A Fireside Chat on Access and Educational Pathways

Concurrent Session 5
Streamed Session

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Brief Abstract

The best conference sessions feature the rich sharing of ideas from thought leaders that spark our curiosity and open up new opportunities for us to advance our work in online, blended and digital teaching and learning. This fireside chat creates that space for an extended conversation with each of our featured speakers, giving you the chance to bring your questions, your challenges, and your extensions of new ideas to the table, participating in a collegial and generative discussion on effective practices for the field.

 

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Angela Gunder, Online Learning Consortium

Angela Gunder is the Chief Academic Officer and VP of Learning for the Online Learning Consortium. In this role, she is responsible for gathering, curating, and leveraging the intellectual capital created by and disseminated through OLC. Prior to her position at the OLC, Angela served as the Director of Instructional Design & Curriculum Development for the Office of Digital Learning, managing and mentoring the team that builds the fully-online programs for The University of Arizona. Her over fifteen-year career as a designer for higher education informs her instructional design practice, where she leverages her expertise in web design, usability, visual communication, programming, and standards-based online learning. She is an Associate Editor for the Teacher Education Board of MERLOT, and the recipient of the 2018 MERLOT Distinguished Service Award, the organization’s highest honor. She is also the recipient of two Online Learning Consortium Effective Practice Awards for the creation of a framework for personal learning networks, and for the creation of exploratory installations of education technology, respectively. In 2019, Dr. Gunder was named an OLC Fellow for her dedication to service, innovation, and scholarship in support of student success in online learning. Her research interests include open educational practices, digital literacies, narrative in online course design, and emerging technology for second language acquisition. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Fine Art from Fordham University, a M.Ed. in Education Technology from Arizona State University. Angela completed her Ph.D. in Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies at The University of Arizona, where in 2020 she was named an Erasmus Scholar by the College of Education for her commitment to the college, the university and to the community. Pronouns: she/her/hers

Co-presenter: Becki Elkins, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

Becki Elkins is associate professor and director of the Ed.D. program in the Department of Student Affairs Administration at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She teaches courses on higher education organization and governance, law and policy, history, and student affairs administration in on-campus, online, and hybrid instructional formats. Prior to joining the faculty at UWL, Elkins worked in student affairs/higher education for roughly 25 years. Elkins holds a Ph.D. in Student Affairs Administration and Research from the University of Iowa, a master’s degree from Iowa State University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas. Her current research focuses on college students in recovery from substance use disorders. She is the co-editor of 'College Students in Recovery: Creating Space for Student Success,' a New Directions for Student Services monograph.

Extended Abstract

The best conference sessions feature the rich sharing of ideas from thought leaders that spark our curiosity and open up new opportunities for us to advance our work in online, blended and digital teaching and learning. But oftentimes, we want to continue that conversation beyond the scheduled time, digging deeper into contextual examples of how to apply those words of wisdom from the featured speakers. This OLC Accelerate seeks to create that space for an extended conversation with each of our featured speakers, giving you the chance to bring your questions, your challenges, and your extensions of new ideas to the table, participating in a collegial and generative fireside chat.

Each fireside chat is open to both those who attended the featured speaker’s talk prior, as well as those who may have missed the live session but still want to get a chance to engage with each of our thought leaders. Come ready to not only ask questions, but share your perspective on how the topics are situated in your own contexts, and how others might learn from your own experiences (both challenging and successful). These open conversations are meant to help turn the spark of ideas into the start of new and innovative practices that we can share broadly across the field of online and blended learning.