Are you working on a learning challenge that requires a creative, multi-disciplinary approach? We invite your team proposal to the Solution Design Summit at OLC Innovate 2017. Selected teams will:

  • produce a short video to pitch their solution
  • receive feedback on their SDS proposal and video pitch
  • participate in the SDS workshop seminar
  • network with peers and solicit feedback from experts
  • will “pitch” their solution during a session at OLC Innovate 2017
  • share with the OLC community after Innovate 2017 concludes.

Deadline to submit was November 2, 2016, 11:59pm ET. Submissions are now closed. Thank you for your contribution. Notification date is Dec 21, 2016. 

Solution Design Summit Goals:

  • Encourage creative, design thinking for learning challenges
  • Foster dialogue among learners, educators, administrators, researchers, designers, and EdTech companies
  • Promote a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach towards the development of solutions for learning challenges

Who should apply to the Solution Design Summit?

This program is designed to welcome small, interdisciplinary teams with a diverse set of backgrounds, roles, and expertise. Possible teams may be:

  • University team comprised of members across multiple departments and divisions
  • Graduate school teams from different academic departments
  • Group of educators ranging from K-12 and higher education
  • Public-private partnership of a university and technology company
  • Organizations (private, non-profit, etc) who promote learning

Winning SDS team members will receive:

  1. A one-year OLC Professional Membership for up to 5 team members. Current OLC members would receive a 1-year extension to their existing OLC Professional Membership.
  2. A complimentary future OLC 2017 or 2018 conference registration for up to 5 team members, not applicable to OLC Innovate 2017.
  3. Showcase your solution through OLC. This could include a webinar, membership dashboard interaction, or OLC social media promotion.

 

The OLC Innovate Solution Design Summit: A Focus on Learning

Challenges in K-12, higher education, and/or workplace learning that require an innovative, multi-disciplinary team to solve the issue. You can select any topic, case study, issue, or challenge in need of a solution. The Solution Design Summit focuses on current learning challenges where an innovative solution idea could lead to increased student success and an enhanced student learning experience.

To get you started we’ve listed below some potential topic areas for your proposal.

Personalized and Adaptive Learning

To offer solutions post-secondary education is faced in developing courseware, learning, and creating an effective user experience based on course delivery and design. There are currently grants to examine the “speed adoption of next-generation digital courseware solutions by higher education institutions and faculty, in order to improve outcomes in general education courses, especially for disadvantaged and underserved student groups” and the impact of personalized learning to put learners at the center of this process.

  • How will personalized or adaptive learning support specific learner populations we want to reach?
  • Can learning design impact academic success?
  • Are there digital solutions to scaffolding the learner experience?

Professional Learning and Development

As we encourage learning and growth in our professions, it will be important for individuals to account for their skills and knowledge development. The role of formal and informal learning is blending with new opportunities to participate, engage, and continue educating oneself.

  • How do we recognize or provide evidence-based learning opportunities?
  • As continual learning is fluid in our learning communities, how do we provide credentials, badges or mark achievements of professional development?

Impact of Open Learning

Open educational resources (OER) have impacted how and when we learn. With the introduction of open courses, open textbooks, open content, and new models for open learning, we are faced with a number of challenges and questions to answer.

  • How will open education impact the way we approach learning?
  • What are some of the challenges we see with open course design and delivery?
  • What strategies and considerations must be taken into account for effective implementation and support for OER?

Choose Your Own Learning Challenge

Define your own challenge your organization or institution is facing, related to learning, and provide ideas and approaches you plan to initiate as a solution.

  • What are additional issues you encounter for learning in K-12, higher education, or with workforce learning?
  • What resources, initiatives, and ideas do you need to connect to support this solution design?

Your Solution 

Your solution should address one or more of the six following concerns OLC Innovate is focusing on. What do we mean by a solution?

Solutions come in many shapes and sizes. A solution could be anything from a custom, in-house designed application to a new implementation of a traditional educational strategy. The goal of your solution should be to help overcome challenges faced when addressing one of the “six concerns”. Remember pedagogy first-a solution may not be technology focused and rather a protocol, process and/or faculty programs.

The Six Concerns

  1. How do we develop learning environments that support interconnectedness between educators and students, and are equipped to quickly change processes and strategies, while simultaneously fostering and celebrating creativity and ingenuity?
  2. What new methods and technologies are most scalable in teaching and learning? Which are most prevalent and why?
  3. How has technology changed teaching and knowledge acquisition and how will we adjust current paradigms to ensure sound pedagogy as we innovate?
  4. How does technology in the classroom increase student engagement?
  5. What is the best balance between analog and digitally enhanced teaching?
  6. What are common obstacles that educators face regarding technology? How can we avoid being technocentric while improving pedagogical practice with technology?

2016 Solution Design Summit in Review (blog posts submitted by participants)

Videos from the 2016 Solution Design Summit

  • If You Build It, Will They Come? – Tracy Stuntz, Fresno State
  • Preserving Core Experiences in the Online Learning Environment – Katrina Wehr, Penn State University, Smeal College of Business
  • Bridging the Engagement Gap for Distance Students Through Telerobotics – Michael Griffith, University of Arizona
  • Supporting Adjunct Faculty to Maximize Student Learning in the Online – Dr. B. Jean Mandernach, Grand Canyon University
  • Expanding college classrooms into high schools via distance learning network – Brian Burson, Northland Pioneer College
  • Using Student Data as a Map, Not a Target – Dr. Mac Adkins, CEO & Founder, SmarterServices
  • An Interdisciplinary Approach to Cultural Relevance in the Curriculum – Dr. Mihaela Tanasescu, Executive Dean, Ashford University
  • Creating Pathways to Digital Peer Leadership in the Liberal Arts – Lora Taub-Pervizpour, Muhlenberg College
  • Cohort-specific Online Discussion Experiences – Dr. Eric Klein, Ashford University

 

Timeline and Schedule for OLC Innovate Solution Design Summit Involvement

During the Conference-1-2 on site working sessions along with a final presentation

Before the Conference

  1. Prospective SDS participants submit a challenge proposal by November 2, 2016.
  2. Acceptance notifications will be sent out to teams by December 21, 2016.
  3. Those SDS teams with accepted challenges will submit a solution pitch video for public review on the OLC Innovate 2017 website, by February 13, 2017.
  4. Experts and OLC Innovate attendees will be invited to view and comment online to provide feedback on the video pitches February 27 – March 10, 2017.
  5. Accepted teams should plan to meet before the conference for 1-2 webinars that will be scheduled via Doodle poll. 

During the Conference

  1. SDS teams participate in 1-2 onsite working sessions along with a final presentation.
  2. Final presentations will take place on Friday, April 7, 2017. Accepted teams should plan their travel to attend the entire conference. 

Post-Conference Winning Team Benefits

  1. A one-year OLC Professional Membership for up to 5 team members. Current OLC members would receive a 1-year extension to their existing OLC Professional Membership.
  2. A complimentary future OLC 2017 or 2018 conference registration for up to 5 team members, not applicable to OLC Innovate 2017.
  3. Showcase your solution through OLC. This could include a webinar, membership dashboard interaction, or OLC social media promotion.

In order to participate in the OLC Innovate 2017 Solution Design Summit you will need to complete the following items:

  1. Complete your OLC Solution Design Summit Proposal.
  2. In this application, you will need to include:
    1. A title of your Solution Design Summit plan
    2. Short abstract about the challenge & solution (100-150 words)
    3. Extended abstract or description (up to 500 words) to detail the problem/challenge your solution team will be working on
    4. Description about each team member (affiliation, contact information, and how they will contribute to the team). Each team member will need a user account in the OLC Conference Management System and will need to be added to the submission in the “Presenters” area. Be sure to add additional details to the “Extended Abstract section of the submission form. 
    5. Potential ideas for the solution or approach your team will take to solve this challenge (up to 200 words). Be sure to include this in the “Extended Abstract” section of the submission form. 
    6. Who might benefit from this solution? Be sure to include this in the “Extended Abstract” section of the submission form. 

Be sure to read through all of the information about the Solution Design Summit prior to submitting. Review the timelines and requirements, and be sure to email and/or add sds@onlinelearning-c.org to your address book to ensure you receive your notification.

Proposals will go through a blind peer review process by a team representing K-12, higher ed, training, and EdTech. Proposals will be reviewed for clarity, relevance to one or more of the six concerns, inclusion of a team, and overall relevance to OLC Innovate 2017 conference.