Submission Details

Forum Tracks

• Innovation

  Innovative and successful digital learning approaches do not happen by accident, and there is a wide array of proven and emerging strategies that can be employed to increase the probability that a course practice, instructional approach, or university initiative is successful. Sessions within the Innovation track will address both established approaches and emerging models. Indeed, much has emerged in recent years. The pandemic forced higher education to adopt new methods, and our distance from emergency remote teaching is beginning to reveal which pedagogies and practices positively influenced student learning and student success and which did not. Powerful, often disruptive innovations, such as artificial intelligence and learning analytics, have become part of our ever-emerging lexicon, and this track will highlight the state-of-the-art from within the domain of learning and technology in higher education. Sessions in this track will focus on, but will not be limited to:

  • effective ways to leverage technology to meet the challenges associated with teaching courses of all types and sizes through online and blended approaches;
  • usage of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, learning analytics, courseware, etc., to advance student learning and student success;
  • strategies to ensure those without access to broadband, the latest technologies, and other resources are treated equitably in learning settings;
  • leveraging technologies that serve as a component or strategy within larger, high-impact practice scenarios; and
  • best practices in technology management, the diffusion of innovation, adoption models, and faculty and student buy-in.

• Open Learning

  Opportunities for exploring open learning approaches abound in our current higher education environment, and best practices are evolving regarding course design, development, delivery, and assessment. Sessions for the Open Learning track will address established approaches and emerging models associated with excellence in open learning, open pedagogy, and open educational resources. Of particular interest are strategies intentionally designed to emphasize and leverage the intersection between student agency, community connections/collaboration, access, and affordability. Sessions in this track will focus on, but will not be limited to:

  • strategies and approaches that enable students, faculty, and publishers to create, share, publish, and remix knowledge via openly licensed work;
  • open education strategies, including open educational resources (OER), as a means to increase college affordability, reduce degree attainment gaps, improve learning for all students, and enhance course quality;
  • the use of faculty learning communities, workshop series, summer institutes, communities of practice, and emerging faculty and leadership development approaches that empower faculty and leaders as they leverage open learning practices and lead open learning initiatives; and
  • research on OER and open learning strategies.

• ePortfolio Practice and Research

  For decades, ePortfolios have been used on numerous campuses worldwide, advancing teaching and learning, assessment, career development, and other key initiatives. Faculty and other educational professionals are working at every stage of ePortfolio application and adoption, including by performing in-depth research on the use and effectiveness of ePortfolios. The theme for this year’s ePortfolio Practice and Research track focuses on innovative ePortfolio practices that facilitate equity, inclusion, and access for all students as they integrate their learning via ePortfolios. Sessions in this track will address hands-on, practical applications of ePortfolios based on first-hand experience developing ePortfolio programs and incorporating ePortfolios into pedagogical and assessment practices. This track is also a place to share the results of research on ePortfolios, serving to inform our ePortfolio practices and strategies for enhanced student learning, student success, assessment, and career development. Sessions in this track will focus on, but will not be limited to

  • how to use ePortfolios in ways that promote equity, inclusion, access, and success for all students, particularly as they integrate their learning experiences within a course, across a program, and across learning opportunities and life experiences;
  • the effect of using ePortfolios on student performance, including deep learning, GPA, completion, reflective practice, motivation, and other key outcomes;
  • instructional and assessment approaches, including the use of ePortfolios for signature work, scaffolding learning development, and program improvement, as well as ePortfolio’s role as a high-impact practice;
  • professional development applications and uses, including faculty development toward the integration of ePortfolios into instruction and assessment practices at various levels;
  • assisting students with career development as well as examining how employers and institutions are using ePortfolios in their hiring and professional development practices; and
  • emerging ePortfolio topics, such as digital ethics, storytelling through ePortfolios in times of crisis.