UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Online learning experts from Penn State will share their best practices during a series of free webinars the University is hosting to mark National Distance Learning Week, Nov. 5-9.
The webinars will address topics in instructional design, faculty development and student affairs for those who work in online higher education. They will be presented by faculty and staff who work with Penn State World Campus, the University’s online campus; the College of Engineering and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at University Park; Penn State Behrend; and others.
World Campus is also hosting demonstrations of video technology in online learning. The event is co-sponsored by Whitlock and will be held Thursday, Nov. 8, at the Outreach Building at Penn State’s Innovation Park.
“We are excited to work with our colleagues from across the University to host this year’s National Distance Learning Week,” said Rick Shearer, director of research with Penn State World Campus. “We look forward to sharing our expertise with the hope of improving the ways students learn from a distance.”
National Distance Learning Week is sponsored by the United States Distance Learning Association and aimed at advancing the best practices in the digital and distance learning community.
For more than 125 years, Penn State has been offering education at a distance to learners from across Pennsylvania and the United States. In the 1890s, farmers completed correspondence courses through the mail, and over the years, the University’s distance education enterprise evolved to delivering courses through the radio, television, satellite and now the internet.
“Distance learning has long been an important avenue through which we can offer broad access to a Penn State education,” said Jessica Resig, director of the Center for eLearning Initiatives at Penn State Behrend, and one of the experts who will host a webinar. “By exploring recent advances in digital tools and the resulting shifts in pedagogy, we are developing innovative learning experiences to meet the diverse needs of our online learners.”
Here is the current schedule of webinars:
- 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 5: Quality Matters at Penn State
- 2:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5: using simulations to foster learning
- 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6: overview of an adaptive learning pilot in online and hybrid classes
- 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6: contemporary perspectives in research and practice of distance education
- 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7: online strategies for interaction
- 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7: practices and goals for upholding academic integrity in an online environment
- 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 8: enhancing learning and minimizing cheating
- 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9: writing rubrics
Visit the Penn State Distance Education Week website for more information about the webinars and the Whitlock event.