USDLA NEWS
Tuesday, June 18: Hello from St. Louis!
If you can’t be here in person, you can join us virtually
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June 17-20, St. Louis — Hello USDLA friends! We are having a fabulous time here at the beautiful Marriott Grand Hotel. If you couldn’t be here in person you still can join us virtually.
Today: Two of our amazing keynote speakers kick off today’s events, including SMART Global Technology Innovation Strategist Dr. Robbie Melton (pictured right) who will be talking about The Tools Shaping the World of Artificial Intelligence at 8:30am, and our luncheon speaker Don Mann (left), a retired Navy Seal, author, and TV show host will teach us how to Overcome Challenges in the Changing World of Distance and Digital Education.
Another event we know you won’t want to miss: Our Leadership and Policy Summit on Thursday, June 20 from 9am to 12:30pm. This session will feature Dr. Joe Sallustio (pictured center) who will an update on the research from his book, Commencement. There will also be a series of short talks and roundtable discussions.
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Scroll down to learn more about Wednesday’s Award Ceremony, where you’ll find the link to watch it live.
Also on Wednesday: You’ll meet John Chen, author of Engaging Virtual Meetings, who is sharing his expertise and conference management skills with us through the conference.
Click here to come along for the ride:
- USDLA Member – Virtual Conference
- Non-member – Virtual Conference
We’ll see you all soon!
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2024 USDLA AWARDS CEREMONY: Wednesday, June 19, luncheon
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As the premier organization promoting the use and practice of distance learning, each year USDLA recognizes “the best of the best” with its series of individual and organizational awards.
Open to members and non-members alike, nominations are typically submitted in January, judged by committees of peers, and then awarded at a festive banquet as a highlight of USDLA’s National Conference.
Five categories of awards will be presented:
- USDLA Trendsetter in Distance Learning Award
- USDLA Dr. Jan McMahill Rising Star Award
- USDLA Excellence in Distance Learning Teaching/Training Award
- USDLA Outstanding Leadership Award
- USDLA Excellence in Distance Learning Research Award
If you aren’t at the conference, we invite you to join us from afar as we honor our 2024 winners! Click here to watch the live stream: Meeting ID — 992 8317 2943
Passcode — usdla
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UPCOMING FREE FRIDAY USDLA WEBINARS
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Also: Be sure to sign up for our next webinar on June 28
Portable Microcredentials: Applications of Blockchain to the Disaggregation of a Degree Program
About the webinar: This session will focus on ways that blockchain technology can improve the portability of micro-credentials. Blockchain, a tool that originated in the financial sector, has recently supported enhanced documentation and information sharing in the field of education The pilot presented here involved disaggregating the three specialization courses of a degree program to create microcredentials. One key goal was to develop micro-credentials that aligned with the degree program. A second goal was to ensure that the credentials existed as part of a formal ledger and provide shared access. We used GitHub, an open-sourced repository, to create a soulbound token for adding credentials to the chain. The chain supports ease of verification, thereby improving outcomes for students. Expansion of this initiative may help to support equity for students seeking to make use of short-term credentials.
About the presenters: Dr. Michelle Dennis serves National University as Director of Curriculum in the School of Business and Economics and as Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology and Social Sciences. Dr. Dennis has held various positions in academic affairs over the past 22 years and she formerly served as a statistician. Dr. Dennis provides service as a Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission and as a Reviewer for the International Journal of Smart Education and Urban Society. She previously served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors for Anafiel House, a nonprofit serving survivors of intimate partner violence. Dr. Dennis also previously served the Online Administration Network of the Association for Professional, Continuing and Online Education as Vice Chair of Diversity and Inclusion and she is a member of the Illinois Coalition for Higher Education in Prisons. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Marquette University, her MA in Training and Development from Roosevelt University, and her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from the American College of Education. Dr. Dennis has published in the areas of online faculty management, virtual student and faculty engagement, online faculty training and evaluation and best practices for online instruction. Dr. Dennis will be joined in this presentation by colleagues from National University, Dr. Eric Roe, Dean and Dr. Justin Goldston, Academic Program Director. Register here for our webinars!
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| Thank You to Our National Sponsors
John Chen, Google, Instructure, Verizon, Carolina Distance Learning, Harmonize, IAP, Pronto, VDO360, Wolfvision, Anatomage, CILC, Honorlock, InScribe, BocaVox, My learner Journey, Startup Wars, Simple Syllabus, Symbiosis, Tarrant Community College Connect Campus, VirtualCare, BrightThinker, Merlot, SmartBrief
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| Thank you for supporting USDLA, our Sponsors, and our State Chapters.
Chuck Sengstock, President
Valary Oleinik, President-elect
About United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA)
Formed in 1987, USDLA is a 501(c)3 non-profit association formed in 1987. Our weekly newsletters reach more than 100,000 people globally, including our members and sponsors working in industries including pre-K-12 education, homeschooling, higher education, continuing education, corporate, military, government, and telehealth. Our mission is to promote the development and application of distance learning for education, training, advocacy, and networking: USDLA.org
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