Designing Competency-Based Self-Paced Online Workshops for Introducing Faculty to Online Teaching Technologies

October 29, 2014 By Jason Rhode 1 Comment

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Wed, 10/28/14, 12:00-12:35pm
Southern Hemisphere I

During this session at the 20th Annual Online Learning Consortium International Conference, learn about Northern Illinois University’s innovative faculty development initiative to offer introductory online technology training via self-paced online workshops as a component of comprehensive online faculty certification. An overview of the process identifying technology competencies for online teaching was shared as well as the design, development, and implementation phases of the project, highlighting lessons learned and tips for other institutions interested in pursuing a similar self-paced model for scaling their faculty development efforts. Accompanying slides are available here and links included in slides shared below.

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Designing Exemplary Online Courses in Blackboard

October 23, 2014 By Jason Rhode Leave a Comment

Bb Exemplary Course RubricDuring this presentation by Jason Rhode at the 12th annual SLATE Conference on 10/23/14, we explored suggested best practices included in the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Rubric for designing engaging online courses. Jason shared practical tips from his experience building a course in Blackboard that meets the established ECP quality benchmarks. We also covered the steps and associated deadlines for faculty interested in submitting their course for consideration as a Blackboard Exemplary Course. This session was geared toward an audience already familiar with the basic online teaching tools available in Blackboard Learn. While the examples shared were specifically of courses in Blackboard, the principles can be applied to developing quality online courses in any learning management system.

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My Presentation Schedule at 12th Annual SLATE Conference, Oct. 22-24, 2014

October 16, 2014 By Jason Rhode Leave a Comment

SLATE14On October 22-24, 2014, I’ll be attending and presenting at the 12th Annual SLATE (Supporting Learning And Technology in Education) Conference, hosted at Northern Illinois University, Naperville. This conference invites all faculty, system administrators, CIO’s, Web developers, instructional designers, librarians, students, and user support staff from institutions that are deploying and/or currently using any Web-based tools, applications or programs, in their teaching and learning. Presentations offer a wide variety of best practices for incorporating and supporting technology in teaching and learning.

I’ll be involved in giving three different presentations during the conference. For those who will be attending the conference, I hope you’ll join me for any of these topics that may be of interest to you:

Designing Exemplary Online Courses in Blackboard

Presenter: Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University
Thu, 10/23, 11:00-11:50am, Auditorium
Join us to explore suggested best practices included in the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Rubric for designing engaging online courses. The presenter will share practical tips from his experience building a course in Blackboard that meets the estab- lished ECP quality benchmarks. We’ll also cover the steps and associated deadlines for faculty interested in submitting their course for consideration as a Blackboard Exemplary Course. This session is geared toward an audience already familiar with the basic online teaching tools available in Blackboard Learn.

Contemporary Issues in Higher Education and Online Learning

Presenters: Carol Scheidenhelm, Loyola University Chicago; Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University
Thu, 10/23, 2:00-2:50pm, Room 162
At a recent meeting of the University Professional & Continuing Education Association Center for Online Leadership & Strategy, the presenters participated in a roundtable discussion of issues relevant to online teaching and learning in higher education. Participants had the opportunity to share their experiences with issues, policies and road blocks to educating “contemporary” students, resulting in a recently-released federal policy brief. We thought it would be productive to bring this type of discussion to our SLATE Conference participants and provide them an opportunity to come up with a listing of the most pressing issues in higher education today. The list will be shared with the SLATE leadership and may help guide topics for discussion in the 2014-15 SLATE meetings.

Where eLearning Meets Faculty Development: Providing Seamless Online Program Development Support Services

Presenters: Aline Click, Northern Illinois University; Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University
Thu, 10/23, 4:00-4:50pm, Room 162
While there is no single strategy for effectively supporting online teaching and learning, common faculty support needs related to online teaching practices and online course development exist at every institution. Join us for this panel presentation to learn about one institution’s collaborative approach to providing comprehensive support for new online program development. The conversation will focus on the specific online course development services as well as online teaching support programs, resources, and services offered for faculty.

For those in the Chicago area, there is still time to register to attend the conference in person, details at slategroup.org/conference/register. There is even a single-day option available for those who want to just come for 1 day. For those who can’t attend in person, feel free to follow the conference @slateconference and hashtag #slate14

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2014 UPCEA Federal Policy Brief

October 9, 2014 By Jason Rhode Leave a Comment

As a current member of the advisory council for the UPCEA Center for Online Leadership and Strategy, I’m passing along this special update below from Bob Hansen, UPCEA CEO, releasing the 2014 UPCEA Federal Policy Brief. I highly recommend all those involved in online learning to read the briefing and stay abreast of the federal policy landscape that is influencing higher education and specifically online education today. ~ Jason Rhode @jasonrhode

UPCEA Federal Policy Brief

The UPCEA Center for Online Leadership and Strategy is pleased to announce the 2014 UPCEA Federal Policy Brief. This document is a result of the 2014 UPCEA Online Leadership Roundtable and focuses broadly on online education policy at the federal level. Developed with direct input from membership and the UPCEA Policy Committee, these recommendations provide a framework for the federal government to address the needs of contemporary learners and those who serve them. Topics covered include State Authorization, financial aid, gainful employment, costs of compliance, and the importance of collecting meaningful data that reflect the fundamental demographic shift toward non-traditional-or “contemporary”-students. Click here to view the UPCEA Federal Policy Brief.

We encourage you to read it, and share it with others – including your institution’s internal government affairs staff, and your members of Congress. Our elected representatives must understand the importance of these issues, and the impact that they have on the students we serve. You can find the contact information for your members of Congress here. We encourage you to contact your members and schedule a meeting to discuss these issues if you are in Washington. If you are interested in increased UPCEA advocacy efforts, please fill out this form.

You can learn more about these policy issues during a session at the 2015 Summit for Online Leadership and Strategy, January 20-22, 2015 in San Antonio, Texas.  Learn more about the Summit, hosted in partnership with the American Council on Education (ACE), and register here.

Also, remember to take advantage of the services and expertise offered by UPCEA’s Center for Online Leadership and Strategy. We know that balancing all of the facets of a successful online initiative can be challenging, which is why all members have complimentary access to the Center’s Second Opinion service. Second Opinion is an opportunity to ask questions or discuss pressing issues with the Center’s founding director, Ray Schroeder.

To keep abreast of developments related to State Authorization and state licensing issues, UPCEA’s expert partner, Cooley LLP, offers services to help schools navigate an increasingly dynamic environment.

I’d like to give a very special thanks to Chris Murray and Ken Salomon at Thompson Coburn for their expertise in helping develop the UPCEA Federal Policy Brief. To learn more about Thompson Coburn’s services and products, please click here.

I hope you’ll join us in raising awareness of these important issues!

Sincerely,

Bob Hansen
CEO

 

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Blended and Flipped: Exploring New Models for Effective Teaching and Learning

August 22, 2014 By Jason Rhode Leave a Comment

Blended and Flipped Special ReportAt the heart of both blended learning and flipped learning is a learner-centered curriculum that changes the traditional roles of instructor and student.

This downloadable special report features 12 articles curated from past issues of The Teaching Professor, Online Classroom, and Faculty Focus. With six articles dedicated to blended learning and six articles on the flipped classroom, Blended and Flipped: Exploring New Models for Effective Teaching & Learning provides an inside look at how faculty are using these approaches to reshape the college classroom. Articles include:

  • Putting the Learning in Blended Learning
  • Recommendations for Blended Learning Course Design
  • The Process Approach to Online and Blended Learning
  • Expanding the Definition of a Flipped Learning Environment
  • “I Don’t Like This One Little Bit.” Tales from a Flipped Classroom
  • Looking for ‘Flippable’ Moments in Your Class
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