Global Connections: Fostering Quality and Equity in Digital Learning Through Unified Initiatives

Streamed Session Leadership

Brief Abstract

Embark on an enlightening panel discussion that showcases the power of global partnerships spanning the global north to the global south. Drawing from the triumphs and challenges of past international collaborations, educations leaders from the International Council of Distance Education (ICDE) community will illuminate the intricate intricacies of advocating for quality, equitable digital education – emphasizing collaborative endeavors, championing student voices, harnessing technology's potential, and steering policy directions.

In this dynamic, interactive setting, participants will gain insights into the expansive realm of quality digital learning, exchanging experiences from different regional perspectives. Beyond merely discussing challenges, the session spotlights solutions and crystallizes future strategies. Echoing the ethos of unity and collaboration, attendees will depart invigorated with actionable insights to fortify global collaborations and be the change-makers in their regions, driving forward quality and equitable digital education.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Madeline Shellgren, Online Learning Consortium

Pronouns: she, her, hers Twitter: @MaddieShellgren As the Director of Online Engagement, Madeline (Maddie) Shellgren serves as the lead innovator, designer, and project manager of the OLC's portfolio of online engagement opportunities. Known for her love of storytelling, play, and all things gameful, Maddie thrives on facilitating and designing meaningful ways for people to connect, learn, and grow together. Within the OLC, she has served on steering and operations committees for several of the organization’s conferences (including as Technology Test Kitchen and Innovation Studio lead, as well as Engagement Co-Chair) and has had the distinct honor of being the mastermind behind the OLC Escape Rooms. She looks forward to continuing supporting OLC community building efforts, is committed to sustainable, equitable, and anti-oppressive ecologies within education, and is genuinely excited to leverage her interdisciplinary scholarly and professional backgrounds as she helps lead the OLC towards truly innovative and transformative models for what’s possible for online and digital engagement. Maddie joins the OLC from Michigan State University (MSU), where she has served as the lead on numerous student success initiatives related to instructional design and technology, accessibility, and equity and inclusion. Over the past eleven years, Maddie has dedicated her professional life to teaching and learning related initiatives and has strategically sought out opportunities that give her a multi-dimensional perspective on teaching and learning, including working as a Standardized Patient training medical students, serving as Program Director for Teaching Assistant development, taking lead on a number of cross-institutional educator onboarding and professional development projects, and teaching across online and face-to-face contexts. She most recently worked as an Assistant Rowing Coach for the MSU Varsity Women’s Rowing Program. There she was given the opportunity to help redesign a community from the bottom up, story the team's new journey together in fun and multimodal ways, lead in the co-construction of community expectations and norms, help ensure alignment across a variety of stakeholders and initiatives, and develop and operationalize strategic structures for long-term sustainability (such as entirely new social media, marketing, communications, and content management strategies). She had the privilege of seeing the impact of her human-centered and equity-oriented approach each and every day as the team reimagined what it meant to be a Spartan on the MSU Rowing Team. With her move to the OLC, she will continue on as a volunteer coach, still supporting these efforts and the team, and is excited to get back on the water.

Co-presenter: Ebba Ossiannilsson, I4Quality, Ossiannilsson Quality in Open Online Learning (QOOL) Consultancy

Co-presenter: Rajni Chand, The University of the South Pacific

Extended Abstract