WCET is excited to announce the 2022 Summit will be held virtually on April 6 – an exclusive event for WCET members.* We invite you to explore the Elements of Quality Digital Learning:
*Not a WCET member? Join our cooperative today to gain access to the Summit and other benefits!
We are all still aboard the pandemic rollercoaster and the journey has had its ups, downs, thrills, and near spills, but we in higher education have learned a lot and have much to look forward to in the New Year. Join our passionate and inspiring conversationalists to reflect, share hopes and aspirations, and reenergize for what’s to come in 2022.
Increasingly, students are spending significant amounts of their learning time engaging with digital learning resources and products, faculty and administrators are increasingly relying on data from those digital learning tools, and the pandemic has only accelerated the process. Understanding how digital learning resources may increase, decrease, or maintain inequity is vitally important for the health of learners, teachers, and society.
In this talk we will look at digital learning resources or more broadly educational technology (ed-tech) through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion. We will take a holistic approach to DEI in education technology, starting with why it is necessary to focus deeply on equity, and why it matters at every level in the organization and in every step from idea to delivery and use of the digital learning resource.
What you can expect:
What you will take away:
Open Educational Resources offer the opportunity to increase access and build a sense of belonging among all students. The academic freedom these materials provide can improve engagement and educational practices. Inclusive development and teaching is a detailed and nuanced endeavor, which requires careful consideration and processes involving a diverse group of contributors. The purpose, intent, participants, audience, and outcomes of these efforts can be rewarding for the entire institution, and achieve meaningful results for individual faculty and students.
In this session we will cover inclusive approaches for OER development, curation, and usage in courses. We will discuss how creation and review methods can be conceived and adapted for a variety of teaching situations, and how faculty and student collaboration can lead to meaningful learning experiences and more dynamic resources. Finally, we will explore means to welcome and impact students of widespread intersectional identities, and consider ways in which instructors can address challenging topical issues in a supportive and effective manner.
What you can expect:
What you will take away:
The United States has come face to face with racial unrest, specifically after the murder of George Floyd. Countless organizations and businesses have adopted diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to respond to what some call the other pandemic.
OpenStax recognizes that DEI needs to be incorporated into our products and internal environment. We know that doing so will benefit the students and faculty we serve and our employees.
What you can expect:
What you will take away:
The 2021 LAC Meeting will take place virtually on Wednesday, November 17 and Thursday, November 18 from 3:00-5:00 pm Mountain Time each day. The meeting will focus on how legislators have adapted their approach to postsecondary policy over the past year, including sessions on COVID-19’s impact on higher education, the interaction of federal and state policy, and how states are approaching the changing landscape of higher education from academic, demographic, and political perspectives.
Life at Your Pace: Tips for Navigating Campus Life During COVID, is a training led by Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of Active Minds, the nation’s premier nonprofit organization promoting mental health in young adults. Participants will learn about tips and strategies that have proven successful at college campuses across the country. Hosted by Mountain Plains MHTTC (a partnership between WICHE and the University of North Dakota, serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming).
WICHE is partnering with the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges (ARRC) for an interactive webinar focused on ARRC’s recent report, Strengthening Rural Anchor Institutions: Federal Policy Solutions for Rural Public Colleges and the Communities They Serve. ARRC researchers will share major findings from the report to describe how rural public colleges enact their anchor institution mission. These findings include the role of rural public colleges in sustaining local economies and fueling community development, providing college-educated workers for high-demand industries, building public health infrastructure, and providing an access point to educational opportunity. A panel of experts will both respond to these findings, offer on-the-ground examples, and suggest additional ideas for policy and practice to leverage the contributions of rural public colleges. This interactive webinar will facilitate guest participation and engagement with the report’s findings and the expert panelists.
Panelists:
Kevin R. McClure, PhD, Co-Director, Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges
Cheryl D. Lovell, PhD, President, Adams State University
Barbara I. Damron, PhD, RN, FAAN, Chief Government Relations Officer, University of New Mexico
Integrating OER in dual enrollment for career and technical education can lead to student success in K-12 and postsecondary studies.
Details, speakers and registration will be announced soon.
Decision makers at all levels ─ states, postsecondary institutions and K-12 ─ will better understand the perceived costs of OER, cost savings, and the returns on investment.
Counting the Costs
Tanya Spilovoy, Director, Open Policy, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Getting the Most Value for OER
Gerry Hanley, Executive Director, MERLOT and SkillsCommon
Registration Opening Soon