OLC Announces Keynotes and Best-in-Track Sessions for OLC Innovate 2019

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Online Learning Consortium

Feb 26, 2019, 09:00 ET


NEWBURYPORT, Mass. (PRWEB) February 26, 2019 -- The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) and MERLOT will gather the digital learning community in Denver, April 2-5, for OLC Innovate 2019 (#OLCInnovate), the annual event focused on innovation in digital, blended and online learning. The three-day program highlights inspiring innovators and thought leaders from higher education, military, health care and workforce education, including the presenters of seven Best-in-Track sessions and recipients of the 2019 OLC Effective Practice Awards, who will be recognized at the conference.

“Education innovation requires continuous visionary leadership from all disciplines,” said Kathleen Ives, CEO and executive director, OLC. “With the Rockies as our backdrop, OLC Innovate 2019 will gather leaders and innovators from across the digital learning landscape who will inspire us all to ‘move mountains’ to shape the innovative teaching and learning experiences of tomorrow.”

Keynotes, Sessions, Integrated Events

OLC Innovate 2019 offers learning experiences that encourage conversations and provide opportunities to interact with practitioners, academics and administrators representing a range of career stages and goals. The conference program features a variety of session formats, all of which are designed to encourage broad attendee participation.

Keynote speakers for OLC Innovate 2019 are:

  • Tressie McMillan Cottom, Ph.D., Digital Sociologist, Professor, Writer and Columnist, who will discuss “Digital Sociologies: How Inequality Shapes Our Technologies.”
  • Manoush Zomorodi, Author of Bored and Brilliant and Co-Founder of Stable Genius Productions, who will present, “Human Skills for Digital Natives: Expanding Our Definition of Tech and Media Literacy.”
  • Keynote Campfire Stories, featuring: Brian Kane, General Design LLC; Ben Scragg, Arizona State University; Michael Caulfield, Washington State University; Angela Gibson, Texas A&M University – Kingsville; and Joshua Steele, University of Arizona

The richness of the Innovate program extends to a number of pre-conference workshops, as well as the HBCU Affordable Learning Summit, Community College Summit and OLC Leadership Network Event. Attendees can further enrich their conference experience through a variety of Engagement Opportunities including the conference OLC Ranger Program, Innovation Studio, featuring an Escape Room on Friday, Evening Campfire Gatherings, Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, Ranger Talk-abouts, OLC Presenter Services, Speed Networking Lounge, and the OLC Live! Virtual Experience.

Best-in-Track Sessions

The following sessions have been designated as Best-in-Track for OLC Innovate 2019, exemplifying the innovation taking place across the digital learning landscape:

  • Track: Effective Tools, Toys and Technologies – “The New Professor: How I Podcasted My Way Into Students’ Lives (And How You Can, Too),” by Ryan Straight, University of Arizona
  • Track: Problems, Processes and Practices – “SOS! How to Assist Faculty with Developing High Quality and Accessible Video Lectures in 6 Easy Steps!” by Megan Patrick and Haomin Chen, Michigan State University
  • Track: Research: Designs, Methods and Findings – “Considering Print-Based Challenges for Online Literacy Instruction: Creating Access and Opportunity Through Multimodal Literacy Practices,” by Christi Edge, Northern Michigan University
  • Track: Teaching and Learning Practice – “Two to Tango: Implementing Effective Pedagogy While Practicing Sound Digital Accessibility in Your Online Course Design,” by Harriette L. Spiegel, The University of Tennessee - Martin
  • Track: Open Learning – “Who Designs This Course? How Open Content Helps Us Realize Our Goals for Online Learning,” by Josh Herron, Anderson University; Jonathan Lashley, Boise State University; Chad Treado, Anderson University; and Rob Nyland, Boise State University
  • Track: Leadership and Advocacy – “Moving Mountains To Support Online Adjuncts,” by Ali Blankinship, William and Mary – Raymond A. Mason School of Business
  • Track: Experiential and Life-Long Learning – “Looking Into a Digital Mirror for an Interactive Reflection on Student Engagement in Online and Blended Learning,” by Beth Bair, University of Miami, and Latoya Danford-Stewart, Florida International University

2019 Effective Practice Awards, Recognizing Effective Practices in Digital Education

OLC’s Effective Practice Awards recognize effective techniques, strategies and practices that are shared by members of the OLC community to advance quality and access to online programs. Two rounds of Effective Practices are awarded annually, one at each of OLC’s major conferences. OLC congratulates the following 2019 Effective Practice Award recipients who will be recognized at OLC Innovate 2019:

  • “Peralta Equity Rubric,” by Inger Stark, Peralta Community College District
  • “SkillsCommons Field Guide of TAACCCT Innovations: The Gallery Edition,” by Maria Fieth, California State University, Office of the Chancellor, Academic Technology Services; Matthew Springer, Programs Director, Northwest Youth Corps; and Christian Lagarde, Consultant, Education and Workforce Development
  • “COMM ePortfolio at Old Dominion University,” Alison M. Lietzenmayer, Gary A. Beck, Danielle Jackson and Carla Harrell, Old Dominion University
  • “Design4Online: Online Pedagogy Faculty Training Program,” by Amy Oberfoell, Dan Dao, Nina Kim, Susan Bailey and Isandra Martinez-Marrero, University of Iowa
  • “See It, Hear It, Feel It: Virtual Reality Immersive Learning,” Jaime Hannans, Colleen Nevins and Ben Hytrek, California State University Channel Islands
  • “Walden’s Social Change Skills Framework Intersecting with the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” by Dr. William C. Schulz and Dr. Lynn Wilson, Walden University

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About Online Learning Consortium

The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) is a collaborative community of higher education leaders and innovators, dedicated to advancing quality digital teaching and learning experiences designed to reach and engage the modern learner – anyone, anywhere, anytime. OLC inspires innovation and quality through an extensive set of resources, including, best-practice publications, quality benchmarking, leading-edge instruction, community-driven conferences, practitioner-based and empirical research and expert guidance. The growing OLC community includes faculty members, administrators, trainers, instructional designers, and other learning professionals, as well as educational institutions, professional societies and corporate enterprises. Visit http://onlinelearningconsortium.org for more information.

Eileen Pacheco, Online Learning Consortium, http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/, +1 (508) 254-1440, [email protected]