General Conference FAQ  |  First Time Attendee FAQ  |  Virtual Conference FAQ  |  Presenter FAQ

General Conference Questions

For detailed information about the conference, please visit the 2019 schedule page. The pages under the Program tab will be updated regularly as more information becomes available.

If you have any questions that are not addressed on the Web site, please send an e-mail to conference@onlinelearning-c.org or call (781) 583-7552.

Once logged into your OLC user account, you will see the member discount codes in a box on the right hand side of the conference specific registration page. The code will need to be entered on the payment page during the registration process. More details on how to locate your member discount code

Once logged in, you will see the member discount codes in a box on the right hand side of the conference specific registration page. The code will need to be entered on the payment page during the registration process. More details on how to find your member discount code

The registration fee does not include accommodations. All conference sessions will be held at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. Rooms can be reserved from the Innovate Travel page.

Rooms will be available at the Gaylord Opryland Resort for a special OLC conference rate. Attendees of the conference must book their hotel room through the conference website no later than Monday, March 11, 2019 in order to receive discounted rates starting at $229.00 per night plus taxes and fees.  The special conference rate also applies for three days prior to and three days after the conclusion of the conference. 

Space is available for exhibitors; a sponsor and exhibitor prospectus will be available. Questions on exhibit and sponsorship opportunities may be addressed to Brenda Weiss-Pesta at brenda.pesta@onlinelearning-c.org.

In an effort to be as “green” as possible, we do not hand out participant packages. Registered participants will receive a printed Schedule-at-a-Glance upon check-in. We also strongly encourage presenters to post presentation and any support materials to the conference proceedings repository.

OLC will provide a printed Schedule-at-a-Glance with basic program information upon check-in at the registration desk on-site. Full program information will be available on the website (see the Program pages) beginning late November, so you can start to plan which sessions you’d like to attend beginning in December.

There will not be a downloadable PDF of a program,  but we do have a Conference Mobile App that will have all the up to date conference program information available. There will be wireless access in the conference area with strategically located computer kiosks with access to the program on the OLC website.

We do not provide “Letters of Invitation” for international attendees to attend our events. Conference participants from other countries must obtain a tourist or student visa on their own merit and not be dependent upon Letters of Invitation from OLC to acknowledge or sponsor their attendance. It is up to the applicant, and the applicant alone, to demonstrate his or her desire and compelling plans to return to their home country after a brief visit in order to qualify for a visa.

Press Passes are available for a very limited number of press by invitation only. For more information or questions contact us at marketing@onlinelearning-c.org.

With your registration confirmation number and email address, log back into the registration system and select “Modify”. Click “Next” until you arrive at the item you want to add to your registration. Update to reflect your additional purchase and complete your purchase by entering payment information.  If you need to pay with a different credit card than your original registration, enter that card information and updated billing information. Select “Finish” to complete the modification to your existing registration. Detailed directions can be found on our Register page. 

Please review the First Time Attendee FAQ document for additional details that may be helpful to first time conference attendees.

The Effective Practice Awards webpage will be updated to reflect the current selection round. EP recipients will be asked to present their award-winning session during OLC Innovate.  Follow the above link or Submit Here.

Virtual Conference FAQ

General Virtual Attendance/Streaming Questions

Access live stream sessions starting Wednesday, April 3, beginning with the Community College Summit (beginning at 8:00am MT) and HBCU Summit (beginning at 8:30am MT). Regular live-streamed programming begins with Concurrent Session 1 at 1:00pm MT. All recordings may be accessed for 1 year post-conference. Session Access will be available to you at the start of OLC Innovate 2019 on April 3, 2019 Denver local time (MOUNTAIN TIME ZONE) and may be accessed for 1 year post-conference.

Prior to April 3, 2019:

Most importantly, you need to test your system prior to the start of the conference so that you don’t miss the first session due to access issues! It is important that you test the setup of any and all computers you will use to access the virtual conference BEFORE the conference sessions begin. Don’t assume that your computer will work or that if one computer works, a different computer on a different network will work as well.

Need to Know:

  • You need to be logged into OnlineLearningConsortium.org using your free user account that was required when you registered for this virtual conference.
  • Test Sonic Foundry’s Mediasite before the event. Don’t wait until the last minute. 
    • If you are using IE or Mozilla/Firefox as your browser, you will need to download Silverlight for free at microsoft.com/getsilverlight
    • We recommend that you use Chrome as your browser (no Silverlight required as Chrome uses Flash for the video playback)
  • Plan Ahead: Know which sessions you want to attend and when they are happening. Enter the session chat room early so that you don’t miss anything. You will get the most out of your conference experience if you actively participate! Introduce yourself when you enter a session so that the on-site session chair knows you’re there.
  • Day of the conference – live streaming sessions begin with the Community College Summit (beginning at 8:00am MT) and HBCU Summit (beginning at 8:30am MT). Regular live-streamed programming begins with Concurrent Session 1 at 1:00pm MT. Session Players will not be visible until the start of the session.

On (or after) April 3, 2019 – sessions begin at 8:00am Mountain Time Zone

From the Streamed Sessions listing, select the session you wish to view. 

You can also search the list of sessions by presenter name, using your browser’s find feature (usually control+F on a PC, command+F on a Mac) to search for a word in the session’s title or use our advanced search filters. 

Please note: Only those sessions that are indicated in the Streamed Sessions listing will be available as part of the OLC Innovate virtual conference program. All sessions that are part of the streaming program will be listed under “Streamed Sessions” and will be represented by the streamed_257x257 icon.   The “My Schedule” feature of the website and mobile app does not distinguish between streamed and non-streamed sessions. If you are using “My Schedule” be sure you only add sessions that are part of the streamed program.  

There are two ways to access the Streamed Sessions listing. You can select “Streamed Sessions” from the Program/Sessions drop down menu or you can select the “Streamed Sessions” tab from the all sessions listing page. 

AC16_streamedsessions_2ways

To select a session to view, click on the title of the session from the Streamed Sessions list. From the session page, you will see an orange “Watch this Session button in the upper right of the session page. You need to click on this tab to open up a pop-up window that will contain the video player as well as a chat room that you can connect to and ask questions of the presenter, chat with other attendees, etc.  Make sure you are not blocking pop-ups in your internet browser.

AC16_watchthissession

If you do not see the “Watch This Session” button, make sure that 1) you are looking at a streamed session and that 2) you are logged in to the site using your OLC User Account (the same account that was used to purchase the virtual conference registration).

The “Watch This Session” button is the same for viewing a session that has been recorded. Session recordings will be posted within 24 hours of the session finishing. Registered onsite and virtual attendees have access to all session recordings for one year.

If you have additional questions, please view the rest of our Virtual Conference FAQs or email conference@onlinelearning-c.org.
We hope you enjoy this virtual event! 

Streamed sessions don’t begin streaming until the time the session begins – not before the start time. Stay logged in; it will begin streaming on schedule. Remember – the Sessions are listed in the conference time zone – MOUNTAIN TIME ZONE.

When a virtual attendee registration is complete (paid for) you will receive an email with access instructions. You can view the status of your order through your OLC Website User Account Dashboard – Orders. Please be sure to test your system prior to the start of the conference.
Please check to be sure you are logged in using your OLC user account.

You need to be logged into OnlineLearningConsortium.org using your free user account (this was required when you registered as a virtual attendee for this conference). Step 2: We use Sonic Foundry’s MediaSite player.

  • If you are using IE or Mozilla/Firefox as your browser, you will need to download Silverlight for free at microsoft.com/getsilverlight
  • We recommend that you use Chrome as your browser (no Silverlight required as Chrome uses Flash for the video playback)

Test MediaSite Now. Test this before the event. Don’t wait until the last minute! 

We recommend you use Chrome as your browser to optimize your virtual conference experience. 

From the conference website, select the tab “PROGRAM”, then select “Streamed Sessions”. Plan ahead – know which sessions you want to attend and when they are happening. Enter the session room early so that you don’t miss anything. OLC Innovate 2019 is in the Mountain time zone – all times listed in the program are Mountain – adjust your calendar/schedule accordingly.

From the Streamed Session listing, you simply click on the title of the session you’d like to attend to go to that session’s page. From the session page, you will see an orange button to the right of the session title that reads “Watch this Session”. You need to click on this button to open up a pop-up window that will contain the video player as well as a chat room that you can connect to and ask questions of the presenter, chat with other attendees, etc.
If you do not see the “Watch this Session” button, make sure that you are looking at a streamed session and that you are logged in to the site. If you are logged in and still do not see this link on a streamed session’s page your account may still have an open balance. Only paid registrations will have access. To check your account, please enter your My Account dashboard and check your ORDERS. View your Order History. If you believe there is a discrepancy, please email conference@onlinelearning-c.org. Don’t wait until the last minute!

Streamed sessions don’t begin streaming until the time the session begins – not before the start time. Stay logged in; it will begin streaming on schedule. Remember – the Sessions are listed in the conference time zone – MOUNTAIN TIME ZONE.

If something we are experiencing technical difficulty with the stream, please know that it is still being recorded. If the stream isn’t back after a couple minutes, we recommend switching to watch a different session and watching the recording of the interrupted session at another time. Recordings will be available within 24 hours of sessions ending and you will have access to them for one year.

OLC Innovate 2019 is in Denver – the sessions streamed live will follow the Mountain Time Zone.

Yes, all of the recorded sessions will be available for viewing 24 hours after the live, streamed presentation. They will be available for up to one year post-conference.

Please contact support@onlinelearning-c.org for technical help. First be sure that you are logged in to the OLC conference website with your free user account. You will see in the upper right hand corner of your screen “You are logged in as username”. Next, if you are using IE or Mozilla/Firefox as your browser, be sure you have Microsoft Silverlight installed on your system. Be sure that you have tested Sonic Foundry’s Mediasite Player. Please be sure that your internet connection is working. We recommend you use Chrome as your browser to optimize your virtual conference experience. Chrome does not require Silverlight (it uses Flash as the video player instead).  

If you still need technical assistance, please email us as stated above.

Each streamed session will have a dedicated on-site session chair who will relay your content related questions and comments to the presenter(s) and the on-site audience. The session chair will introduce herself/himself to the virtual audience at the beginning of the session using the chat feature on the streaming site. If you have a question or comment, write it in the chat window. Your session chair will relay it to the presenter and the on-site audience using a microphone, either at the end during the Q&A portion, or when/if the presenter pauses to take questions. If you need further clarification, let your session chair know, and s/he will be happy to help.

Member Discount Questions

Virtual Conference Registrants who are OLC members will receive the OLC member discount automatically when checking out. If you are an Institutional member, you must be linked to your institution in your OLC user account. When you are logged in to the OLC website as a member, the Discount Codes that are available to you will appear in the right-hand column of the Registration page for this conference. Only conference onsite attendees need to be sure to copy that code down so that you can insert the discount code at checkout. You have to apply this code at checkout to receive the discount.

Please be sure that you are correctly affiliated with your institution in your OLC user account profile. Please contact conference@onlinelearning-c.org for assistance.

Please visit the OLC website, JOIN, and check to be sure your Institution is a Member by selecting: “INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP”. Next, select: Check to see if my institution is already a member.
Once that is verified, please be sure you are affiliated with your institution. In order to become affiliated with the institutional membership your college purchased, you must first create a community account on our website, if you do not currently have an account with us. The community account is free. When you complete the form, please be sure to enter the name of your college where indicated on the form. Our database will automatically affiliate your account with the membership.
If you currently have an OLC account, please update your profile to include the name of your college. Again, once that has been done, our database will automatically affiliate your account with the membership.

Group Virtual Package Questions

With a Virtual Group Package you may choose the package that best suits your group’s needs. There are options for 3 individuals (buy 2 get 1 free); 6 individuals (buy 4 get 2 free); 8 individuals (buy 6 get 3 free); or an Unlimited Group Package.
The Group Manager will register for the appropriate Group Package level. Upon completion of the order (completion means payment by credit card, a check is received, or an institution’s Purchase Order is received) the group manager will receive the allotted number of package participant Coupon Codes to assign and distribute to each participant in their group. Each participant will then register themselves as an “Individual” Virtual Attendee and enter their group-specific package participant coupon code. The group manager must also register as an individual using one of the allotted codes if the group manager intends to participate as a virtual attendee.
For example, your institution purchased an Unlimited Group Package. The Group Manager will receive a Coupon Code that can be used. This code should only be distributed to faculty and staff in your institution.
You can see more details on our website under the Register tab.

From the Register page on our website, click on “Register – Virtual”.
Your Group Manager should register for the Group Virtual Package. When this order has been completed (paid by credit card or after a check or official purchase order has been received) then the coupon code (to be used the number of times indicated by your package) will be sent to the Group Manager. The Group Manager will send the coupon code out to each of the individual participants from your institution. Each individual (including the group manager if they intend to participate) should register as an individual virtual attendee and enter your group coupon code in the box during registration.

Please remember – only the group manager will register and pay for the Group Package. Each individual participant must register as an individual virtual attendee using the coupon code for your group (this will be distributed to your group by your group manager). Individual access instructions are sent to the group participants upon completion of their individual registrations. Please be sure your group account is Paid in Full. Access will only be granted when payment is received. To check your account, please log in to the OLC website and check your account by clicking on your username in the upper right-hand corner. On the Dashboard page, select ORDERS (box on right of screen) to verify that your order is complete. You will have access when the conference starts. If you have questions or concerns, please email conference@onlinelearning-c.org.

Please refer to this copy of the group member registration instructions you received after you registered your group.
Each participant for the virtual sessions needs to log in through their own user account. The access permission (or user role) is granted through your unique user account. Your virtual registration needs to be purchased through your own user account with the group package coupon code. If someone has registered on your behalf through their own user account, you will need to log in with the user account that made the purchase.

Your group manager has received a coupon code for your group. Please contact them to obtain this coupon code which you will enter on the checkout page during your individual virtual attendee registration (the coupon code will zero out the balance due). Once you have received your group’s coupon code – register by following these steps:
Please check to be sure you are logged in using your OLC user account. If you don’t have one, please sign up for one now. A community membership is free! If you are a member of an OLC member institution, please be sure to affiliate with that school.
**Note – user access to the sessions is granted only to the owner of the OLC account where the registration was purchased. Please do not purchase a virtual registration in your own cart if this is for someone else to access – it must be purchased in the participant’s user account!
Once you are logged in and on the Register page, follow these prompts:
REGISTER – Virtual
PURCHASE
Select the Virtual Option (example – Individual)
ADD TO CART
Checkout
Enter your Discount code in the box provided(if registering as part of a pre-paid group)
Apply to Order
Indicate Payment Method (*Note – you will not be granted access to the streamed sessions until payment is received. If you are using a coupon, your payment method should automatically update to reflect coupon usage.)
Complete required fields
REVIEW ORDER
SUBMIT ORDER