Student Success Across Digital Learning Landscapes: A Collaborative Blueprint

Brief Abstract

As the curtain draws on our onsite conference, we delve into a profound fireside chat that encapsulates the heart of our discussions: the collective responsibility of institutions in ensuring student success in the digital age. Two distinguished educational leaders come together to paint a vision where every arm of an institution collaborates, with digital learning pioneers leading the charge.

In our ever-evolving educational landscape, what does it mean to support students who engage in learning through myriad modalities? This conversation seeks answers, exploring the multifaceted dimensions of support tailored for a diverse student body with varying backgrounds, ambitions, and needs. We'll probe into the foundational strategies that leaders must sculpt to ensure that digital learning remains cohesive, inclusive, and potent across different modalities.

Through this intimate dialogue, attendees will gain insights into what students truly seek from their educational journey in today's world and how institutions can transition from mere ideation to tangible action. From course-specific initiatives to institution-wide strategies, this session aims to redefine student support, preparing them not just for academic success but also for the evolving challenges of the future.

Join us for this thought-provoking culmination, as we chart a blueprint for holistic student success in our increasingly digital world.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Angela Gunder, Online Learning Consortium

Angela Gunder is the Chief Academic Officer and VP of Learning for the Online Learning Consortium. In this role, she is responsible for gathering, curating, and leveraging the intellectual capital created by and disseminated through OLC. Prior to her position at the OLC, Angela served as the Director of Instructional Design & Curriculum Development for the Office of Digital Learning, managing and mentoring the team that builds the fully-online programs for The University of Arizona. Her over fifteen-year career as a designer for higher education informs her instructional design practice, where she leverages her expertise in web design, usability, visual communication, programming, and standards-based online learning. She is an Associate Editor for the Teacher Education Board of MERLOT, and the recipient of the 2018 MERLOT Distinguished Service Award, the organization’s highest honor. She is also the recipient of two Online Learning Consortium Effective Practice Awards for the creation of a framework for personal learning networks, and for the creation of exploratory installations of education technology, respectively. In 2019, Dr. Gunder was named an OLC Fellow for her dedication to service, innovation, and scholarship in support of student success in online learning. Her research interests include open educational practices, digital literacies, narrative in online course design, and emerging technology for second language acquisition. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Fine Art from Fordham University, a M.Ed. in Education Technology from Arizona State University. Angela completed her Ph.D. in Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies at The University of Arizona, where in 2020 she was named an Erasmus Scholar by the College of Education for her commitment to the college, the university and to the community. Pronouns: she/her/hers

Co-presenter: Carlos Morales, Tarrant County College District

Dr. Carlos R. Morales is the founding President of TCC Connect Campus at Tarrant County College District, a comprehensive two-year institution providing education to more than 100,000 students annually. As president he manages, directs, and implements TCC policies, programs, and operating strategies for Distance Learning, and Weekend College initiatives for the College. Dr. Morales has extensive online and classroom teaching experience in the areas of Biology, Science Teaching, Education and Instructional Technology. Dr. Morales has published internationally peer-reviewed journal articles on the topics of instructional technology. Morales graduated from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, with bachelors and masters degrees in Biology and Science Education, and received his doctorate, with a dissertation on Constructivist Learning Environments in Online Course Design, from Capella University. He was a Frye fellow in 2009 and in 2012 the American Association of State Colleges and Universities named him a Millennium Leadership Fellow.

Co-presenter: Marla Franco, University of Arizona

Extended Abstract