academic & online learning leader embracing emerging #edtech
Join NIU leaders for an engaging discussion centered on leadership featuring NIU President Dr. Lisa C. Freeman, former Trustee and current NIU Foundation Board Member Wheeler Coleman, B.S. ’83, NIU Alumni Association Board President Pete Garrity, ’71, M.B.A. ’76, and NIU Student Trustee Madalynn Mershon moderated by NIU Executive Director of Extended Learning Dr. Jason Rhode. Visit go.niu.edu/SteppingForward for more details and a link to register.
Have you created a captioned video on YouTube and like to force the captions to automatically be displayed when played? This video shares the simple secrets for doing so.
For any video that you upload to YouTube and caption, add the following tag:
yt:cc=on
And, if you are embedding the video, in your embed code add
?cc_load_policy=1
Give it a try! I’m doing so in all my videos for my online courses and am so glad it’s so easy to force captions to be displayed by default.
Is your institution considering partnering with an online program management (OPM) provider? During this presentation at 2019 Online Learning Consortium Accelerate conference in Orlando, FL on November 20, 2019 learn from the experience of Northern Illinois University in choosing to partner with an OPM and steps taken to launch expanded online support services for promoting online education growth. Slides are available here.
Interactive polling and questions during the session were powered using sli.do, available at sli.do/opmlaunch
When it comes to leadership and strategy for NIU’s online and off-campus program development, Jason Rhode is on a mission.
As the newly appointed executive director of extended learning, Rhode will serve as NIU’s chief online learning officer and continue to build upon the university’s efforts to serve non-traditional learners.
“I am excited to work with our faculty, staff and administration in new ways to bring new programs to the market that will meet the needs of working adults in the northern Illinois region and beyond,” Rhode said.
New online and off-campus programs are in development along with enhancements to current programs.
“We are seeing an increasing number of students choosing to take online courses,” Rhode said. “Working adults who can’t come to campus to finish their degree or who choose a new career path want to take advantage of online offerings.”
Rhode said whatever the reasons for considering online classes and off-campus programs, students will have the same level of quality NIU delivers on campus.
“The online format can be just as rigorous and the learning outcomes are excellent,” Rhode said.
Online and off-campus learners have academic resources, technology support and community building opportunities that come with being a Huskie.
Behind-the-scenes, the university is moving the management and support functions for online and off-campus programs to the division of Academic Affairs, while also integrating support services from eLearning Services into the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center (FDIDC). The restructured and expanded FDIDC will offer one-stop, comprehensive support for teach effectiveness and innovation across all instructional delivery modalities.
“NIU is committed to further strengthening and expanding our online and off-campus program offerings,” Rhode said. “There are many opportunities for us to grow existing programs while also pursuing new online and off-campus programs that capitalize on the momentum and synergies that we already have in place.”
Rhode, who joined NIU in 2004, is a highly engaged and regarded voice in the field of online higher education. With nearly two decades of experience in online education and faculty development, he has held leadership roles in professional organizations including the Online Learning Consortium, University Professional and Continuing Education Association and the National Council for Online Education.
Rhode’s appointment took effect July 1.
The post Jason Rhode takes the helm as the university’s chief online learning officer appeared first on NIU Today.
As I approach fifteen years at Northern Illinois University (NIU), I’ve accepted a new opportunity to become the university’s first Executive Director of Extended Learning and Chief Online Learning Officer. As I pause to look back on my path to this point, I’m reminded of what a fantastic journey I’ve had and I’m filled with excitement for what lies ahead.
I joined NIU in 2004 as Online Technologies Coordinator with the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, where I was responsible for developing and offering in-depth training programs and consultations on teaching with technology and online teaching.
Just prior to joining NIU I had completed an online Master’s Degree in Education in Curriculum and Instruction and it was through that experience that I fell in love with online education. As I finished that program, I was asked by a mentor of mine who was interested in launching some undergraduate certificate programs online to share my experiences and help his institution, University of Valley Forge, take the first steps toward developing their online program offerings.
After having been in this role at NIU for two years, I was offered the position of Assistant Director in 2006, where I was then tasked with directly overseeing all faculty training and professional development offered by the center for more than 1,500 faculty participants annually.
It was during this time that I continued to pursue my academic interests in instructional design and online curriculum development and I earned a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Instructional Design for Online Learning.
I took advantage of every opportunity to teach, design and develop online courses, and engage in scholarship and service within online education and faculty development. I taught instructional design and educational technology courses as an adjunct for a number of institutions before being invited in 2016 to join the faculty of the Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment at NIU where I currently have joint faculty appointment as Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology and develop and teach courses in instructional design and educational technology, advise and supervise students, serve in department, college, and university committees, and pursue research and scholarly activities.
As accolades came along, I accepted invitations that resulted to share my experience and expertise designing and developing blended and online courses and programs with faculty at numerous institutions across the country and was privileged to have been invited to lead faculty development seminars on blended and online course design, as well as teaching with technology topics.
I was also invited to serve on a number of professional organizations within academic technology and online education, including serving on the steering committee, program chair, and assistant conference chair for the Online Learning Consortium Emerging Technology for Online Learning International Symposium (now called OLC Innovate), as well as an inaugural member of the advisory board for the National Council for Online Education, among others.
In late 2013, due to new presidential leadership at NIU and a massive institutional reorganization, the founding Director of Faculty Development was appointed to a new position as Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and I was asked to switch roles and accepted the position as Director of Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center. In this position that I’ve held for the past 5 years, I’ve overseen all operations of Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center at NIU.
I’ve recently accepted the invitation from the Executive Vice President and Provost to lead NIU’s online and off-campus education efforts, which includes providing direction and oversight to restructured faculty development and instructional design functions in an expanded Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, as well as strategic leadership and long-range vision for the development and delivery of academic credit-bearing online and off-campus courses and programs.
I’m eager to begin this new role and blessed to continue working with such an amazing team already in place as well as to new collaborations with faculty, staff, and leadership from across the university and outside as together we move online and off-campus education forward. Much more is yet to come!
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