Conference Information

20th Annual Online Learning Consortium International Conference 2014 – Reserve your virtual conference seat!

Conference Dates: October 29th – October 31st (Please note the time difference – All sessions are scheduled for EST)

Conference Overview:

The 2014 Annual Online Learning Consortium International Conference (formerly known as Sloan-C) is one of the premier forums for online learning. This year’s conference program will offer a full complement of presentations that reflect the implications for the field of specific e-learning experience and practices. As online learning continues to expand and play a strategic role in innovation and improvement of higher education, participation in this conference also provides the opportunity for all who are concerned with the future of online learning to come together, collaborate and share experiences.

To see a list of online sessions that will be available to virtual attendees please go to: http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/conference/2014/aln/streamed_sessions

We believe the following sessions will be of great interest to our faculty, given what we know about our educational programs:

Walking the Line Between Security and Convenience: Using Online Proctors (Presented by Proctor U)

http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/conference/2014/aln/walking-line-between-security-and-convenience-using-online-proctors

Online Student Readiness: Prepare Students to Survive and Thrive in Distance Learning
http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/conference/2014/aln/online-student-readiness-prepare-students-survive-and-thrive-distance-learning

What Faculty Need to Know About Teaching Online
http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/conference/2014/aln/what-faculty-need-know-about-teaching-online

The Art of the Online Community: Moving Beyond the Forum Discussion
http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/conference/2014/aln/art-online-community-moving-beyond-forum-discussion

Integration of Discussion Boards + Technology + Social Media = Engagement of the Adult Learner

http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/conference/2014/aln/integration-discussion-boards-technology-social-media-engagement-adult-learner

Learning Through Reflection: Reflective Practices in an Online Course
http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/conference/2014/aln/learning-through-reflection-reflective-practices-online-course

Instruction from the Back Seat: Letting Your Students Drive Case-Based Learning

http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/conference/2014/aln/instruction-back-seat-letting-your-students-drive-case-based-learning

Showcasing Innovation Through Award-Winning Online Teaching

http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/conference/2014/aln/showcasing-innovation-through-award-winning-online-teaching

UTHSC has a limited number of logins available for virtual attendee session access for sessions that will be streamed live from the conference taking place in Orlando, Florida. Please contact Kristy Conger (kconger@uthsc.edu / 901-448-2253) to request login information for your college/program/department.

Primarily Education-Focused Sessions and Resources

Writing Better Multiple-Choice Questions (Magna Online Seminar)

Date: November 4, 2014
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Location: GEB A204

Overview:

Join us for Writing Better Multiple-Choice Questions, a new Magna Online Seminar developed and presented by Jim Sibley, director of the Centre for Instructional Support at the Faculty of Applied Science at University of British Columbia. The presenter will guide you through the common question-writing pitfalls and instruct you in item analysis so you can examine the performance of your questions and determine how to refine them.

More specifically, you will learn how to:

•    Write better, more effective multiple-choice questions
•    Identify, analyze, and avoid common multiple-choice question pitfalls
•    Use Bloom’s taxonomy to more accurately target the cognitive level of multiple-choice questions
•    Apply item analysis to measure the effectiveness of multiple-choice questions

Read Jim Sibley’s article in Faculty Focus – 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Multiple-Choice Questions

To register to attend this session go to: http://tinyurl.com/uthsccalendar

Online + : A Standards-Based Approach to Hybrid Learning (OLC Webinar)

Date: November 6, 2014
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Location: GEB A204

Overview:

In this webinar hosted by the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), participants will walk through the process for developing a decision-making framework as they utilize Rasmussen College’s framework for Online+ course development to select and think through how hybrid applies to courses at their own institution. In Rasmussen College the curriculum, instructional, and teaching standards are used as a way to solve teaching & learning problems on a broad level, but the framework creates a structure organized into logical questions that can be utilized to guide any type of process. Creativity emerges by providing the tools and support needed to make high quality decisions, while allowing key stakeholders to infuse their own expertise.

Through this webinar, other institutions will be informed on how a structured framework can:

• Provide a space for creativity, within a given set of parameters.
• Lead to a culture of academic innovation.
• Permit effective scale within a change management model.
• Assist in the strategic planning and alignment of key initiatives.

To register to attend this session go to: http://tinyurl.com/uthsccalendar

National Distance Learning Week – 2014

Dates: November 10th – 14th

Overview:

Sponsored by the United States Distance Learning Association, National Distance Learning Week, seeks to promote and celebrate the tremendous growth and accomplishments occurring today in distance learning programs offered by schools, businesses, and governmental departments. During the week of November 10-14, the USDLA will host a series of free webinars showcasing various types of distance learning resources and best practices.

We believe the following sessions will be of interest to our faculty:

• Distance Learning Resources in Telehealth (Presented by: Janet Major – Arizona Health Sciences Center)
• Adding Game Elements to Online Courses: It’s Not That Hard! (Presented by: Josef Varga, Michael Anderson, and Marcela Ramirez – University of Texas at San Antonio)
• Exploring the Promise of Student Personal Learning Networks (Presented by: Bernard Bull – Concordia University Wisconsin)
• First Course Success: Using Data to Predict Program Success (Presented by: Karen Ferguson – Northcentral University)

To view the full list of free sessions scheduled throughout the week and register to participate go to: http://www.usdla.org/NDLW_2014_s/2003.htm

Professional Sessions

IRB Insights Training

Date: October 29, 2014
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: GEB A304

Session Overview:

The Institutional Review Board invites you to attend their quarterly campus IRB Insights training. Dr. Terrence Ackerman will discuss “Registries, Databases, and Repositories: Ethical and Regulatory Issues.”  Dr. Ackerman will examine a variety of issues.  When does the creation of a registry, database, or repository require IRB approval?  Do studies conducted with specimens and data maintained in an IRB-approved registry, database, or repository require separate IRB approval?  Is the consent of subjects always necessary?  How can consent forms be constructed to anticipate currently unforeseeable uses of collected materials?  And may the consent process ever be modified to accommodate the accrual of very large numbers of subjects?

To register to attend this session:

Faculty/Staff: https://oracle.uthsc.edu/pls/htmldb/prd/f?p=120701:2:1888459574747437::NO::P2_CATALOG_ID:20441
Students/Affiliates: http://www.uthsc.edu/research/research_compliance/IRB/insight_reg.php

Webinar Archive Now Available – Policies, Practices for Supporting Non-Tenure Track Faculty

Session Overview:

Nearly 70 percent of faculty members are not on the tenure track, yet most higher education policies and systems assume that they are. The result is a growing segment of our instructor base that lacks access to the resources it needs to perform effectively in the classroom. And when our faculty members feel unsupported, our students will feel that way also.

Fortunately, you can modify policies, adopt different practices, and utilize different tools so that all your instructors can operate at an optimal level. Led by Adrianna Kezar, PhD, professor of higher education at the University of Southern California, this new Magna Online Seminar will enable you to put the systems and support structures in place so that all faculty can access the resources they need to help students achieve success.

More specifically, during this seminar you will:

• Learn to craft policies and adopt practices that support the entirety of your diverse faculty
• Discover specific recommendations for various course formats, including online, face-to-face, and hybrid
• Learn how to continuously support faculty so that even temporary instructors have access to available resources
• Explore human resource management practices that can enhance your efforts
• Discuss how to involve and engage all faculty as institutional citizens
• Identify practices that can undermine non-tenure track faculty and negatively impact student learning

Information related to accessing the recording and materials for this session is located in the Professional Development course within Blackboard. Enrollment instructions for the Professional Development course can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/profdevenroll

Toastmasters Brain Builders UTHSC Chapter

Date: Every Tuesday
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: The Urban Child Institute, 600 Jefferson Avenue, 1st Floor, Conference Room 4

If you would like to become an engaging public speaker, improve your skills as a teacher, seminar speaker or when presenting professionally to your colleagues, joining a Toastmasters club will allow you to reach your goals fast in a professional environment. A Toastmasters meeting is a learn-by-doing workshop in which participants hone their speaking and leadership skills in a no-pressure atmosphere. Free parking is available and everyone is welcome!

For more information about Toastmasters contact Detlef Heck (dheck@uthsc.edu) or Bill Howell (atenra@comcast.net).

Additional Resources

2014: The Year of Active Learning at UTHSC
To access a variety of active learning resources visit https://academic.uthsc.edu/faculty/2014.php

UTHSC’s Faculty Resource Center
View schedule of professional development opportunities and read out latest blog post at https://uthsctlc.wordpress.com/