The virtual 2021 IU Online Conference drew 523 attendees over a three-day period. On day one, attendees could attend any of three pre-conference workshops led by eLearning Design and Services. On days two and three, participants could choose from among 25 Zoom presentations.
Sessions showcased viewpoints, ideas, and resources from across the university's faculty and staff on the theme "Transforming Student Access and Success with Online Education."
Associate Vice President Chris Foley sat down with Interim Executive Vice President for University Academic Affairs Susan Sciame-Giesecke to talk about her view of online education at IU. She defined the heart of our academic mission as "providing broad access to undergraduate and graduate education for learners throughout Indiana." Meeting the foundational goal of student success means serving non-traditional students, providing more flexible learning options and new types of credentials, adding new programs in desirable fields, and offering noncredit micro-credentials. The external review of IU Online, she said, will help define ways to "work more efficiently in a collaborative structure."
Presenters shared their experience with technology tools that enhance student success. To facilitate learning, according to the session Device-Aware Instructional Design, courses must be designed to work on the specific devices—phone, tablet, or laptop—that students use for academic work. In courses where technology makes learning a social endeavor through such practices as collaborating with community groups like non-profits (Incorporating Community-Engaged Pedagogy in Online Classes), working in small groups, and peer-to-peer teaching (Creating an Interactive Online Learning Environment Brings Students Together by Technology), students reported high levels of satisfaction and increased learning.
Practices like scaffolding were shown to increase the likelihood of student success (Using Scaffolding and Authentic Assessment to Improve Student Performance). Gamifying courses removes the stigma from failure and increases student motivation and resilience, according to the session It's a Winning Condition! Using Game-Design in Canvas for Student Success.
The ways IU attracts and retains students with excellent academic programs were addressed in The IU Online Brand and a Marketing Update and The Role of Program Directors: Faculty Governance and Administration of Collaborative Online Degrees. The current regulatory climate, as outlined in the 21st Century Distance Education Guidelines, was discussed, along with implications for compliance.
According to a Faculty Panel, a multitude of support services are available to promote excellence in teaching, including eLearning Design and Services (eDS), instructional designers, and tools available at teaching.iu.edu.
To open the event, a special conference "Team" in Microsoft Teams provided opportunities for chatting, collaborating, sharing ideas with colleagues, and exploring the tool itself. New this year in the conference Team was virtual tabling, which allowed colleagues to share asynchronously their expertise in accessible math, universal design, and eTexts.
Conference content is available as video recordings and text transcripts on Canvas. Your hosts, the Office of Online Education, the Office of Collaborative Academic Programs, and eLearning Design and Services thank all presenters and staff for their part in creating a highly successful conference. Your feedback is most welcome.