USDLA Webinar: “Creating Meaningful Online Learning Communities: It’s more than a platform!”

Presenters: Dr. Michelle Dennis, Dr. Eric Roe, Katia Nyysti, Matthew Bruce, Katie Gordon In this webinar: Members of the National University academic and student support leadership teams will unpack their unified strategy for cultivating student engagement. A team of presenters (Dean, faculty member, academic support services, student experience, and virtual community architect) will provide their unique viewpoints and insights on how they foster a sense of belonging and community among students through their various roles. A sense of belonging means aClick here to listen to the podcast!

August 2, 2024—The US Distance Learning Association is thrilled to launch a new tradition: Each First Friday of the month, we will spotlight one of our state chapters. To get us started: USDLA welcomes its newest state chapter, the Delmarva Digital Learning Association, and its founder, Dr. Alexandra Salas. She joins forces with two leaders from Wilmington, DE-based Goldey-Beacom College — Deanna M. Merritt, Ph.D. SHRM-CP, Faculty, Management & Marketing Director, Center for Professional Development & Partnerships and Russell Michalak,Click here to listen to the podcast!

July 28, 2024 — Learn the three elements that will help you design experiences and motivational learning environments. Dive into gamification design, focusing on the creation of engaging challenges and relatable characters that drive explicit engagement. About our presenter: Bernardo Letayf is an international gamification expert, trainer, and speaker specializing in education, Web, and UX design/development with over 21 years in the industry. Formerly a teacher, he created BLUERABBIT to gamify education and remove the stress and attention from grades.Click here to listen to the podcast!

June 19, 2024 — This USDLA Free Friday Webinar focuses 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 education. The pilot presented here involved disaggregating the three specialization courses of a degree program to create micro-credentials. One key goal was to develop micro-credentials that aligned with the degree program. A second goal was to ensure that the credentials existed asClick here to listen to the podcast!

A Note from Hope Katz Gibbs, communications director, US Distance Learning Association — Having been virtually meeting for more than 36 years, engaging virtual meetings producer John Chen can juggle 16 screens of information at a time. He has planned the only 100% live virtual conference in the training industry for 1,200 people and produced a six-language virtual webinar. He is a recognized thought leader on engaging virtual meetings and the John Wiley and Sons author of “Engaging Virtual Meetings” andClick here to listen to the podcast!

July 1, 2024: A Note from Hope, executive producer, Inkandescent Radio — It is a great honor and pleasure to be the communications director of the US Distance Learning Association, usdla.org. Each July, we welcome a new president to lead us for the year and today the baton is passed from our 2023-2024 president Chuck Sengstock to incoming president Valary Oleinik. Chuck says: As the outgoing president of the United Distance Learning Association, I am very proud of our accomplishmentsClick here to listen to the podcast!

About this webinar: Students enroll in online courses for a variety of reasons. However, while asynchronous online courses may be ideal for many due to the flexibility offered, they can be extremely isolating for students. Research shows that instructor presence can help create a sense of community within an online course, can build trust between students and the instructor, and can increase student engagement while also increasing academic achievement. Every stakeholder involved in the course creation or facilitation of onlineClick here to listen to the podcast!

April 2024: A Note from Hope Katz Gibbs, communications director, US Distance Learning Association (USDLA) — Please join us for this month’s episode of our new USDLA Free Friday Webinar hosted by USDLA president-elect Valary Oleinik. Meet our guest: Dr. Pam DeGuzman, Nurse Scientist at UVA Health and an Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Virginia School of Nursing Today’s Topic: Implementing Telemedicine in Libraries: Barriers and Strategies for Success About the webinar: Public libraries offering telemedicine provide aClick here to listen to the podcast!

January 2024: A Note from Hope Katz Gibbs, communications director, US Distance Learning Association (USDLA) — Please join us for this month’s episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, when, for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts. Meet our guests: Dr. Heather F. Perfetti, president of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), and Nicole Biever, the organization’s Chief of Staff Today’s Topic: The importance of credentialing for US colleges — and what the futureClick here to listen to the podcast!

August 2023: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for this month’s episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts. Meet our guest: Monica Cornetti, Founder and President of Sententia Gamification Today’s Topic: The Art of Game-Based Learning Pat and Dean have 10 Questions for Monica: How has gamified and game-based learning evolved inClick here to listen to the podcast!

July 2023: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for this month’s episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts. Meet our guest: Freedom Writers Founder Erin Gruwell Today’s Topic: The Power and Impact of Freedom Writers About our Guest: ​Freedom Writers Founder Erin Gruwell — A teacher, author, and activist fighting for socialClick here to listen to the podcast!

June 2023: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for this month’s episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts. Meet our guest: Dr. Robert A. Alsop, president of Waldorf University Today’s Topic: Waldorf University’s Master of Education in Social-Emotional Learning About this episode: Waldorf has become a pioneer in online education for educators,Click here to listen to the podcast!

May 1, 2023: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for this month’s episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts. Meet our guest: Amrit Ahluwalia, editor-in-chief at The EvoLLLution: A Modern Campus Illumination Today’s Topic: Bucking Enrollment Trends to Grow in a Challenging Environment About this episode: The higher education space has experienced significantClick here to listen to the podcast!

April 1, 2023: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for episode 7 of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts. Meet our guest: Jennifer Williams, Executive Director, Take Action Global and Transformational Leader in Education Today’s Topic: Get Ready for Change – Instructional Design Practices Through Meaningful Uses of Technology About this episode: At the heart of innovationClick here to listen to the podcast!

March 1, 2023: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for episode 6 of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts. Meet this month’s guests — Kate Colbert and Joe Sallustio, authors of the hottest book to hit higher ed, Commencement Today’s Topic: The New Era of Education Dean and Pat ask the authors:  Dean: Let’s startClick here to listen to the podcast!

A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke— We invite you to tune in for this month’s episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, industry experts come together to discuss the future of online education. Today’s Topic: How K-12 educators dealt with the pandemic and what the future of learning looks like for America’s superintendents Dean and Pat ask Peter:  Dean: Tell our viewers and listeners about theClick here to listen to the podcast!

January 2023: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for this month’s episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts. Meet our guest: Lee Gambol, Distance Learning Coordinator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Today’s Topic: How Lee is embracing the idea of “Backslash Forward” by celebrating the past and embracing the future of distanceClick here to listen to the podcast!

December 2022: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for this month’s episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts. Meet our guest: Dr. Jennie Sanders, Vice President of Faculty Experience and Academic Services at Western Governors University based in Salt Lake City, Utah Today’s Topic: How Western Governors University was ahead of the PandemicClick here to listen to the podcast!

November 2022: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for this month’s episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts. Hello and welcome to the November episode of our monthly podcast and video show starring Elliott Masie, the founder of MASIE Innovations. Based in Saratoga Springs, NY, Elliott focused on how organizations can support learning and knowledgeClick here to listen to the podcast!

October 2022: A Note from Hope Katz Gibbs, producer, Inkandescent Radio — Hello and welcome to the first episode of the Distance Learning Roundtable show on the Inkandescent Radio Network. As the show’s producer, I am thrilled to introduce you to the hosts of our newest program — Distance Learning Roundtable, the podcast and video show where experts gather to discuss the future of online education. Today you will meet the show’s hosts: Pat Cassella, the executive director of the United StatesClick here to listen to the podcast!