Join the Online Learning Consortium this summer for a series of webinars designed to help you prepare for fall with research-backed practices, strategies, and ideas from the OLC Community.

Attendees selected each of these presentations—with topics including engaging faculty development programs and AI, the intersection of DEI and competency-based education, and user experience (UX) research—as best in their track at the OLC Innovate 2024 conference this spring.

This series is truly for the community, by the community.

Track: Leadership and Organizational Success Strategies

Eliminating Barriers: Leveraging UX Research for Enhanced Online Experiences

June 26, 2024 at 12:00 PM EDT

In the rapidly evolving landscape of online higher education, ensuring a superior user experience is paramount. This webinar will explore the journey of implementing a User Experience Research Function at a scaled online higher education institution. We’ll delve into the strategic rationale behind this initiative, its impact on organizational culture, and the methodologies employed to understand and enhance the student experience. Discover how user-centered insights drive decision-making, inform pedagogical design, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Tess Diver, Ed.D Assistant Vice President, Customer Experience Insights – Southern New Hampshire University

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Track: Learning Design, Instruction, and Open Pedagogy

Cooking Up Byte-Sized Ways to Elevate Faculty Development

July 10, 2024 at 2:00 PM EDT

Designing effective faculty development requires creativity and innovation to help capture a wide audience and engage them in relevant content. By creating a format that promotes ease-of-use, actionable bite-sized content, and enjoyment, instructional designers and educational technologists at a public, land-grant institution were able to develop a successful series titled ‘Tech Bytes’ that reaches faculty and staff across campus. This webinar will showcase examples, strategies, and metrics that will help participants identify strategies they can implement at their own institution.

	Leslie Mojeiko, M.Ed. Educational Technologist – University of Florida
	Chris Sharp, MAT Senior Instructional Designer – University of Florida

Register Now

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Track: Student Support, Success, and Empowerment

Fostering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion through Competency-Based Instruction: A Path to Educational Excellence

July 23, 2024 at 1:00 PM EDT

This webinar will explore the intersection of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) with Competency-Based Education (CBE) and its relevance in the educational community. Combining these two paradigms can revolutionize education by addressing disparities, promoting engagement, and fostering lifelong learning. Real-world case studies showcasing how institutions have successfully integrated DEI principles into CBE programs will be presented and participants will be provided with a toolkit of actionable takeaways, resources, and best practices to implement DEI within their CBE programs.

	Chalu Harris-Adams, Ph.D Director, Instruction – Western Governors University
	Sarah Skudin Evans, Ed.D Senior Manager, Evaluation – Western Governors University
	Courtney Munday, Ph.D Senior Manager, Evaluation – Western Governors University
	Michelle Pohlen Senior Manager, Evaluation – Western Governors University

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Track: Emerging Education Technologies and Innovations

Unlocking the Future of Education: Helping Faculty to Embrace the Potential of Generative AI

August 6, 2024 at 2:00 PM EDT

Upon the release of novel generative AI (GAI) systems in November 2022, the team at RUSH University responded by developing interactive skills labs for faculty, each focused on a different facet of generative AI capabilities and applications. These labs imparted foundational knowledge while emphasizing skill-building for implementation. Layering in hands-on activities dispelled fear-driven biases, cultivated technical proficiencies, and highlighted ethical integrations. This webinar will showcase how these labs were developed, which left faculty with increased confidence, prepared to integrate rapidly evolving tools critically and creatively into their teaching.

	Emily Rush, Ph.D Instructional Designer – RUSH University
	Margaret (Peg) Checchi, M.Ed Instructional Designer – RUSH University
	Laura Smith, MA Instructional Designer – RUSH University
	Daniel Martin, B.S.C.S., M.B.A Instructional Technologist – RUSH University