OLC Instructional Design Summit - Part 1: Panel Discussion

Concurrent Session 4
Streamed Session OLC Session

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Brief Abstract

Session 1 of the ID Summit will begin with a panel discussion on a range of topics including instructional design during the Covid-19 pandemic, new frontiers in instructional design, diversity, equity, and inclusion in instructional design; and resources for advancing your knowledge and practice. Join us for this dynamic conversation with our expert panelists!

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Presenters

Lead Presenter: Jennifer Paloma Rafferty, Online Learning Consortium

Jennifer Paloma Rafferty ( Pronouns: she, her, hers) provides leadership in researching, scoping, managing, and evaluating a full range of professional development solutions for multiple audiences within the OLC Institute for Professional Development. She has worked since 1999 supporting online learning initiatives in higher education and in the adult basic education system. Jennifer assumed this role at OLC after working for over seven years as an instructional designer at Quinnipiac University Online in Hamden, Connecticut. During her time at Quinnipiac University, Jennifer was also responsible for spearheading the development of the first online Spanish course at the University. She continues to teach this specialized curriculum for the School of Nursing and presents both nationally and internationally on the topic of online foreign language instruction. Prior to working in higher education, Jennifer was the project manager for the Massachusetts Adult Basic Education Distance Learning Project. In this role, she collaborated with the Massachusetts Department of Education and Project IDEAL to research and identify best practices for distance learning programs serving adult GED and ESL students. Jennifer holds a Masters of Education in Instructional Design from UMASS Boston, a Masters of Arts in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an undergraduate degree in Romance Languages from Mount Holyoke College.

Co-presenter: Jason Drysdale, University of Colorado

Dr. Jason Drysdale is the Senior Director of Instructional Design and Program Development at the University of Colorado System. As an instructional designer, technologist, and researcher in online learning leadership, Dr. Drysdale is an advocate for intentional design, authentic and collaborative leadership, and is a believer in the magic that happens when you trust and care for your students and colleagues. Jason's research interests include leadership in higher education, instructional design, organizational structure, collaboration, and online learning. He is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, and now lives in Denver with his wife Courtney, kids Clark and Lucy, and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Kingsley. Jason is a guitarist/singer/songwriter, avid video gamer (favorite games are Xenogears and Final Fantasy 7), and a mega fan of J.R.R. Tolkien!

Co-presenter: Sundi Richard, Davidson College

As the Assistant Director for Digital Learning, Sundi leads a joint team of technologists and librarians who promote student and faculty digital agility and the integration of new and emerging technologies in teaching, learning, and scholarship at Davidson College. Interested in empowering students to be active citizens in their online and offline worlds, Sundi works to explore digital identity and is part of an ongoing conversation in higher ed about digital citizenship #digciz.

Co-presenter: Berlin Fang, Abilene Christian University

Dr. Fang is an instructional designer with over fifteen years experience in both industry and higher education. He has expertise in faculty training and development, online course design and quality assurance. Organizations he has served include American Management Association, International Financial Corporation, Syracuse University, Marshall University, Oklahoma Christian University and Abilene Christian University. As a writer, he publishes articles on technology, education, media, and family in newspapers such as China Daily, Chinese Education News, Southern Metro Weekend, Southern Weekend, as well as Chinese editions of New York Times, Financial Times and Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Some of these articles have then been published into three collections. Two of which were on the list for 'a hundred books of impact for educators' (by China Education News) in the year they were published.

Co-presenter: Lainie Hoffman, University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz

A Colorado native and graduate of both CU-Boulder and CU-Denver, Lainie is a great believer in the benefits of combining mountain air with an excellent education. She holds a Master's degree in Information and Learning Technologies, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology. She works to foster an environment of curiosity and exploration, which lends itself well to the growing landscape of digital education. Her strengths include a flexible communication style, an energetic approach to problem-solving, and a strong belief in cooperative experiences.

Co-presenter: Amy Archambault, Wake Forest University

With over 15 years in higher education and online course development, I provide instructional design support to faculty in the development and improvement of online/hybrid/F2F courses to improve student success outcomes. My journey into issues of equity, inclusion, and diversity was kick-started several years ago after reading Debbie Irving's book, Waking Up White. From there, I began reading books and articles, attending programs and workshops and getting involved with equity initiatives on my campus. I wanted to learn more about social justice issues, white privilege, and racism in the United States. My journey continues to push me to think about how these systems affect my work as an instructional designer. How does one design with equity in mind is the question I am grappling with at the moment.

Extended Abstract

This year has been a rollercoaster ride for all of us in higher education, and instructional designers are no exception. Faculty, administrators, students, parents, and so many others have relied on instructional designers this year to do the impossible: rapidly create just-in-time resources, coach and support faculty, and transition countless courses to remote and online environments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. So: how have we changed? What are we prepared for now that we weren’t six months ago? What old problems matter less, and what new problems have emerged? What wicked design problems can we tackle with rekindled visibility, trust, and focus?

The OLC Instructional Design Summit is back and ready to rock! Join us for compelling questions, spirited conversation, expert panelists, and action-oriented breakout sessions. This year’s summit will take place virtually and will be divided into two segments: a one hour conversation with our panelists, followed by two hours for wicked design problem break-out rooms focused on creating solutions to the biggest problems in our field. You’ll choose your break-out topic when you register, so come equipped with some great ideas and be ready to learn and create with colleagues from across the globe!

Here are two examples of the wicked problems we’ll be solving together at the 2020 Instructional Design Summit:

Instructional design is critical in all learning modalities. Institutions are resource strapped, and ID teams often burn out even when working within a single modality (online). How can institutions of various sizes sustainably scale design work with limited resources, and without overtaxing faculty or instructional designers?

Learning management systems are the most prevalent platforms for teaching and taking online or blended courses. However, many believe that their emphasis on convenience for managing instructional materials and students engenders transaction rather than transformation, and compliance instead of student/faculty agency. How can the LMS be reimagined as a new digital learning environment (DLE), predicated on the tenants of learning, collaboration, flexibility, agency, and relationship?

We hope this whets your appetite for the 2020 Instructional Design Summit! Stay tuned for registration details, information about our panelists, and more wicked design problems that we’ll work through together. After all, that’s what instructional designers do best: work together to create things that are better than we could do alone. We can’t wait to see you at the summit!

You can also join in on the conversations via Twitter by following #OLCIDSUMMIT.