An item from the folks at the USDLA.

Hello USDLA friends, Great news: You still have time to get the Early Bird Special for the 2023 USDLA National Conference in Orlando, FL, July 17-20. Register by March 31st for the early bird conference rate and book your hotel now because this year’s conference will have something for anyone involved with distance/digital learning. Scroll down for the conference schedule to discover the people and events you won’t want to miss! Also below: Learn about this week’s Free Friday USDLA Webinar, Recruiting, Training, and Engaging Online Faculty via an Award-Winning Virtual Institute. We’ll be back next Tuesday with another issue of USDLA News. I’m looking forward to seeing you in Orlando July 17-20! — Pat Cassella, USDLA Executive Director Free Friday Webinar Mark your calendar for Friday, March 24, 1 PM Eastern: Don’t miss tomorrow’s Free Friday Webinar! Topic: Recruiting, Training, and Engaging Online Faculty via an Award-Winning Virtual Institute Presenters include: Matthea Marquart, MSSW, Assistant Dean, Online Education, Columbia University School of Social Work Lia W. Marshall, PhD, MSW, Manager of Course Development Online Campus, Columbia University School of Social Work Delia Ryan, LMSW, Live Support Specialist, Columbia University School of Social Work You’ll learn: At Columbia University’s School of Social Work, instructors who teach with the online campus pass a 5-week Institute on Pedagogy and Technology for Online Courses. Launched in 2017, this fully virtual professional development training includes five live class sessions and about 15 hours of homework. More than 400 educators have passed in the first nine cohorts, earning a digital badge. This presentation will share the details of this institute and how CSSW’s online campus uses it to recruit, train, and engage online faculty. This institute was recognized by USDLA with an International Award for Excellence in Training in 2019. It has also been recognized with four other awards: International E-Learning Award (IELA, 2018), Faculty and Staff Development Award (UPCEA Mid-Atlantic, 2019), the Learning in Practice Award for Business Impact (Chief Learning Officer Magazine, 2020), and Outstanding Program Award: Noncredit (UPCEA, 2023). To learn more about this institute: Journal of Teaching in Social Work article (October 2019): Developing and Supporting Faculty Training for Online Social Work Education: The Columbia University School of Social Work Online Pedagogy Institute A United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) blog post about the Institute, by Valary Oleinik (August 2019): The best teachers are also amazing learners A blog post by a past participant in the Institute, Laurel Hitchcock (November 2019): Reflections from the Summer 2019 Institute on Pedagogy and Technology for Online Courses Register here: https://members.usdla.org And remember to lock in the Early Bird rate for the National Conference: July 17-20. Click here to save! — Pat, pcassella@usdla.org 2023 National Conference Schedule Conference at a Glance (All times are EST) Orlando, FL – Week of July 17th, 2023 Note: All keynotes and sessions will be on-site at the Wyndham Orlando Resort, our host location for the conference. And, unlike some conferences, the workshops are included! Bookmark https://usdla.org/2023-schedule/ for updates. Event Registration: Daily 9am to 4pm Exhibitor Hall: Open Tuesday and Wednesday 9am to 4pm Monday, July 17 9:00 am – 6:00 pm – Event Registration 11:00 am – 5:00 pm – Exhibit Hall Setup 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm – USDLA Pre-Conference Workshops Grant Writing Workshop: Learn from the pro with Kristin DeProspero Transformation Accelerator: Online Course Instructional Design with Geo Laws Innovations: Hands-on hot tools experience with Robbie Melton and Farah Bennani Instructional Design for Learner Engagement: The Design Behind the Design with Linda Lee Tapping into Tik Tok: Techniques for Teaching Today with Shaunice Sasser 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Opening Reception/Happy Hour with Hors D’oeuvres Event Kickoff Welcome First Time and Returning Attendees Members and Chapter Reach out Program Review and Attendee Q/A Sponsor Shout-out Entertainment Tuesday, July 18 6:30 am – 7:00 am – Yoga in the Lobby 7:30 am – 9:00 am – Hot Breakfast 8:30 am – 9:00 am – Conference Welcome and Kickoff 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Exhibit Hall Open 9:00 am – 9:45 am – Concurrent Session 1 10:00 am – 10:45 am – Concurrent Session 2 11:00 am – 11:30 am – Networking and Meet the Sponsors 11:30 am – 12:30 pm – Keynote: Commencement, The Beginning of a New Era in Higher Education with Joe Sallustio and Kate Colbert 12:30 am – 1:30 pm – Lunch – Sponsor Shoutout – Games 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Featured Workshop — Freedom Writers to Freedom Warriors: Lessons for Life Through Education with Erin Gruwell and Freda Braddock 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm – Concurrent Session 3 3:00 pm – 3:45 pm – Concurrent Session 4 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Cookies and coffee with Erin Gruwell 5:00 pm – DAILY ON-SITE ACTIVITIES COMPLETE 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Dinner on the Town with the USDLA Board Members Dining information sheets are at the registration desk, multiple locations all around the hotel Wednesday, July 19 6:30 am – 7:30 am – Bill Jackson Memorial Sunrise Run/Walk 7:30 am – 9:00 am – Hot Breakfast 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Exhibit Hall Open 9:00 am – 9:45 am – Concurrent Session 5 10:00 am – Workshops Session #1 11:30 am – 12:00 pm – USDLA and Sponsor Trivia 12 pm – 1:00 pm – Luncheon Keynote with Jennifer Williams – Get Ready for Change – Instructional Design Practices Through Meaningful Uses of Technology 1:30 pm – 2:15 pm – Poster Sessions and Table Talks 1:30 pm – 2:15 pm – Concurrent Session 6 2:30 pm – 3:15 pm – Concurrent Session 7 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm – K-12 Featured Session with Peter Noonan – Distance Learning in a Global Pandemic and Beyond 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm – Cookies with Keynotes – Jennifer Williams, Peter Noonan, and Amrit Ahluwalia 4:30 pm – 5:15 pm – Poster Sessions and Table Talks 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm – International Awards Dinner and Ceremony Thursday, July 20 7:30 am – 9:00 am – Continental Breakfast 9:00 am – 9:45 am – EDEN 9:00 am – 9:45 am – Concurrent Session 8 10:15 am – 11:45 am – Workshops Session #2 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm – Brunch Keynote with Amrit Ahluwalia – Bucking Enrollment Trends to Grow in a Challenging Environment 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm – Closing from USDLA BOD and Final Prize Drawing! 1:30 pm Meetups for FDLA, Members, and Planning for 2024 Become a MEMBER of USDLA Become a SPONSOR of USDLA Higher Education Certification Professional Learning Certification Support USDLA When You Shop @Amazon Smile Thank You to Our National Sponsors D2L, Instructure, JDL Horizons,  Poly,  TSU,  TEDU, Verizon, Edu Alliance Group, Harmonize, FDLA, IAP, IPX, Nearpod, ViewSonic,  Yellowdig, Anatomage,  Arizona Telemedicine Program and Southwest Telehealth Resource Center, NC Sara, Proctorio, Simple Syllabus, VDO360,  VirtualCare, Waldorf University, XanEdu, Merlot, IntelliBoard, FlexPoint, Logitech, Skills Commons, BocaVox, PIP, Upswing,  Yahama Unified Communications, Thank you for supporting USDLA, our Sponsors, and our State Chapters. Eric Jones, President Chuck Sengstock, President-elect About United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) The USDLA, a 501(c) 3 non-profit association formed in 1987, reaches 20,000 people globally with sponsors and members operating in and influencing 46% of the $913 billion. U.S. education and training market. USDLA promotes the development and application of distance learning for education and training and serves the needs of the distance learning community by providing advocacy, information, networking, and opportunity. Distance learning and training constituencies served include pre-K-12 education, home schooling, higher education, and continuing education, as well as business, corporate, military, government, and telehealth markets. Visit USDLA.org USDLA | www.usdla.org

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