Field Guide Program

The OLC Field Guide program is designed to enhance the conference experience for first-time conference attendees and anyone looking for additional networking opportunities at OLC conferences.

OLC Accelerate Technology Test Kitchen Chefs

Technology Test Kitchen

The heartbeat of exploration and conversations at OLC Accelerate.

OLC Live

A catered virtual lounge and conversation space where participants can engage directly with keynote speakers, select presenters, and other attendees. Join our OLC Live guest hosts for your chance to connect virtually with a variety of personalities from the OLC community. 

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Equity & Inclusion

Many of us in education are engaged in work that seeks to create and promote diverse and inclusive learning environments. The E&I Committee aims to leverage that knowledge and passion to elevate the OLC Innovate conference experience.

Serenity Tranquility Lodge Room

The Sanctuary

Everyone needs a break and time to decompress when at a large conference… even when it is virtual. Take advantage of opportunities to unplug and refocus.

OLC Presenter Services

OLC Presenter Services is dedicated to enhancing the conference experience for all attendees by offering specialized coaching to presenters. Our goal is to offer guidance on best practices in audience engagement strategies, slide design, and delivery skills necessary to ensure a successful conference session.

Speed Networking Lounge

The Speed Networking Lounge is an informal conversation space that allows participants to connect with fellow attendees and collaboratively explore emerging digital pedagogy.

Virtual Experience

The best part of any conference are the informal conversations that occur in the hallways after an interesting session and at the end of the day. To close the gap between virtual participants in distributed environments, we are creating a virtual lounge where participants can ask follow up questions of presenters, talk to the Keynote speakers, and have conversations with other virtual attendees.

 

Schedule

All times are listed in US EST. 

8:00am - 9:00am

Field Guide Power Hour

Hosts: Dorothy Loftin & Romana Hughes

Come join other conference attendees and create an OLC Accelerate game plan. During this power hour, you’ll have the chance to organize your conference schedule and select presentations and activities you want to attend. The OLC Field Guides will be there to suggest interesting presentations and activities, train you on the use of the OLC site/mobile app, and pass out Engagement Maps. We’ll also discuss ways to participate virtually–including Slack and Twitter! Meet up with old friends, make new acquaintances, plan your schedule. We can’t wait to see you there!
9:45am - 10:15am Virtual Speed Networking Lounge - Equity & Inclusion Welcome Grab your coffee and join us for a special welcome from our Equity & Inclusion (E & I) committee. In this informal meet-up, members of the OLC Community will share some exciting updates on new initiatives around equity and inclusion in our field.

https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/attend-2020/accelerate/equity-inclusion/
2:45pm - 3:13pm

OLC Live Conference Preview

Note: This presentation is open to the public

Watch the Recording

Hosts: Nate & Jenae

Interviewees:

  • Doug Geier & Megan Kohler (Conference chairs)
  • Tina Rettler-Pagel and Janet Smith (Program chairs)
  • Maddie Shellgren and Torie Wynn (Engagement Chairs)>/li>

Make the most out of your Accelerate experience by joining OLC Live! hosts Jenae Cohn and Nate Angell in a kickoff discussion with conference, program and engagement chairs about how they developed this year's rich mixture of online and face-to-face activities.
6:45pm - 8:00pm

2020 OLC Awards Gala

Note: This presentation is open to the public

A virtual gala celebrating the 2020 OLC Fellows and the winners of the 2020 OLC Awards, focusing on the impactful and innovative work occurring across the field of online, blended and digital learning.
11:15am - 11:45am

Virtual Speed Networking Lounge: Mad Lib Bios

Host: Cheryl Fulghum

Mad Libs are fill in the blank stories. Participants will choose words, parts of speech, as directed, to fill in the blanks in a create-an-interesting-bio exercise. The result is a creative and fun take on the professional bio that is sure to help you stand out at your next professional event. First rule about Mad Libs Bios: Don’t look ahead! It spoils the fun.
3:00pm - 3:30pm

OLC Live: The Accelerate Experience

Note: This presentation is open to the public

Watch the Recording

Hosts: Nate & Jenae

Interviewees: Today's focus will be on humanizing and practicing empathy in online teaching and learning. We welcome the following guests:

  • Karen Costa, Faculty Development Facilitator, 100 Faculty
  • Patrick Dempsey, Director, Office of Digital Teaching and Learning, Loyola University Maryland
Get a concentrated dose of Accelerate experience with OLC Live! hosts Jenae Cohn and Nate Angell as they lead a cross-cutting discussion with presenters and participants focused on this year's conference themes:

-Access, Equity, and Open Education
-Blended
-Engaged and Effective Teaching and Learning
-Instructional Design
-Leadership and Institutional Strategies
-Research, Evaluation, and Learning Analytics
-Technology and Future Trends

Excitingly, this year for OLC Live! we’re trying something new. Hosts Jenae and Nate are sourcing our guest interviewees right from the amazing group of presenters and audience members as a way to stay responsive to the discussions actually happening during the conference. You can help them identify engaging and provocative speakers by completing the OLC Live! nomination form: http://bit.ly/OLCLiveNomination .  

Join OLC Live! daily to hear from those presenters and audience members who have been identified as impactful during sessions for additional insights!
7:00pm - 7:45pm

A Very Happy Happy Hour: Zoom Basics with Presenter Services - The Zoom Where it Happens

Hosts: Tawnya Means & Sherri Restauri

Join the Presenter Services Co-Chairs at A Very Happy Happy Hour! For this happy hour we ask those joining to spread happiness with some fun activities. Participants can share a visual image and story that makes you happy, share your happy place, or share a Zoom background that brings you happiness. Grab your favorite beverage and snacks and join us in spreading happiness and listening to live tunes. Along the way you will learn how to leverage some of the basic functionalities of Zoom for more effective online engagement (including how to change your name, how to change your virtual background, share content in the chat, turn cameras off and on, and how to change your profile photo).
1:45pm - 2:15pm

Virtual Speed Networking Lounge: Technology Test Kitchen Preview

Hosts: Dorothy Loftin & Romana Hughes

Interviewees: Adam Davi, Krys Ziska-Strange

Have you ever wondered what goes into creating the Test Test Kitchen? What kind of work fills the buckets of two nerds that enjoy breaking, poking, and using technology in learning? And what does a kitchen have to do with ANY of this? Join us for an insightful, we hope, look into the inner workings of the 2020 Accelerate Tech Test Kitchen and the chefs that create the delectable learning experiences in it!
3:00pm - 3:30pm

OLC Live: The Accelerate Experience

Note: This presentation is open to the public

Watch the Recording

Hosts: Nate & Jenae

Interviewees: Today's focus will be: With the dramatic effects the COVID-19 pandemic has already had on education, what are the longer-term effects on people, practices, and organizations focused on developing teaching and learning, like instructional designers, faculty developers, educational technologists, and centers for teaching and learning. What’s changed? What changes are going to persist? What will change moving forward?

  • Anthony Picciano, Professor PhD Program in Urban Education, CUNY Hunter College and Graduate Center
  • Sherri Braxton, Senior Director, Instructional Technology, University of Maryland-Baltimore County

Get a concentrated dose of Accelerate experience with OLC Live! hosts Jenae Cohn and Nate Angell as they lead a cross-cutting discussion with presenters and participants focused on this year's conference themes:

-Access, Equity, and Open Education
-Blended
-Engaged and Effective Teaching and Learning
-Instructional Design
-Leadership and Institutional Strategies
-Research, Evaluation, and Learning Analytics
-Technology and Future Trends

Excitingly, this year for OLC Live! we’re trying something new. Hosts Jenae and Nate are sourcing our guest interviewees right from the amazing group of presenters and audience members as a way to stay responsive to the discussions actually happening during the conference. You can help them identify engaging and provocative speakers by completing the OLC Live! nomination form: http://bit.ly/OLCLiveNomination .  

Join OLC Live! daily to hear from those presenters and audience members who have been identified as impactful during sessions for additional insights!
5:45pm - 6:30pm

Virtual Happy Hour: Chef-nanigans with the TTK: Games, Tech, and Laughs

Hosts: Adam Davi, Krys Ziska-Strange

Come join the TTK Chefs for an hour of games, technology, and chef-nanigans. Bring your liquid of choice and a whole lot of patience for things to go sideways. (Is my mic still on?) We’ll play a few games, chat about a few of our favorite technology “fantastic freebies” and have more laughs than should be allowed in any one Zoom call.
1:45pm - 2:15pm

Speed Networking Lounge: Family Feud

Host: Sherri Braxton

Here is your chance to participate in the online learning version of Family Feud! This game is modeled after the TV show and will give you a chance to introduce yourself and then play with your team. Watch connections grow as you work together as a team to get all of the answers for each category!
3:00pm - 3:30pm

OLC Live: Sponsor Chat with ProctorU

Note: This presentation is open to the public

Watch the Recording

Hosts: Nate & Jenae

Interviewees: Jarrod Morgan & Ashley Norris, ProctorU

Explore practices and technologies for online teaching and learning with OLC Live! hosts Jenae Cohn and Nate Angell as they go beyond the sales pitch with Jarrod Morgan, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer and Ashley Norris, Chief Compliance Officer, both of OLC Accelerate 2020 National Titanium sponsor ProctorU.
10:00am - 10:30am

Virtual Speed Networking Lounge: Looking to the Future - Breakout Collaboration

Hosts: Dorothy Loftin & Romana Hughes

While we don’t have a crystal ball, we can take what we’ve learned and experienced as we look towards the future. Let’s talk about it! Some questions we might address:
If you knew today that COVID-19 was coming, what would be your plan?
What will Fall 2022 education look like?
What was missing/what new technology is needed?
What new best practices have you implemented?
3:00pm - 3:30pm

OLC Live: Sponsor Chat with Examity

Note: This presentation is open to the public

Watch the Recording

Hosts: Nate & Jenae

Interviewee: Ryan Leer, Examity

Explore practices and technologies for online teaching and learning with OLC Live! hosts Jenae Cohn and Nate Angell as they go beyond the sales pitch with Ryan Leer, Vice President, Strategic Accounts of OLC Accelerate National Titanium Sponsor Examity.
3:45pm - 4:30pm OLC Accelerate Musical Bingo Want to connect with other conference attendees while playing games and winning prizes? Join us for this final Week 1 session, meet new people and play bingo!
1:00pm - 1:45pm

Field Guide Power Hour

Hosts: Dorothy Loftin & Romana Hughes

Come join other conference attendees and create an OLC Accelerate game plan. During this power hour, you’ll have the chance to organize your conference schedule and select presentations and activities you want to attend. The OLC Field Guides will be there to suggest interesting presentations and activities, train you on the use of the OLC site/mobile app, and pass out Engagement Maps. We’ll also discuss ways to participate virtually–including Slack and Twitter! Meet up with old friends, make new acquaintances, plan your schedule. We can’t wait to see you there!
3:00pm - 3:30pm

OLC Live: The Accelerate Experience

Note: This presentation is open to the public

Watch the Recording

Hosts: Nate & Jenae

Interviewees: We'll explore ways that online educators can incorporate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) philosophies into their online teaching. We'll consider strategies for encouraging accessible learning design and will discuss ways to push accessibility conversations forward in higher education. What opportunities exist when discussing UDL in online learning?

  • Suzanne Ehrlich, University of North Florida
  • Michelle Bartlett, North Carolina State University
  • Thomas J. Tobin, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Get a concentrated dose of Accelerate experience with OLC Live! hosts Jenae Cohn and Nate Angell as they lead a cross-cutting discussion with presenters and participants focused on this year's conference themes:

-Access, Equity, and Open Education
-Blended
-Engaged and Effective Teaching and Learning
-Instructional Design
-Leadership and Institutional Strategies
-Research, Evaluation, and Learning Analytics
-Technology and Future Trends

Excitingly, this year for OLC Live! we’re trying something new. Hosts Jenae and Nate are sourcing our guest interviewees right from the amazing group of presenters and audience members as a way to stay responsive to the discussions actually happening during the conference. You can help them identify engaging and provocative speakers by completing the OLC Live! nomination form: http://bit.ly/OLCLiveNomination .  

Join OLC Live! daily to hear from those presenters and audience members who have been identified as impactful during sessions for additional insights!
4:15pm - 4:45pm

Virtual Speed Networking Lounge: Virtual Scavenger Hunt

Hosts: Mary Beth Messner & TBA

Join a team and work together as you scramble to collect items for this virtual scavenger hunt! Race other attendees and see which team will complete their list first to win a prize! The hunt is on!
10:00am - 10:30am

Virtual Speed Networking Lounge: Once Upon a Story

Hosts: Maria Sanders & TBA

In this fun story building game, you will get to interact with other people and work on building a story together. How these stories end is up to your group!
3:00pm - 3:30pm

OLC Live: The Accelerate Experience

Note: This presentation is open to the public

Watch the Recording

Hosts: Nate & Jenae

Interviewees: What are we learning from our research and work in teaching and learning during the pandemic? What does the data and experience we have now suggest about the future?

  • Julie Neisler, Quantitative Researcher, Learning Sciences Research, Digital Promise
  • Nandini Srinivasan, Senior Associate, Tyton Partners
  • Newton Miller, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Ashford University
  • Nicole Lin, Associate, Tyton Partners

Get a concentrated dose of Accelerate experience with OLC Live! hosts Jenae Cohn and Nate Angell as they lead a cross-cutting discussion with presenters and participants focused on this year's conference themes:

-Access, Equity, and Open Education
-Blended
-Engaged and Effective Teaching and Learning
-Instructional Design
-Leadership and Institutional Strategies
-Research, Evaluation, and Learning Analytics
-Technology and Future Trends

Excitingly, this year for OLC Live! we’re trying something new. Hosts Jenae and Nate are sourcing our guest interviewees right from the amazing group of presenters and audience members as a way to stay responsive to the discussions actually happening during the conference. You can help them identify engaging and provocative speakers by completing the OLC Live! nomination form: http://bit.ly/OLCLiveNomination .  

Join OLC Live! daily to hear from those presenters and audience members who have been identified as impactful during sessions for additional insights!
7:00pm - 7:45pm

A Very Happy Happy Hour: More than Zoom Basics with Presenter Services - Spreading Happiness through Zoom

Hosts: Tawnya Means, Sherri Restauri

Join the Presenter Services Co-Chairs at A Very Happy Happy Hour! For this happy hour we ask those joining to spread happiness with some fun activities. Grab your favorite beverage and snacks and join us in spreading happiness and playing some fun ice breaker activities and Zoom games. Along the way you will learn how to move beyond the basic functionalities of Zoom to leverage the technology for more effective online engagement using breakout rooms, backgrounds, and polling, as well as other fun and unique ways to have participants engage in your sessions.
9:15am - 9:45am

Virtual Speed Networking Lounge: Geo Guesser

Hosts: Brandon Haas & TBA

Work together with a team to figure out where in the world the image that you are looking at is from. Use those Carmen San Diego skills from your childhood to sleuth out the image on the screen. Don't worry about bringing your own teammates, we will split everyone up into teams once the session starts!
10:30am - 11:00am

OLC Live Networking Coffee Break: Sponsor Chat with HP

Note: This presentation is open to the public

Watch the Recording

Hosts: Nate & Jenae

Interviewees:

  • Bill Avey, Global Head & General Manager, HP Education
  • Jeff Chen, Head of Research Partnerships, WW Education, PS Strategy & Solution, HP

Explore practices and technologies for online teaching and learning with OLC Live! hosts Jenae Cohn and Nate Angell as they go beyond the sales pitch with Jeff Chen of HP, OLC Accelerate Titanium National Sponsor.
12:45pm - 1:15pm

OLC Live: Closing Event - Beyond The Keynote

Note: This presentation is open to the public

Watch the Recording

Hosts: Nate & Jenae

Interviewees: Flower Darby, Angela Gunder

Join us in celebration of the transformative practices, connective networking, and impactful discussions from OLC Accelerate 2020. With an inside look at the big takeaways from the conference, members of the OLC community will share stories of their favorite moments from the conference. OLC Live! hosts Jenae Cohn and Nate Angell will close us out with lightning interviews of the conference steering committee, including members of the OLC Board of Directors and OLC Staff. Let’s close our time together in appreciation of all that we’ve learned, and in celebration of the monumental advancements to come within the field of online, blended and digital learning.