Great Talent at This Year’s USDLA Conference

An item from the folks at the USDLA and an update for their latest conference.

Hello USDLA Family – It is with pleasure that we share the results of the past election and help to educate our community on the structure of the association. The association operates under a set of by-laws that determines our Board of Directors and Executive Officers each year. We operate with a set of Directors that includes the Current President, Future President (President-Elect) and Past-President (Chair of the Board) . This structure allows for a smooth on-going operation of the association, a successful practice that has us celebrating our 35th year in leading the digital/distance learning community. The association also has a Chief Operating Officer/Executive Director who oversees the daily business operations. We are happy to announce the following appointments for the 2022-2023 year beginning July 1st, 2022. Hope Gibbs joins us as a Director. Hope is not new to the association, having previously served on the Advisory Board. She brings a wealth of Marketing and Communications knowledge that will immediately have an impact on the association. Hope was elected to a three-year term. Dr. Alexandra Salas joins us as a Director. Alexandra is also no stranger to the association as she is currently an active Advisory Board member. Alexandra’s experience is extensive and will strengthen our expertise within the digital learning and online learning community. Alexandra was elected to a three-year term. Chuck Sengstock has been elected as President-Elect. Chuck is a long-standing Director and current Treasurer for the association who helped to strengthen our financial health and provide transparency over the past several years. The President-Elect is a member of the Executive committee and works closely with the President and CEO/ED to coordinate planning for the association. The term of office for the President-Elect is one year per the bylaws, after which Chuck will become President. The new operating year also has us thanking Dr. Arletha McSwain for her leadership as President and Interim Executive Director during the past year. Arletha helped to build the Certification team and bring a steady stream of revenue into the association. Arletha will continue on the board as the Past President/Chair of the Board per the association’s bylaws. Eric Jones will be assuming the role of President and will lead the association through the next operating year. Eric has been deeply engaged with the association over the past year while preparing for the new role. The President works closely with the CEO/ED to help guide the association towards achieving its strategic goals. The term of office for the President is one year per the bylaws, after which Eric will become the Past President/Chair of the Board per the association’s bylaws. Pat Cassella, a long-standing USDLA Director and Past-President has been named Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director for the association. Pat has served on multiple committees and has a strong knowledge of the inner workings within the association. This position is appointed by the Board of Directors and is responsible for general supervision, management and executive powers as they relate to the business operations of the Corporation. The CEO/ED serves at the pleasure of the Board. F. Erik Brooks, Ph.D is the Presidential appointee, appointed by incoming President Eric Jones. While Dr. Brooks is new to the USDLA family, he brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the association having over 20 years experience in higher education administration, rising through the ranks of full professor, department chair and dean. This board position is appointed by the incoming President per our by-laws. Are you looking to get involved? Did you know that you can be appointed to the Advisory Board at any time during the operating year? We are always looking for talented professionals to help with the various committees. If you would like to learn more please contact Ms. Vlaray Oleinik at voleinik@usdla.org Pat Cassella USDLA Executive Director and Past-President USDLA 35th Anniversary National Conference Tennessee State University Nashville, TN July 18 – 21, 2022 Offered In Person and Virtually Register Here Sponsorship Opportunities Available Here 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  Poly, NC-SARA, Instructure, D2L, Verizon, Logitech, TEDU, Barco, IntelliBoard, Vyopta, Wiley Education Services,  Enrollment Resources, Yamaha Unified Communications, Upswing VDO360 Yellowdig Arizona Telemedicine Program and Southwest Telehealth Resource Center, XanEdu Thank you for supporting USDLA and our State Chapters. Eric Jones, President Chuck Sengstock, President-elect USDLA 35th Anniversary National Conference – July 18-21, 2022 – Nashville, TN 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

5 Tips to accelerate course completion rates for online classes

An item from the folks at the USDLA.

Have you been feeling stuck? Online courses are notorious for lower completion rates than their in-person counterparts. Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, stand at an average of 5%-15% rate of completion. How can you start to drive substantial increases in your course completion rates? Download our guide with 5 tips that any educator can start implementing in their next course, or even tomorrow! Read the guide here.  Sneak Peek: Tip #5 is to Create a Course Community OES (Online Education Services) conducted research with one of their partner institutions who used a Yellowdig Community for students to optionally interact with each other as they started attending the institution. The results? Significant increases in student persistence amongst high-risk students. Read the full OES Study.  There are many different ways to approach improving course completion rates for your distance learning courses, but no matter what the most important factor is to focus on the student. Are your students feeling overwhelmed? Can your students access resources easily? Do your students feel alone? The 5 tips in our guide help you to find ways to decrease student overwhelm, motivate students to be proactive, and ensure your course feels like a community of learners, not a solo journey. What is Yellowdig? We are on a mission to transform classrooms to build through organic, student-centered learning communities. Yellowdig is not a bolt on or a tool, but a learning platform that powers better learning and high impact instruction, while saving faculty valuable time. Looking for More? Dig deeper into the platform: Request a Demo of Yellowdig Engage Inquire about a free pilot How Yellowdig works If you have pedagogical questions or want to try new use cases, please send an email to brianna.bannach@yellowdig.com. 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 for supporting USDLA and our State Chapters. Dr. Arletha McSwain, President Eric Jones, President-Elect USDLA 35th Anniversary National Conference – July 18-21, 2022 – Nashville, TN 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

Great Talent at This Year’s USDLA Conference

An update from this K-12 friendly distance education conference.

Hello USDLA Family We will have some incredible talent this year at the conference! Kicking off the conference Monday evening is Roger Connelly – a top Nashville musician who is well-known for his blues. On Tuesday we welcome Will Bowen, a well-known speaker who will help us to better control our lives by minimizing complaining! Will been featured on multiple major networks as well as on the Oprah show. On Wednesday we welcome Dr. Makola Abdullah of Viginia State university for a morning keynote, a stroll down USDLA memory lane during lunch and our International Awards dinner in the evening. There are many activities planned throughout the conference to help us connect, network and learn from one other. Please join us! You can learn more at https://usdla.org/2022-national-conference/ Warm regards, Pat Pat Cassella USDLA Past-President, Chairman of the Board USDLA 35th Anniversary National Conference Tennessee State University Nashville, TN July 18 – 21, 2022 Offered In Person and Virtually Register Here Sponsorship Opportunities Available Here 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  Poly, NC-SARA, Instructure, D2L, Verizon, Logitech, TEDU, Barco, IntelliBoard, Vyopta, Wiley Education Services,  Enrollment Resources, Yamaha Unified Communications, Upswing VDO360 Yellowdig Arizona Telemedicine Program and Southwest Telehealth Resource Center, XanEdu Thank you for supporting USDLA and our State Chapters. Dr. Arletha McSwain, President Eric Jones, President-Elect USDLA 35th Anniversary National Conference – July 18-21, 2022 – Nashville, TN 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

Recognition of Industry Leaders at USDLA Conference

An update on this up-coming conference.

We are gearing up for our 35th Anniversary celebration so please mark your calendars and join us in Nashville! On Wednesday afternoon we will be taking a walk down USDLA memory lane as we reminisce about past trends, recognize industry leaders and take a look at what the future of on-line learning has in store. Our Awards dinner will follow on Wednesday evening where we will recognize leaders in the digital/distance learning space as we enjoy a fabulous meal and evening cocktails. We exceeded our expectations this year with more than 100 quality submissions from experts around the world. Don’t miss these informative sessions that include: Hybrid Teaching Techniques Digital Literacy Tips and Tricks Building Course Communities How to engage Students Online Metaverse Online Learning and so much more! Don’t forget, there are 4 Pre-Conference sessions that are completely free for all registered attendees. Can’t join us in Nashville? No problem, all sessions will be virtual for the first time! Remember, registration is limited and filling quickly so be sure to grab your ticket now while they are still available at https://usdla.org/2022-registration/. See you in Nashville! Pat Cassella USDLA Chairman of the Board and Conference Chair USDLA 35th Anniversary National Conference Tennessee State University Nashville, TN July 18 – 21, 2022 Offered In Person and Virtually Register Here Sponsorship Opportunities Available Here 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  Poly, NC-SARA, Instructure, D2L, Verizon, Logitech, TEDU, Barco, IntelliBoard, Vyopta, Wiley Education Services,  Enrollment Resources, Yamaha Unified Communications, Upswing VDO360 Yellowdig Arizona Telemedicine Program and Southwest Telehealth Resource Center Thank you for supporting USDLA and our State Chapters. Dr. Arletha McSwain, President Eric Jones, President-Elect USDLA 35th Anniversary National Conference – July 18-21, 2022 – Nashville, TN 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

USDLA National Conference Schedule Now Available

Take a look through the schedule and see the K-12 sessions.

USDLA Conference Schedule Available USDLA Family The conference sessions for the 35th annual USDLA National Conference have been published to the website and can be viewed at: https://usdla.org/2022-schedule/ Sessions topics include: Cyber Crime Neuroscience Learning Design Inclusive Classroom Design, Metaverse Online Learning and so much more! In addition, there are 4 Pre-Conference sessions that are completely free for all registered attendees. We will have industry leading partners sharing their solutions, live blues entertainment, world renowned speakers, a night on the town in Nashville – plus much more! Registration is limited and filling quickly so be sure to grab your ticket now while they are still available at https://usdla.org/2022-registration/. See you in Nashville! Pat Cassella USDLA Chairman of the Board and Conference Chair USDLA 35th Anniversary National Conference Tennessee State University Nashville, TN July 18 – 21, 2022 Offered In Person and Virtually Register Here Sponsorship Opportunities Available Here 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  Poly, NC-SARA, Instructure, D2L, Verizon, Logitech, TEDU, Barco, IntelliBoard, Vyopta, Wiley Education Services,  Enrollment Resources, Yamaha Unified Communications, Upswing VDO360 Yellowdig Arizona Telemedicine Program and Southwest Telehealth Resource Center Thank you for supporting USDLA and our State Chapters. Dr. Arletha McSwain, President Eric Jones, President-Elect USDLA 35th Anniversary National Conference – July 18-21, 2022 – Nashville, TN 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