Spotlight Archives

Get Social with WCET. WCET uses social media to connect with members and friends via our Twitter and Facebook. We share timely news and announcements, interesting articles and the occasional ed tech funny.

 

Mobile Apps for Students with Disabilities Webcast. Registration is closed for this May 7th webcast in which WCET app-ologist Robbie Melton will showcase mobile apps that have shown to assist student with disabilities, for assistive technology tools and to help institutions in addressing ADA in using mobile devices. Contact Megan Raymond for more information.

Colleges Moving Slowly Toward State Authorization Compliance or Opting Out of State. A growing number of colleges obtained the necessary approvals in states in which they serve distance students, but many have a long way to go. As an alternative to seeking approval, an increasing number of institutions no longer accept students from some states. These are the findings of a survey of nearly 200 colleges conducted jointly by WCET, UPCEA and Sloan Consortium.

 

WOW Award Nominations OPEN!! The Call for Nominations for the WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) Award is now open. Submit your nomination form by April 22. Look across your campus or organization for successful and innovative works that meet WOW criteria.

 

Upcoming Webcasts:
Does Your Institution Suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder? - March 12.
Open Education: The Business & Policy Case for OER - April 18.
Mobile Apps Support and Services for Students with Disabilities - May 7.

 

WCET Annual Meeting - Call for Proposals. Save the date for the 25th Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, November 13-15! The Call for Proposals is now OPEN! Submit your proposal or recommend a topic or speaker. Deadline is April 3.

 

The PAR Framework Releases Common Data Definitions. This WCET-managed project publicly released common data definitions for the more than 60 institutional, transcript and student-level data collected from its 16 institutional partners for inclusion in the PAR database.

 

eLearning Consortia CIG Webcast Archive. View the January 30 archive and slides from the eLearning Consortia CIG webcast - The @ONE Model: Practical Skills for Online Teaching Success by Micah Orloff, @ONE. Once in the room, select play on the toolbar. Be a part of one of WCET's Common Interest Groups!

 

Congratulations to the 2012 RJ Award Recipient: Rhonda Epper! Dr. Rhonda Epper of the Colorado Community College System honored with WCET's top award, receiving the 2012 Richard Jonsen award. WOW award recipients also recognized at WCET's Annual Meeting.

 

2012 has been declared "Year of the MOOC" by many.  Did you participate? Were you one of the statistics - those who start strong and fizzle before finishing? Did you lurk at the back of the classroom, perhaps learning but not fully participating? We invite you to indulge our curiosity with this poll about where our members and friends fall in the MOOC mania.
Image credit: by TangYauHoong

Missed the Annual Meeting? You can view these featured sessions:

• Technology Toys to Tools - Jane Bozarth.
• Equity: The Answer to Completion - Deborah Santiago.
• WCET Smackdown, powered by Pecha Kucha.

Thank you to Mediasite by Sonic Foundry for capturing these sessions.
Photo by Richard Nowitz, SACVB.

Congratulations to the 2012 WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) Award Recipients! Each year WCET recognizes exceptional efforts by our members in implementing technology in higher education. This year's recipients are Monterey Institute for Technology and Education; NJEDge.Net; and Tennessee Board of Regents. Read more about the recipients' great programs.

 

 

Live Dispatches from #WCET2012. Follow us on Twitter, read highlights from the Annual Meeting, view the general session presentations from the 24th WCET Annual Meeting! See you there... Oct. 31 - Nov. 3 - San Antonio, TX. Photo by Al Rendon, SACVB.

 

WCET's Predictive Analytics Reporting (PAR) Framework Brings the Power of Big Data to Online Learning. WCET announced today it has been awarded a $2,557,920 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to validate and extend their ground-breaking work exploring effective uses of big data predictive analytics to improve opportunity and success for low-income and first-generation students.

 

Upcoming Webcasts!

• A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Game+Badge Program, "Who's Got Class?" - August 28, 2012.
• Big Audacious Conversation with Blogger Joshua Kim - September 12, 2012.
• Big Audacious Conversation with DOE's Richard Culatta - October 17, 2012.

 

Registration is Open for the 24th WCET Annual Meeting! The premiere professional development event for e-learning. Gain practical solutions. Expand professional networks. Influence WCET initiatives. See you there... Oct. 31-Nov. 3 - San Antonio, TX. Photo by Al Rendon, SACVB.

 

We're Kicking Off Who's Got Class?! Who’s Got Class?, our new badge and game-based learning initiative is on its way.  This customized multi-player game offers a fun, light-hearted way to explore the emerging, evolving world of badges & games, learn more about WCET programs and services, and earn badges as you complete missions where you engage with other WCET members and institutional teams.

 

Russell Poulin Receives Excelsior College President's Medal. As a recognition of his exceptional contributions to the field of adult and distance education, Excelsior College has bestowed the President's Medal to WCET's Russell Poulin. Congratulations, Russ!

 

Forging the Future: "What If" My Campus Could Guarantee a Four-Year Degree? Join your colleagues before the WCET Annual Meeting for a half-day workshop on Wednesday, October 31. Connect with thought-leaders and forge the future towards changing the game plan for student progress at your institution.

 

WEBCAST ARCHIVE: Reciprocity: Leaping Over the State Authorization Barrier. The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) aims to be less costly and complex than the current system for both states and institutions. The archive of this webcast is now available.

 

WCET's Blog Chosen as a Must-Read by Ed Tech Magazine! You can follow the hashtag #HighEdTechTop50 on Twitter to get involved in the conversation and connect with fellow bloggers. Read more WCET blogs.

 

WEBCAST :  Where Do I Send My RFP? Procurement in the Age of Open and Cloud Services. One of the biggest changes to the market is that we seem to be moving from an enterprise LMS market, with full-featured monolithic systems, into a learning platform market, with many cloud-based platforms that don't attempt to have all the features in one system. Join us for this May 22 webcast!

 

Join the State Authorization Network!  Save time. Fewer headaches. Work together with others to address these complex regulations. Deadline to join has been extended to April 20.

"Who's Got Class" - A game-based badge initiative, open to WCET members and not-yet members! Sign up for this informal, light-hearted experience of badges and games. This is a great opportunity to experience what designing and implementing a badge system for learning entails.

 

The WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) Award recognizes exceptional efforts by WCET members in implementing technology in higher education. See the Call for Nominations and the Nomination Form. Nominations due April 4.

 

WEBCAST:  Mobilizing Higher Education with Apps.Join us for this April 3 webcast, with Robbie Melton, Tennessee Board of Regents; Clark Quinn, Quinnovation; and Ellen Wagner, WCET!

WEBCAST:  Getting Started With Badges for Learning. Will you be ready to respond when your campus leader puts you in charge of badges? For this March 8 webcast, join John Bower, CEO of uBoost, and Anne Derryberry, 2010-2011 Donald W. Reynolds Fellow, Reynolds Journalism Institute, University of Missouri School of Journalism!

 

Annual Meeting Call for Proposals: The 2012 Annual Meeting Call for Proposals is NOW Open! Submit your proposal for the meeting which will be held October 31-November 3 in San Antonio! View the submission info and rubric. Deadline is March 16. Photo by Al Rendon, SACVB

 

Webcast: A Classroom Without Boundaries--Web and Videoconferencing Solutions for Online Distance Education. Presentation by Andy Black, University of Utah. Sponsored by WCET's Beyond the LMS Common Interest Group.Register today for this February 23 Webcast!

 

Coming Attractions: Webcasts - March 8: Innovative Education Applications for Badging and Gaming in Higher Education. March 14: What You Need to Know About State Authorization (Open to WCET and WCET State Authorization Network Members).

 

Webcast: Fraud and Beyond--Distance Education and the New Financial Aid Rules. Join Karen McCarthy and Joan Berkes with NASFAA, and Audrey Osswald for this Feb. 1 webcast.

 

BREAKING NEWS: SOPA and PIPA Indefinitely Postponed. Learn how the SOPA and PIPA legislation could have a huge impact on your web site through this short video or one-page update. If you don't like it, contact your U.S. Senator and/or Congressional Representative. Let them know.
Image credit: M3Li55@ on Flickr

 

Photos from Denver! Were you there? Check out the photos from this year's annual conference! View the Slideshows!

Michael Offerman Receives Richard Jonsen Award! Offerman is honored with this lifetime achievement award for his impact and commitment in promoting access, quality, accountability, and consumer information for adult working students.

 

Connect Virtually with the WCET Annual Conference! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, catch our blog updates, view the general session presentations thanks to Sonic Foundry, access materials via Slideshare! Download the conference mobile app!

WOW Recipients Announced! The WOW Award recognizes exceptionally creative, technology-based solutions to a significant problem or need in higher education.

 

Register TODAY for WCET's Annual Conference and Membership Meeting! Register online and view the program for the 2011 WCET Annual Conference and Membership Meeting! Do it today! Spots are filling quickly!!

Webcast: Improving Assessment of Online Progress Using the Transparency by Design Model. Sept. 13 - Learn how Capella University and Rio Salado College have used the Transparency by Design framework to improve assesment of their online programs.

 

Two Webcasts:
Sept. 13 - Building a Culture of Professional Development Among Online Faculty.
Sept. 15 - Forging the Future: The $10,000 Baccalaureate Degree.

 

Capturing Adult Learners:  College Choices for Adults releases new data, Learner Progress, to track how learners are retained and complete at partner institutions. View the College Choices for Adults Press Release!

 

WCET/UPCEA Release Survey on Colleges' Progress on State Authorization. Obtain the full report and join us for a free webcast targeted to UPCEA & WCET members on August 25.

 

August 16 Webcast: Online Accessibility: Seeing the Forest AND the Trees. This webcast will demystify and simplify information on both the system level and individual faculty and staff level.

 

July 26 Webcast: Ranking Online Education Programs: A Conversation with U.S. News. Questions answered about U.S. News' statistical survey about your online programs and the process.

 

WCET Receives Grant for Higher Ed Analytic Research! The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded WCET a grant to validate the Predictive Analytics Reporting (PAR) Framework.

 

Learning Analytics: The Future is Now! Join us on May 11 for a free webcast! Presenters are Deborah Everhart, Blackboard, Inc.; John Fritz, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and Phil Ice, American Public University System.

 

State Approval Regs Starter List Updated! The State Approval Regulations for Distance Education: A Starter List has been updated as of March 17 and includes an addendum with revisions to four of the states.

 

Managing Online Ed Executive Summary 2010!The Executive Summary for the 2010 Managing Online Ed is now available! Read more about the Managing Online Ed Survey!

 

 

Photos from La Jolla!  Were you there? See all the great pics from the WCET Annual Conference!

 

Yep! There's an app for that! (Link no longer available.) The WCET Conference Program application has just been released for the iPhone and is available for free.  Download the app or read the press release! (links no longer available for the app or press release.)

 

 

Where in the World is WCET? WCET staff are making changes all over the world! Stop by and see us at a location near you.

 

 

Survey on Managing Online Education. What's the Story? Highlights and implications from  the first Managing Online Education (MOE) study. October 5 Webcast.

 

Rethinking Higher Education. Listen to Peter Smith's unique perspective on the status of higher education and the need for change. September 21 Webcast

 

 

WCET challenges you to share what you have to say about the adoption of technology in higher ed with 20 slides and only 20 seconds for each! Participate in the first annual WCET Pecha Kucha Smackdown! To participate, check the activity box during the online registration process.

 

 

Explore the new WCET website. Ellen Wagner, WCET's Executive Director, welcomes you to the new site and invites you to experience its new features. She also discusses our new name and previews "coming attractions."

 

Growing Federal Concern with Distance Education: Could the Rules Be Changing? August 24, 2010, 3:00 PM EDT. Join us for this free webcast reviewing the growing worry in Congress and the U.S. Department of Education over some distance education practices. Are regulations changing? Are your practices causing them concern?

  

Highlights of our recent debate on the WCET discussion list regarding whether distance education units should be centralized or decentralized.

 

A conversation with Mark Milliron from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on Action Analytics. Higher education can use data to fuel services that will help students in real time, improving their changes of remaining in their academic program. 

 

WCET's Annual Conference registration is now OPEN! Reconnect with colleagues and friends on November 10-13, in LaJolla, California. Register TODAY! Early bird and team discounts now available.

WCET joined with Dow Lohnes Government Relations and three higher education organizations in submitting a letter to the U.S. Department of Education asking that students in online courses be treated the same as those in face-to-face courses regarding financial aid 'last day of attendance' calculations.

 

If you are seeking older issues of WCET’s newsletters or need additional help, please contact us with your question.

 

 

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