Tuesday, July 21, 2020
2:00pm Eastern

Chico Garcia, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Online, Front Range Community College, Colorado
Kaitlin Luna, Director of Online Advising, Front Range Community College, Colorado

This session will be covering a wide variety of service, including Advising Online Students, the Online Student Union, Online Orientations, and more. We will discuss how we work with our campus partners as well as important factors to consider when serving online students.

Tuesday, July 28, 2020
2:00pm Eastern

Presenters:
Rich Senker, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, FL
Janet Lee, Instructional Designer, Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, FL

The "Upside-down" is a state of mind that cannot exist when designing engaging online content for retention. This interactive session will help you identify limiting mindsets and jumpstart a new path. We will explore techniques for connecting faculty and students using a variety of engagement strategies. The purpose of this workshop is to help you reimage approaches to online teaching and instructional content. Some topics will include micro-learning lectures, enhanced multimedia elements, and various methods for providing constructive feedback. Through discussion and research-based best practices, you will gain practical approaches to design for the online learning environment. By the end of the session, you will be provided the tools to get started with your courses.

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Learning From the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Every Community College Needs to be Doing Right Now

Panel:
Carlos Morales, PhD., President, TCC Connect Campus, Tarrant County College, Fort Worth, TX
Tina Parscal, PhD., Associate Vice Chancelor, CCCOnline and Academic Affairs, Colorado Community College System, Denver, CO.
Carol Spalding, Ed.D., President, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Salisbury, NC.


The panel will discuss the immediate lessons learned from the abrupt shift to remote learning this past spring, as well as identify specific steps for preparing for the 2020-2021 academic year.

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3 Practical Video Ideas for a Richer, More Personalized Course

Presenter: Tori Norris, Ed.D., Psychology Instructor, Calhoun Community College, Decatur, AL

Online course enrollments grew 13% from 2012-2017 (CHLOE3, 2019.) Fully online students now represent 15% of undergraduates, and 1 in 3 students have taken at least one course online. For faculty who are new to teaching online, or who want to improve student engagement and personalization within their online course, this session will introduce three practical ways video can help. Why video? Because online courses with video are 83% more effective in helping students remember information. Learn how to create a course overview video that replaces the “first day of class” face to face experience, and how you can make the video accountable. Not only do students get the information they need, but it reduces the number of basic questions you have to answer. Another strategy is using video for class announcements. When students can hear and see their instructor through these announcements, it creates a richer, more personal experience. Students feel they know their instructor. Finally, providing feedback on student assignments through video gives students richer context. Students can hear the tone of the feedback and see the facial expressions of their instructor, which is difficult to portray in text. While it may seem like more work, it can actually streamline the feedback process. Students love receiving feedback in this way, and it personalizes their experience in the course. Come to this session and learn three easy to implement ways to leverage video in your online courses. Understand how each one can create a more personalized experience for your students. See examples of videos and how they are integrated into an online course. This session will give you new ideas to try that will take your online course to a new level!

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The Dreaded Office of Civil Rights Letter

Presenter: Dr. Terry Norris, Director/Distance Learning, College of Southern Nevada

This session will focus on the steps an institution takes when receiving a letter from the Office of Civil Rights indicating they will be doing a directed investigation on the institution's online content including academic programs. The College of Southern Nevada received that letter in April 2019. In an effort to be as prepared as possible for the investigation CSN formed an Accessibility and Universal Design Taskforce. The Taskforce took the lead in the following actions: utilization of Ally in Canvas, monitoring the website with Site Improve, development of a policy on Digital Content Accessibility, and hiring an external consultant to conduct an audit of CSN's digital content and related technologies. This session will work you through the process that undertook for each of the above actions.

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Online Classes That Work for Everyone: How to Incorporate Culturally Responsive Online Teaching Strategies

Presenters:
Peter Seaman, Instructional Consultant, Portland Community College
Heather Guevara, Online Learning Division Manager, Portland Community College
Stacie Williams, Instructor, Communications Studies, Portland Community College

This workshop will introduce attendees to fundamental principles of culturally responsive online teaching and will provide strategies for incorporating these principles in online classes. Since student retention and completion are now more important than ever, institutions are focusing on culturally responsive teaching as a proven means of furthering these goals, especially among non-traditional and students of color. Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) seeks to make connections between learning objectives and the lived experiences of students while creating inclusive learning environments. With careful consideration to course design and intentional creation of new opportunities for engagement, instructors and designers can leverage technology to create authentic and responsive online courses. We invite you to explore, share, and learn with us in our workshop on culturally responsive online teaching.

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OER Pursuit
Presenters:
Brooke Hoffman, Instructional Designer, Rowan College South Jersey
Michael Nieckowsi, Center for Teaching & Learning, RCSJ

One year ago, Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ) started a grassroots OER initiative on campus starting with a small working group of librarians, faculty, administrators, and the college's eLearning team. In this short time, RCSJ has explored and implemented an OER movement on campus.

Date: TBD

ClassLink provides OneClick single sign-on into web and Windows applications, and instant access to files at school and in the cloud. Accessible from any computer, tablet or smartphone, ClassLink is ideal for 1to1 and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives.

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Colorado Community College Systems’ approach to the COVID-19 crisis

Tina Parscal, PhD
Associate Vice Chancellor for Colorado Community Colleges Online (CCCOnline) and Academic Affairs
Colorado Community Colleges Online

Frank Vazquez
Director of Academic Technology
CCCOnline

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COVID19 Update: Strategies for Re-opening + Q & A: Ask the Experts

Moderator: Fred Lokken, ITC Board Chair
Chair, Department of Business, Political Science & History
&
Professor, Political Science
Business & Social Sciences Division
Truckee Meadows Community College

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Colleges are actively migrating processes and courses which use to take place in the real to all virtual services. Get a quick glimpse how two colleges are managing the migration and learn about their successes. The colleges will also discuss how this pandemic is framing their approach for future semesters.

Josh Piddington, Chief Information Officer & Vice President, Division of Innovation & Technology
Rowan College of South Jersey
Sewell, NJ

Beth Ritter-Guth, Associate Dean of Online Learning & Educational Technology
Northampton Community College
Bethlehem, PA

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Presenter: Cheryl Dowd, JD
Cheryl Dowd is the Director of the State Authorization Network (SAN) for WCET. Cheryl directs a membership organization of more than 700 post-secondary institutions and state agencies providing activities and research to support, understand, and develop strategies to maintain State and Federal regulatory compliance requirements for the out of state activities of the member institutions. Cheryl earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Richmond in Virginia, Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from James Madison University in Virginia. Contacts: cdowd@wiche.edu; https://wcetSAN.wiche.edu

This session will focus on the development of institution compliance strategies for the new Federal State Authorization Regulations that will be effective on July 1, 2020. These regulations were developed through U.S. Department of Education Negotiated Rulemaking process that came to consensus in April 2019. Federal State Authorization Regulations for distance education tie Title IV HEA participation by the institution to state oversight and institutional compliance with states where the institution's students are located for the activities of the institution. These Federal Regulations provide that institutional compliance may be met by direct approval by a state or by participation in a state authorization reciprocity agreement. The Federal Regulations define state authorization reciprocity agreement. Additionally, the new Federal Regulations extend Professional Licensure disclosures to Face to Face programs in addition to Distance Education programs. How is your institution managing compliance? Technical and Community Colleges must follow the same requirements as universities. What departments at your institution are collaborating to manage compliance? The session will sort out the responsibilities of the institution for Federal State Authorization Regulations compliance while also providing reminders regarding state and reciprocity compliance.

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Presenter: Brooke Hoffman, Instructional Designer, Rowan College South Jersey

It can be challenging to find your leadership power when your responsibilities include communicating the visions and goals of the high sheriffs to your team. Meanwhile it is also your role to communicate the challenges of your team to your leaders. While the middle management role has been given a bad stigma over the years, it is an integral part of any organization. Through effective communication and delegation, you can provide the support for your team and administration.

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AACC Senior VP for Government Relations and Policy Analysis will provide an overview of pending legislation and regulatory policies impacting community colleges.

Presented by: David Baime

David Baime serves as Senior Vice President for Government Relations and Policy Analysis for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). In this role, he directs the national advocacy efforts for the nation’s 1,100 community colleges and their students. Prior to that time he served as Director of Education Funding for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Mr. Baime has also worked as Assistant Director of Government Relations for the Association of American Medical Colleges. Mr. Baime hold’s a bachelor’s degree from Haverford College and a Master’s Degree in Economics from the London School of Economics.

Mr. Baime has made a number of radio, television, and Web appearances, including on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, C-SPAN, and National Public Radio, and is frequently quoted in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Education, Education Week, and other education publications. He is the author of a number of published article and essays, and has co-written a book on community college finance.

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Presenting:
Fred Lokken
Chair, ITC & Author, Annual ITC National Survey

The ITC has conducted the Annual ITC National Survey for the past fifteen years. Many of us have benefitted from the data; the national perspective helps us to know if our programs are typical and that many of us share the same challenges with our program, faculty and students.

Fifteen years of data can also help us to understand emerging as well as well established trends AND can also allow us to predict the trajectory of Distance Learning in higher education. Join Fred for a brief review of the 2019 key results and bold predictions regarding the future of Distance Learning.

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Presenters:
Josh Piddington
Vice President, Division of Innovation & Technology
Chief Information Officer
Rowan College at Gloucester County, Sewell, NJ

David Comfort
Administrator, Web & Portal Systems
Rowan College at Gloucester County, Sewell, NJ

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Presenters:
Waleed Ma'arouf, M.Ed.
High School and Statewide Student Success Strategist
(Academic Advisor & Recruiter)
Division of Online and Strategic Learning
Ball State University, Muncie, IN

C. Ted Ward, II
Director of Academic Initiatives and Student Strategies
(Director of Student and Program Services)
Division of Online and Strategic Learning
Ball State University, Muncie, IN

Online learners often struggle with developing a supportive community and feeling involved with the institution or engaged in the courses they are taking. This session will provide participants with ideas and approaches to utilize playfulness as a tool in connecting with online learners in unique and innovative ways. The presenters will share recent experiences in trying to develop and implement “playful engagement” for student support purposes (outside of the classroom) within an online division of a four-year public university. As the presenters outline the empathetic consideration of the users, specific goal development, and the navigation of many challenges faced, participants in this session will gain valuable insights into the development of “playful engagement” activities.

Through the use of fun and hands-on activities, participants will apply lessons to their own contexts and gain a deeper understanding of how "playful engagement” can be used within their own efforts to increase matriculation, raise affinity for the institution, and promote retention of online learners.


Ted Ward

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Presenter:
Lori Frear, PhD
Professor, Biology
Wake Technical Community College, Raleigh, NC

A common concern in online courses is the feeling that students are isolated on a digital island with limited contact to their peers and their instructor. This session will present three different techniques used to bridge digital islands. The techniques used are relatively simple and engaging approaches that can be successfully applied to any online course regardless of content.

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Presenter:
Dawn Kolakoski, Ed.D.
Director, Online Instruction
Northern Virginia Community College, Fairfax, VA

This session will focus on the development and use of a faculty evaluation system designed to improve instruction and pedagogy in online courses. Are you dealing with student complaints about the lack of presence by faculty in your online classes? Promote best practices by creating a Memorandum of Agreement and an evaluation system that helps nudge faculty into developing a robust online presence! This workshop will share our experiences with the process of creating an evaluation system, tools, and rubric based upon a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) that outlined such expectations for our online faculty. After our first year of evaluations, we’ve collected interesting data on actual faculty practices in online courses and how it compares to expectations by administrators. We will share the trials and tribulations of implementing such a large scale evaluation system (over 600 faculty) and its acceptance by faculty, deans, and online administrators as a method to improve instruction and success for students. Participants will take away examples and ideas of how to implement such a system in their own online programs.

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Presenters:
William Hatheway
Quality Assurance Specialist, NOVA Online
Northern Virginia Community College, Fairfax, VA

Nillab Pazhwak
Quality Assurance Specialist, NOVA Online
Northern Virginia Community College, Fairfax, VA

This session will focus on the statistical findings from our course review process that covered delivery aspects of faculty performance by looking at 500 different instructors’ teaching methods in NOVA Online courses between 2017-2018. We will also summarize the results of our quality assurance research project that involved a review of the design and delivery of our 50-lowest success rate courses in 2016-2017. Taken together, attendees will learn what we found to be the delivery practices most important for online learners, and why the role of faculty presence stood out as the critical factor in the loss of students in 78% of the low success rate courses (clearly affecting student retention). Sharing of our processes, challenges, lessons learned, and our plans to make this course review work actionable in improving our online learner’s success rates will provide valuable examples to attendees and how they can apply them in their distance learning programs.

Attendees will gain a data-driven understanding of what is at stake when it comes to the use of best practices for delivering online courses, how to assess this at their own institutions, and how e-learning administrators, faculty, and students alike can benefit from a rigorous review process.

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Presenters:
Cheryl Chapman
Department Chair of Career & Technical Education
Professor, Digital Media, Business Computer, and Teacher Education
Coastline Community College, Fountain Valley, CA

Rick Lockwood
Chair, Business Department
Coastline Community College, Fountain Valley, CA

Learn how you can leverage video to increase instructor presence beginning with students’ very first interaction with your course. The session will cover how to use video to welcome students, how to provide a course tutorial video, and how to introduce the course syllabus with video. Learn why this will help students feel more connected with you as an instructor, and how you can measure student engagement to know that students understand the expectations as outlined in the syllabus.

This session will also cover how to leverage video for lecture capture. This includes capturing face to face class lectures and creating lecture, or lesson videos for online course assignments. Get insights into how to leverage video lessons within Canvas and how you can make them measurable, including linking to the gradebook.

Finally, you will learn ideas for getting students involved through video assignments. Offering video creation as an option for students to show what they know can be effective and engaging. Understand how you can approach this through the LMS to turn students into video whizzes too.

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When used efficiently, video is an effective tool to increase engagement in online, blended and face to face courses. According to the 2019 Key Issues in Teaching and Learning from Educause, Faculty Development & Engagement is the number one issue, described as “Enabling faculty to craft active learning engagements that achieve learning objectives” (Educause “Key Issues in Teaching and Learning” 2019, www.educause.edu/eli/initiatives/key-issues-in-teaching-and-learning). Number 2 on the list is Online & Blended Learning with a focus on providing courses that serve both face to face and remote students. Video is a key technology that can address both of these challenges.

This session will show how Odessa College, winner of the Aspen Institute Rising Star Award in 2017 and 2019, uses video with its LMS to increase student engagement, improve student retention, and enhance personal connections between instructors and students. Odessa has improved engagement, doubled the graduation rate and rapidly improved overall completion rates by implementing 4 key strategies that are easy for faculty to adopt.

Speaker: Jennifer Lee, Instructional Design and Technology Specialist, OC Global, Odessa College
Bio: With over 10 years as an instructional designer Jennifer has developed skills that allow her to provide great support to both new faculty and senior faculty who have been in the classroom for years. She is innovative and helps spread her enthusiasm to the faculty who work with our students. She regularly conducts training and seminars to faculty, providing them with ongoing development of their skills using technology.

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Presenters:
Royal Bartels - After 30 years in various industries and technology-related positions, Roy Bartels retired from Western Texas College as chief technology and information security officer. His experience, education, and service on regional, state, and national boards, plus his retirement career in fiction writing, give him a unique perspective on the Internet of Things.

Mickey Slimp (Executive Director, Northeast Texas Consortium of Colleges & Universities - NETnet) - Dr. Mickey Slimp is the executive director of the Northeast Texas Consortium of Colleges and Universities, where he leads a group of two and four-year schools working together to "increase access to educational and rural health programs for the people of Northeast Texas." A board member and past chair of the Instructional Technology Council, Mickey has served on two AACC Commissions and now leads ITC's New Initiatives Group, a national "brain trust" offering insights on technology and distance learning practice for the Council's membership. His home state work garnered him induction into The Texas Distance Learning Association's Hall of Fame, citing his role as the founding director of the Virtual College of Texas, as the project director for Internet Teachers at Every College, which created more than 1,400 new Internet teachers statewide, and as a fifteen-year dean of the award-winning distance program at Tyler Junior College. In addition to ITC, Mickey currently serves on the board of the LEARN network, Texas’ university fiber network, on the national advisory board for the Internet2 Community Anchor Program (CAP) and is an editor of the TxDLA Online Journal. Mickey has taught for multiple Texas universities, was a research associate at Auburn University, and is currently a faculty member and Associate Provost with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler. Most recently, Dr. Slimp authored How the Internet of Things Is Changing Our Colleges, Our Classrooms, and Our Students with former ITC Board member Roy Bartels.

You have heard about the Internet of Things. You know that it is having an impact on higher education. So, what is it?

Now that students have the entire computing power of 1975 in a pocket device, the college of the 2020s is entering a new educational age. For teens and tweens, the magic world of Harry Potter is all around. With a wave of a hand, they can control lights and surround themselves with music. In minutes, they can make a catalog of devices appear using a 3D printer. And now, they are ready to travel by driverless cars, summoned from a cellphone.

Embedded technology, that is, computing built into everyday devices, is all around. Known as the Internet of Things, embedded sensors in our home, in our tools, and even in our baseball bats have changed the world as we know it. As with every stage of evolution, leaders have the options to resist, adapt, or to get ahead of the change.

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Presenter: Regina Gong
Lansing Community College

When we assess the impact of our OER projects, cost savings to students are metrics we normally track. However, the impact of OER adoption and usage goes beyond cost savings calculations. This presentation will provide additional measures for assessing OER initiatives using the Cost, Outcomes, Usage, Perceptions (COUP) framework by the Open Education Research Group. During this presentation you will see how this framework is used for developing an assessment plan that tracks not just how much students save but the impact of OER on student learning, retention, persistence, and overall student success.

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Moderator:
Garry Brand, J.D.
Grand Rapids Community College
Professor, Meijer Center for Business Studies
Online Faculty Trainer, Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies

Presenter:
Klaas Kwant
Grand Rapids Community College
Video Content Production Manager

"Lightboards" (see Lightboards.info) tend to be home-grown devices at different higher education institutions. GRCC's is no different. The baton of basic information was passed to us by GVSU, and various staff have helped to make ours functional and unique. In addition to its basic construction by Bill Faber, Chemistry Professor, we have built a smart, dedicated space that is accessible to all faculty, adding features like sound-deadening in the room, the ability to work along with pre-prepared slides, and even chroma-key options. We have maintained a philosophy of empowering faculty to independently record themselves once they are shown how the room works, knowing that technology staff are close by if they have any questions.

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Presenter: Kirsten R. Butcher, PhD

This webinar will examine strategies for using online assessment tools to do more than measure summative progress. Specifically, the session will explore how online assessment tools can be used to create opportunities for deeper conceptual learning, to better measure depth of understanding, and to minimize student frustration. The presenter will discuss how theories of comprehension and principles of human-computer interaction can be applied to improve the design of online assessments and optimize their impact for meaningful distance learning. Concrete examples from the presenter’s own classes will be shown and discussed as case studies of online approaches to deep assessment.

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Presenter:
Fred Lokken
Member, Forward50 (representing online education) & Board Chair, ITC

Forward50 National Leadership was recruited by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NAFSAA). The session will provide a brief background about the National Leadership Forward50 effort to identify financial aid policy improvements. The session will review current draft recommendations for possible policy direction and solicit feedback from webinar participants.

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Presenters:
Jennifer Jones, M.A. Distance Learning Director, Alamance Community College
Glenne’ Whisenhunt, PhD, Director of Center for Learning and Teaching, Oklahoma City Community College
 
The thought of digital accessibility of systems and resources seems impossible at first glance.  Join this interactive scenario-driven webinar to discuss the steps to beginning an implementation plan, developing a plan for an inaccessible course resources, and how to examine possible purchases in advance to prevent the scramble for accessibility on demand.

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Presenter: William Knapp

Numerous studies have shown a strong relationship between student achievement and self-regulated learning skills (self-efficacy, organizational skills, time-management, metacognition, motivation). The self-regulated learner is more likely to successfully complete the online course than students who lack these skills. This session will offer practical ideas/suggestions on how to embed learning activities into the course design that can promote self-regulated learning and offer support to the at-risk online learner.

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Presenter:
LaBaron Woodyard
Chancellor's Office, California Community Colleges

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Presenters:
Stephanie Shipley, MS
Instructional Design Specialist
Roane State Community College, Harriman, TN
Lori Wendt
Learning Management System Specialist
Parkland College, Champaign, IL 

Have you ever known about an upcoming trip but procrastinated preparing for it, only to realize your departure date is nearing and you aren't prepared? Many institutions are finding themselves in that boat (pun intended) with regard to accessibility compliance. They know they need to be compliant, but are unsure of the direction or path to take. In this webinar, you'll hear testimonies from two institutions who have embarked on this very same journey but have been met with many detours along the way. Join them as they share their travel itinerary and how they overcame the roadblocks to accessibility.

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Presenters: 
Derk Riechers is the Director of the South Carolina Virtual College of FDTC (SCVC). He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Economics from Francis Marion University and a Master’s degree in Management and Leadership & Human Resources Development from Webster University. In addition, he holds a Master of Business Administration and a Post-Master’s Teaching Certificate from Capella University. Furthermore, Mr. Riechers has conducted a myriad of conference presentations on a variety of topics within the distance education field. A fun fact about Mr. Riechers is he loves to cook and always enjoys trying new recipes!

Lamar Younginer has over 25 years of experience in higher education. He has worked in both the 2 year and 4 year college systems. He currently works with the Online College at FDTC. He also works with faculty training and instructional design. Previously he has worked in the IT department as a Help Desk coordinator, in the Student Services area as a Career Counselor and as an Admissions Counselor and in Human Resources as an Assistant Benefits Coordinator. In addition he teaches as an adjunct instructor for the Business Department where he implements the best practices discussed in this presentation.
This presentation will explore with the audience on how to create a complete and unique brand for
your Online College. We will share our ups and down of this interesting journey (and what a wild ride it
was) that transpired during one academic year. Topics will include how to create an original branding
from scratch, website and logo philosophies, marketing deployment, and both faculty and student
adoption of a new online college identity. Furthermore, we will explain how to use pop-culture and
other social media elements within the redesign process to increase student enrollment and success.

In addition, to sharing our experiences will we also be providing the audience with some key
takeaways to apply to their own respective institution.

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The session utilizes relevant data as well as 40 years of DE experience to prognosticate on the future significant trends and challenges to come.  Are you aware?  Are you ready?  Join us for a provocative conversation!

-Identify major trends in DE - identify 10 major predictions addressing where online learning is going 
-Identify how attendees can prepare and educate their campus community for the changes to come
-Incorporate major trends and findings into  their campus-based strategic planning 
-Encourage an informed discussion with their faculty, staff, and leadership 
-Engage in dialog with the audience to encourage a broad understanding of the trends and challenges

Presenters: 
Fred Lokken is currently chair-elect of the Instructional Council and a member of the ITC Board of Directors. Fred also has authored the ITC Annual National Distance Education Survey for the past fourteen years. Fred is also a Professor of Political Science and chair of the Department of Business, History, Political Science & Culinary Arts at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada. He also served as TMCC's eLearning administrator for eighteen years and most recently served as dean of WebCollege.

Dr. Terry Norris serves as director of eLearning at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada.  He has served in this role for the past ten years.  Terry also serves as chair of the eLearning administrators for the Nevada System of Higher Education and has served as a member of the WOW review committee for WCET for the past several years.  He manages an online program with more than 20,000 student enrollments at CSN.

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Presenter:Beth Ritter-Guth

Escape rooms are traditionally physical locations, but tools exist to help even the most average
computer user build a virtual escape room to use in online settings. In this workshop participants will
explore the use of gaming, specifically escape rooms, in academics; will understand how escape rooms
work by solving one together as a team; and will begin building their own escape rooms using free
online materials.

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The NJ Center for Student Success works collaboratively with all 19 community colleges in New Jersey to increase successful experiences and outcomes for community college students.  In May of 2017, the Center offered a highly interactive asynchronous two-week online professional development opportunity that examined online learning as a distinct pedagogy with an emphasis on course design that harnesses cognitive stimulation and student engagement. Throughout the course, participants from many community colleges around the State collaborated and discussed online pedagogy.  Participants had an opportunity to design a discipline-specific learning module using theories such as Community of Inquiry, as well as other current research-based practices.

Presenters: Dr. Christine Harrington, Executive Director of the Center for Student Success, will discuss this experience from her unique viewpoint of coordinating the statewide event.  Dr. Theresa Capra, Faculty and Coordinator, Education Department at Mercer County Community College, will discuss this experience from her unique viewpoint as the professional development course instructor. 

Dr. Martin Hoffman, Dean of Learning Resources for Rowan College at Burlington County and the ITC Northeast Regional Representative was a participant and will share his experience and takeaways from the course.

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The session addresses TMCC’s retention efforts and current success rates.  TMCC focuses on strategies that have been implemented that have made the biggest impact on reducing attrition.  Strategies discussed include level of intervention, tools used, and retention specialist’s approach to developing positive relationships with online learners.  With the appropriate tools, any institutions can apply these strategies to its distance learning program. 

Presenter:
Tamara Anderson
Retention Specialist
Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, NV 

Tamara Anderson is the retention specialist at TMCC in Reno, Nevada. She is responsible for ensuring the first-time online students have a successful start. She provides as much support as possible in a variety of areas, including technical, personal, study skills, and just plain encouragement. She is a graduate of the University of Nevada Reno with a masters degree in Human Development and Family Studies. She has also been a part-time faculty for 12 years.

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Students today are using technology in nearly every facet of life. Constant exposure to technology in the
areas of social media and entertainment has helped students develop an uncanny aptitude to employ
apps and hardware almost effortlessly. On the other hand, there is a growing need for students and
workers who can think critically and creatively with the plethora of available electronic tools. The
challenge today is to help students refine the technology skills they have developed and augment them
with higher order thinking skills. Educators can help this process by deliberately designing assignments
and projects that take advantage of their students’ existing technology skills.

This presentation will examine several strategies an instructor can use to stimulate critical thinking in an
online environment. Participants will explore how the curriculum can be enhanced by analyzing learning
tasks and combining them with computer functions that deliberately promote critical thinking and
develop higher order thinking skills.

Melvin Cobb has been a full-time faculty member at Long Beach City College since 2004. He teaches in
the Computer and Office Studies department and oversees the Computer Proficiencies for Academic
Success curriculum. In addition, he currently coordinates the online education and OER programs. Prior
to teaching, Melvin served as Director of Online Education at Rio Hondo Community College where he
coordinated Region II of the California Virtual Campus, a grant project commissioned to assist California
community colleges to develop online programs. Melvin is the recipient of the LBCC 2017 Distinguished
Online Educator Award.

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Presenter: Eugene Jars

This webinar will focus on what is Learning Experience Design (LxD). In this session, we’ll cover the
differences between instructional design and learning experience design and why you should consider
the learner experience when designing your online classes. We’ll cover how creating a good learning
experience requires different skills than the traditional instructional design skills used when creating a
course.

You'll walk away from this webinar with an understanding of how LxD focuses on the learning
experience, a few tools you can use and why designing for the student learning experience is just as
important as designing for the content and course objectives.

Eugene Jars is currently an Instructional Designer for Pima Community College. He has been working
with online education since the late 1990s, designing learning experiences for the military, corporate
and academic worlds. He's a graduate of Boise State with a master's degree in Human Performance
Technology.