Conference Presentations

The world of K-12 education has seen an accelerated evolution since the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the realm of online and hybrid learning. Our  "Snapshot 2024" is our annual review that encapsulates the policy shifts, trends in practice, and enrollment trajectories in the K-12 digital learning space during the 2022-2023 school year.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought educational gaps into stark relief. In K-12, it highlighted the professional development teachers needed - and did not have - in order to design high quality courses that would enable them to work well with all of their students. In this presentation we will discuss those needs and a variety of options available for filling them.

In a time when accessibility in education is highlighted, especially in distance and hybrid learning, we will present how Texas A&M International University has implemented QM accessibility Standards, universal design principles, and diversity appreciation to enable equal learning for all.

Everyone agrees that quality course design is a good thing, and administration is supportive of QM as a process and rubric, but no one is mandating adherence to the process or standards. Now what? How do you get faculty interested and involved? This presentation covers the subtle and not so subtle ways which have worked for one institution.

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Full Description

"Completing the Course Map is 90% of designing a course. Once that's done, the rest of designing the course falls into place much less stressfully. "

                                            Faculty professional development participant

Experts will address competency-based education (CBE), including the universal design principles quality programs share. The panel will discuss key features of various institutional models and approaches to program design, instructional technology and delivery, pedagogy, and faculty roles. A policy expert will update participants on competency-based education-related federal regulation and policy including the HEA Reauthorization, Experimental Sites, and financial aid.

Experts will address competency-based education (CBE), including the universal design principles quality programs share. The panel will discuss key features of various institutional models and approaches to program design, instructional technology and delivery, pedagogy, and faculty roles. A policy expert will update participants on competency-based education-related federal regulation and policy including the HEA Reauthorization, Experimental Sites, and financial aid.

This presentation discusses five considerations in altering institutional and instructional structures and practices by taking an equity-minded approach to design avoiding exacerbated and take-for-granted practices. Let’s discuss what research is telling us that can inform our practices to ensure equity, and what problems of practice are we experiencing that should spur new research to guide equitable and inclusive practices. The succession of killings of Ahmaud Arbery (February 23, 2020), Breonna Taylor (March 13, 2020), and George Floyd, Jr.

Creating quality online learning experiences for students, and communities of practice for faculty and designers, is dependent upon the continuing commitment of leaders within and between institutions.  Growing your career can support our collective commitment to quality for students by putting more designers and faculty in positions to direct strategy, craft institutional priorities and policies, and designate resources.  Come explore how you can reimagine your contribution to the field through leadership progression through a variety of pathways.

Discover strategies to improve institutional effectiveness, including ways to measure analytics and critical resource issues. Explore the accreditation process and learn to negotiate for internal institutional support. Specifically, see how QM processes tie into accreditation standards — including accountability for the quality of online courses, academic resources and accessibility assessments — and how making your work with QM visible can validate your efforts and need for resources.

At a time when resources are thin, demands are high, and outcomes are king, barriers to adequately supporting and improving quality-focused initiatives can feel insurmountable. Practical strategies for transformational leadership are essential as college teams make the case for guided academic pathways, change, and quality to increase student completion of credentials leading to transfer and meaningful work.

Creating an online course is an art and the best faculty finely craft their courses for the greatest impact. With quality at the heart of that process, how does scale change design and delivery? Must engagement and innovation suffer in a course developed for several thousand learners or a proto/template course used by multiple sections? Does scale stifle the creative process or ultimately impact student success? Perspectives will be shared on scaling quality and approaches to program design, delivery, and pedagogy.

This presentation describes the steps being taken at St. Cloud State University to improve the quality of online courses by increasing the percentage of faculty teaching online with Quality Matters training. Since 2016, the number of courses offered online at SCSU has grown; thus, a robust quality assurance structure is needed. Preliminary data for online education in the MN State system partly drove the effort, as did survey data collected from faculty who had completed a Quality Matters training.

The audience will learn that it takes a TEAM to implement a QM initiative. We will describe an implementation plan, highlight data showing progress of success, and identify best practices and challenges involved in implementing QM in a nursing program. The presentation will showcase resources that encourage colleague engagement. Reflections from various colleagues (including administrator, faculty and Instructional Designer) will be included.

Join this leadership panel session after the keynote to further discuss the ways that leaders can develop strategies to tackle projects and challenges at a variety of institutions. Panelists representing leadership positions at private, community, and public universities will share their strategies for addressing a project or challenge at their institution. A template will be provided so that participants can brainstorm a leadership strategy for addressing a project or challenge at their own institution. This session will close with a sharing of ideas and suggestions for moving forward.

The 23-campus California State University QA program has progressively built a culture of quality and evidence for effective online-blended courses since 2011. This session will demonstrate how we evolved to go beyond professional development activities, to implementing a four-stage course certification process, disseminating certified course exemplars, and analyzing results of our student impact research efforts. Multiple opportunities for discussion-engagement and resources will be made available.