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Spend the day with us in Chicago

November 19, 2015 at RUSH University Medical Center

OLC went to Chicago to meet with online learning professionals, educators and administrators to address the opportunities and challenges we all face in online higher education today. 

Spend the day with us in Kansas City.

Join us to discuss emerging trends and challenges in online learning.

Join your fellow online learning professionals, educators and administrators to hear from the experts and collaborate on solving the challenges we all face in online higher education today. You’ll get the chance to hear from regional experts regarding current and emerging trends in online learning, collaborate and network with your regional peers during group discussions on top-of-mind challenges that may impact the future of online learning – and your career.  

Chicago

Member Pricing
Our one day event is only $115* for OLC members. Membership discount applied upon registration. Lunch is included in registration fee. 

*A $25 fee will be charged for all cancelled registrations. There will be no refunds within 1 week of event date. If you are not able to attend, a substitute may attend in your place. The name of the substitute must be emailed to the conference@onlinelearning-c.org.

Not yet a member?
Non-member fee is $175*. You will also receive a free, six-month OLC professional membership as a part of your registration so you can get to know OLC and our community better! Lunch is included in registration fee.

Engaging speakers, relevant topics, and dynamic discussions

We will take a deep look at the challenges and impact of online learning in higher education today and work together to collaborate, define and help shape the changing university.

Presentations will be followed by facilitator-led discussions that will allow participants to delve into each topic in greater detail.

Breakout Topics:
  • Can and should regulations drive innovative change in higher education?
  • Intent versus neglect: Are good faith efforts enough for authorization and compliance?
  • Getting the word out: Tackling compliance as a way to catalyze institutional change
  • What are the implications of using innovative technologies for enhanced learner engagement vis-à-vis “seat-time” requirements?
Marshall Hill

How New Technological-driven Models of Education and Evolving State and Federal Regulations Coexist

Marshall Hill

Executive Director
National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements
NC-SARA

Higher Education needs a new way for states in the U.S. to oversee the delivery of postsecondary distance education. The current process is too varied among the states to support quality assurance and assure consistent consumer protection and too cumbersome and expensive for institutions that seek to provide education across state borders. The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement is a voluntary agreement among member states, districts and territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education courses and programs, improves efficiency, and lowers institutional costs. This presentation will provide an overview and progress report on the SARA initiative. As of early November 2015, 36 states have joined.

Breakout Topics:
  • How can we use behavioral data from academic technologies and other conventional data sources to improve student achievement?
  • How can Learning Analytics be used to assess innovations in instructional design?
  • What are the policy, ethical and /or data privacy considerations that can enable or frustrate efforts at Learning Analytics?
  • What is the role of analytics in supporting/informing broader strategic efforts at your institution (e.g. competency-based education, completion agenda)?
John Whitmer

The Virtuous Loop of Learning Analytics & Academic Technology Innovation

John Whitmer

Director of Platform Analytics and Educational Research
Blackboard

Faculty and academic departments creating innovative educational practices are often starved for useful data and analysis to determine whether their innovations made a difference. Assessment efforts are often slow, costly, and limited to large-scale comparisons of outcomes. The adoption of academic technologies creates a rich data source that provides insights not previously possible in terms of the level of detail provided, the speed at which it can be accessed, and the potential scalability of analysis. Research has found that this data is a systematically significant predictor of success much more powerful than traditional demographic or academic preparedness variables. This leads to a “virtuous loop” in which digital technology adoption enables assessment which then improves educational practices using those technologies.
In this presentation, we’ll discuss the state of research in Learning Analytics and recent findings. We’ll also look at developments in technology solutions to make these insights increasingly available and broad-based.

Breakout Topics:
  • Is competency-based education right for your students, department, or institution?
  • What are the ways that shifts in regulatory requirements support the growth of CBE?
  • How can we prepare faculty and administrators for CBE?
  • How can technology support the change to CBE?
Kim Pearce

Competency Based Education: The Promise and Realities

Kim Pearce

Associate Vice President of Academic Quality Analytics
and Accreditation
Capella University

Competency based education (CBE) is a frequent topic in national higher education conversations, and increasing numbers of institutions say that they are interested in developing CBE programs.  There are many variations in CBE offerings; however, emerging themes regarding quality and scalability can be identified. Thinking about CBE from multiple perspectives showcases the promise and realities.

 

Frank Tomsic
Karen Pedersen

A Regional Response:  Culmination of the Day’s Thinking and Invitation to Continue the Collaboration

Frank Tomsic

Director of the McCormick Educational Technology Center
Rush University

Karen Pedersen, Ph.D.

Chief Knowledge Officer
OLC

Significant changes are coming to higher education. From balancing the need for educational innovation against regulatory realities, to using data driven approaches to better understand and manage change, to a new model of the university built around competency-based assessments, these are just a few of the factors driving change.  The day’s final session brings together the thoughts and conclusions generated from the OLC Collaborate – Chicago discussions to formulate a regional response to the changing educational environment.  Topics gathered by OLC facilitators and scribes during breakout sessions along with those posted online by participants during the day will be used to guide this interactive final session.  Led by Frank Tomsic of Rush University and Karen Pedersen from the OLC, each of the day’s keynote speakers will have the opportunity to address the collectively generated questions and topics and place them in the context of the broader changes occurring in higher education.  The OLC Collaborate – Chicago response will become the second contribution to a national discussion as the OLC Collaborate sessions continue across the country. 

 

The Changing University: A Regional Discussion Extraordinary Change Is Coming

What will teaching, learning, and working in the Digital Age of Higher Education actually be like in 2025?  How much should today’s faculty and administrators do to prepare for this future? There is no question that extraordinary change is coming.  The question is, how much of that change is within our powers of prediction, and how should we proactively prepare for the future?

Participate in the regional OLC Collaborate discussion on the “Changing University” and share in an open dialogue with other colleagues from around the region.

Keynote speakers will offer insightful views of the changing university through short, focused presentations. This will bring together how the use of technologies, the dictate of economic realities, increasing regulatory oversight, the need for constant innovation, and new societal expectations of what colleges can and should be are bringing change to higher education.

Presentations will be followed by facilitator-led discussions to allow participants to delve into each topic in greater detail.  OLC Collaborate scribes will document the discussions throughout the day, culminating in a collaborate regional response to the changing university . 

What will teaching, learning, and working in the Digital Age of Higher Education actually be like in 2025?

What will teaching, learning, and working in the Digital Age of Higher Education actually be like in 2025?

What will teaching, learning, and working in the Digital Age of Higher Education actually be like in 2025?

WHEN 

WHAT

WHERE

7:45am-8:30am
REGISTRATION AND CHECK-IN, Rush University, Armour Academic Center
9th Floor Elevator Foyer
8:30am-8:45am
WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS
Room 976
8:45am-9:15am
GENERAL SESSION:  Innovation and Regulation
How new technological-driven models of education and evolving state and federal regulations coexist 
Marshall Hill, Executive Director, NC-SARA
Room 976
9:30am-10:15am

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

  • Can and should regulations drive innovative change in higher education?
  • Intent versus neglect: Are good faith efforts enough for authorization and compliance?
  • Getting the word out: Tackling compliance as a way to catalyze institutional change.
  • What are the implications of using innovative technologies for enhanced learner engagement vis-à-vis “seat-time” requirements?
Rooms 994A, 960, 975, 713
10:30am-11:00am
GENERAL SESSION:  Learning Analytics
Using learning analytics to create our ‘preferred future’: Vision, proof points & trends
John Whitmer, Director of Platform Analytics and Educational Research, Blackboard
Room 976
11:15am-12:00pm

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

  • How can we use behavioral data from academic technologies and other conventional data sources to improve student achievement?
  • How can Learning Analytics be used to assess innovations in instructional design?
  • What are the policy, ethical and /or data privacy considerations that can enable or frustrate efforts at Learning Analytics?
  • What is the role of analytics in supporting/informing broader strategic efforts at your institution (e.g. competency-based education, completion agenda)?
Rooms 994A, 960, 975, 713
12:00pm-12:45pm
LUNCH AND TOPIC SUGGESTION: Everyone provide suggested topics for final panel
Room 994A/B
12:45pm-1:30pm
TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE
Room 994A/B
1:30pm-2:00pm
GENERAL SESSION:
Competency Based Education:  The Promise and Realities
Kim Pearce, Associate Vice President of Academic Quality Analytics and Accreditation
Capella University
Room 976
2:15pm-3:00pm

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

  • Is competency-based education right for your students, department, or institution?
  • What are the ways that shifts in regulatory requirements support the growth of CBE?
  • How can we prepare faculty and administrators for CBE?
  • How can technology support the change to CBE?
Rooms 994A, 960, 975, 713
3:15pm-4:15pm
OLC COLLABORATE PANEL: Education in 2025
A regional response: Culmination of the day’s thinking and invitation to continue the collaboration – An open forum on topics predetermined by attendees during lunch
Facilitators:

Frank Tomsic, Director of the McCormick Educational Technology Center at Rush University
Karen Pedersen, Chief Knowledge Officer, Online Learning Consortium
Panelists:
Marshall Hill, John Whitmer, Kim Pearce
Room 976
4:15pm-4:30pm
PROGRAM WRAP UP
OLC and Rush University
Room 976

General Sessions are 30 minutes long, followed by a 45 minute Breakout Session.  

Attendees will select one of four Breakout Sessions to attend following each general session.

All sessions are considered BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). There are 15 minute breaks between concurrent sessions.

All sessions are in the Rush University Armour Academic Center. All Sessions are in Central Time (CT).

Joining us for the day?  Come directly to Rush University

Rush University, Armour Academic Center, 600 S. Paulina Street, Chicago IL 60612  

Staying the night or making a weekend of it?

Chicago Marriott at Medical District/UIC

Rooms for OLC Collaborate at the prevailing hotel rate.

Book your room 

Interested in future regional event announcements?

Spend The Day With Us in Chicago

Rush University

Techsmith

Pearson

If you are an education technology or distance learning company, this intimate one-day session will give you the chance to collaborate with educators, administrators, and online learning professionals – your potential clients in discussion forums, at lunch and in our small exhibitor showcase. 

To learn more, contact our Manager, Sponsorship Sales, Brenda Weiss-Pesta by email, brenda.pesta@onlinelearning-c.org or by phone, 617.716.1417. Or simply download our prospectus below.

BECOME A SPONSOR

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