, Jan. 20, 1 PM Eastern: Scroll down to learn more about tomorrow’s Free Friday Webinar: “Leadership decisions in faculty training for online teaching and learning” with presenter Lisa A. Clark, EdD, Senior Product Manager, Anthology.com usdla.org/usdla-friday-webinar-series February 1-3, 2022: FDLA/FAMTE Virtual Conference https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fdla-conference/registration.html July 17-20: Learn more about the USDLA National Conference https://usdla.org/2023-national-conference/ Call for Proposals ends Jan. 31: https://usdla.org/2023-call-for-proposals/ Submit your nomination for the 2023 Distance Learning Awards: https://usdla.org/2023-international-distance-learning-awards/ Questions about becoming a sponsor that we highlight? Don’t hesitate to reach out to me. — Pat, pcassella@usdla.org Jan. 20: Leadership decisions in faculty training for online teaching and learning Presenter: Lisa A. Clark, EdD, Senior Product Manager, Anthology.com Distance education has evolved into a trusted, necessary, and expected form of delivering higher education content, no longer considered a fad or a new method of instruction. Due to the rapid growth of distance education offerings, early participating faculty needed more training, guidance, or standards regarding building their virtual courses. Fast forward to 2020 and the shutdown of in-person instruction worldwide, most Instructors needed more time to be ready to address the differences between synchronous (traditional face-to-face) and asynchronous (via distance education) learning environments. Now, more than ever, students expect online education offerings at their institutions and may obtain their entire degree program via distance. In this session: Participants will learn the best ways to encourage training for online teaching and what is truly important to instructors regarding their preference for training and incentives for training. These topics and more will be shared in this session to outline ideas related to leadership decisions for online teaching and learning training. Click here to register for the webinar: usdla.org/usdla-friday-webinar-series Save the Date: February 1 -3, 2022 FDLA/FAMTE Virtual Conference USDLA Florida Chapter (FDLA) is excited to bring you a great conference with leading speakers from Florida in both distance education and mathematics. The program has more than 50 presenters and panelists sharing their latest research and best practices in the design, development, and implementation of distance education programs across the K-20 spectrum. Presentations are about the management of diversity in online classrooms, gaming, innovative tools, and so much more! Keynote: Dr. Pam Northup – Dr. Northup has three decades of experience in higher education crafting learning systems to inspire the future of work and learning. Keynote: Dr. Brent Goldman – Dr. Goldman was recognized by Florida Magazine as being one of 500 most influential business executives in the state. He is a leader in private school education. Keynote: Dr. Robert Schoen – Dr. Schoen is a leading researcher in the development of educational and psychological measurement instruments and teaching student mathematical thinking to teachers. Join the experts in Florida for an amazing virtual conference! Register at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fdla-conference/registration.html (Please note it says 2022 because the conference was postponed due to Hurricane Ian.) Become a MEMBER of USDLA Become a SPONSOR of USDLA Higher Education Certification Professional Learning Certification Support USDLA When You Shop @Amazon Smile Thank You to Our National Sponsors D2L, Instructure, JDL Horizons, Logitech, NC SARA,  Poly,  TSU,  TEDU, Verizon, Edu-Alliance, Harmonize, IntelliBoard, IAP, IPX, 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, Upswing,  WonUp, Thank you for supporting USDLA, our Sponsors, and our State Chapters. Eric Jones, President Chuck Sengstock, 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 USDLA | www.usdla.org

USDLA | 10 G Street, NE, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20002

Jan. 17, 2023: USDLA Partner Spotlight is on Yamaha Unified Communications

An item from the folks at the USDLA.

January 17, 2023: A Note from USDLA Executive Director Pat Cassella Hello, friends! As we embark on an exciting new year in this week’s issue of USDLA News, it’s our pleasure to introduce you to longstanding Yamaha Unified Communications. The conferencing and collaboration division of the Yamaha Corporation in North America sells microphones, speakers, speech privacy systems, video sound bars, and personal Bluetooth Speakerphones. “With 10 years of history in the Japanese market, Yamaha’s dedicated unified communications department focuses on solutions that enhance communication and help organizations reach their business goals,” explains Tatsuya Umeo, CEO of Yamaha Unified Communications (pictured below). He has been with the Yamaha Corporation for over 30 years. Before this position, he worked in business management for Yamaha’s UC division and strategic business planning for Yamaha’s professional and consumer audio. With decades of experience in product marketing, audio engineering, and business analysis, he has successfully aligned the UC division to match Yamaha’s exceptional standard for quality and performance. Please scroll down for our Q&A with Yamaha’s Tatsuya Umeo. Also, be sure to mark your calendar for: Jan. 20, 1 PM Eastern: This week’s Free Friday Webinar is “Leadership decisions in faculty training for online teaching and learning” with presenter Lisa A. Clark, EdD, Senior Product Manager, Anthology.com usdla.org/usdla-friday-webinar-series Learn more about the USDLA National Conference, July 17-20: https://usdla.org/2023-national-conference/ Call for Proposals ends Jan. 31: https://usdla.org/2023-call-for-proposals/ Submit your nomination for the 2023 Distance Learning Awards: https://usdla.org/2023-international-distance-learning-awards/ Questions about becoming a sponsor that we highlight? Don’t hesitate to reach out to me. — Pat, pcassella@usdla.org Save the Date: February 1 -3, 2022 FDLA/FAMTE Virtual Conference USDLA Florida Chapter (FDLA) is excited to bring you a great conference with leading speakers from Florida in both distance education and mathematics. The program has over 50+ presenters and panelists that are sharing their latest research and best practices in the design, development, and implementation of distance education programs across the K-20 spectrum. Presentations are about management of diversity in online classrooms, gaming, innovative tools, and so much more! Keynote: Dr. Pam Northup – Dr. Northup has three decades of experience in higher education crafting learning systems to inspire the future of work and learning. Keynote: Dr. Brent Goldman – Dr. Goldman was recognized by Florida Magazine as being one of 500 most influential business executives in the state. He is a leader in private school education. Keynote: Dr. Robert Schoen – Dr. Schoen is a leading researcher in the development of educational and psychological measurement instruments and teaching student mathematical thinking to teachers. Join the experts in Florida for an amazing virtual conference! Register at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fdla-conference/registration.html (Please note it says 2022 because the conference was postponed due to Hurricane Ian.) USDLA Partner Spotlight is on Yamaha Unified Communications USDLA: Tell us about your company. You have a long history. Share that with us, and please tell us about the need you are filling in the industry. Tatsuya: Since its founding in 1887, the Yamaha Corporation has excelled in all things audio: music instruments, semiconductors, and a wide variety of products and services related to sound and music. Our specific division, Yamaha Unified Communications, prioritizes audio excellence in conferencing and collaboration spaces. Yamaha’s industry-leading technology, such as Human Voice Activity Detection, Adaptive Echo Cancellation, Automatic Gain Control, Noise Reduction, and Dereverberation, make an unparalleled impact in the hybrid classroom. USDLA: What have been your organization’s biggest challenges? Tatsuya: Because Yamaha has successfully set the standard for excellence across professional audio, music performance, and audio production, most consumers must be educated on the additional products and services offered for unified communications. Yet, as AV and IT professionals across universities discover and implement Yamaha UC’s solutions, the quality quickly speaks for itself. We also advocate for the value of audio quality regarding productivity and collaboration. Meetings without working video can continue, while meetings without working audio cannot. USDLA: What are the company’s big wins? Tatsuya: As a veteran of sound technology, Yamaha understands all aspects of successful audio for schools and universities. Our products function beautifully and are designed specifically for effortless installation, configuration, and management. From the user’s perspective, whether students are in the classroom or joining remotely, the crystal-clear audio on both ends ensures seamless collaboration and connection for all parties. Plus, we’ve been fortunate in maintaining stock and avoiding supply chain disruptions across all our microphones and speakers. USDLA: Who is your ideal client, and how has the business grown recently? Tatsuya: Our ideal client can include any educational institution willing to embrace the hybrid model and provide professional-grade audio across all environments, both on and off campus. Our ideal client does not need a technical background, given our products’ ease of use, impressive customer support team, and incredibly low failure rate. Furthermore, we appreciate any client willing to try our products in one classroom and willing to standardize and upgrade across all departments. USDLA: How has USDLA been helpful in your efforts? Tatsuya: USDLA has been a wonderful partner for us. They have continuously offered support and opportunities for additional exposure into the educational space to showcase our professional-grade audio across all environments, both on campus and off. USDLA: What does the future look like for your Yamaha Unified Communications? Tatsuya: Yamaha UCs will continue supporting educational institutions revolutionizing their students’ education. These environments foster meeting equity for all participants and enable a successful hybrid model. We plan to support our clients by announcing new hardware, upgrading the firmware of current products, and aligning with partners making an impact in education. We’re also expanding our staff across the U.S. and furthering our strong relationships with Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Learn more: Website: https://uc.yamaha.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/128984/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YamahaUC/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yamaha_uc/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/YamahaUC YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoZnhzYqgmHIpUTErhGvCkw Jan. 20: Leadership decisions in faculty training for online teaching and learning Presenter: Lisa A. Clark, EdD, Senior Product Manager, Anthology.com Distance education has evolved into a trusted, necessary, and expected form of delivering higher education content, no longer considered a fad or a new method of instruction. Due to the rapid growth of distance education offerings, early participating faculty needed more training, guidance, or standards regarding building their virtual courses. Fast forward to 2020 and the shutdown of in-person instruction worldwide, most Instructors needed more time to be ready to address the differences between synchronous (traditional face-to-face) and asynchronous (via distance education) learning environments. Now, more than ever, students expect online education offerings at their institutions and may obtain their entire degree program via distance. In this session: Participants will learn the best ways to encourage training for online teaching and what is truly important to instructors regarding their preference for training and incentives for training. These topics and more will be shared in this session to outline ideas related to leadership decisions for online teaching and learning training. Click here to register for the webinar: usdla.org/usdla-friday-webinar-series Become a MEMBER of USDLA Become a SPONSOR of USDLA Higher Education Certification Professional Learning Certification Support USDLA When You Shop @Amazon Smile Thank You to Our National Sponsors D2L, Instructure, JDL Horizons, Logitech, NC SARA,  Poly,  TSU,  TEDU, Verizon, Edu-Alliance, Harmonize, IntelliBoard, IAP, IPX, 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, Upswing,  WonUp, Thank you for supporting USDLA, our Sponsors, and our State Chapters. Eric Jones, President Chuck Sengstock, 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 USDLA | www.usdla.org

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