An Invitation to A Panel Discussion
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| Wednesday, October 17, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. | |
| The Student Center
Atrium: An Invitation to A Panel Discussion |
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| Confronting the Insurmountable Opportunities of Online Education | |
| This panel will feature a discussion of broad issues that impact the effectiveness of online teaching and learning. Focusing on factors that enable and constrain faculty satisfaction, pedagogical approaches that support student engagement and learning, and ethical issues in online instruction, panelist Karen Swan, Melody Thompson, and Peter Shea will highlight lessons learned from years of research and practice. This timely presentation will provide essential insights into the many benefits (and the challenges) associated with teaching in today's rapidly changing technology mediated-learning environments. | |
Our guest presenters are:
| Dr. Karen Swan Kent State University |
Dr. Peter Shea University at Albany, SUNY |
Dr. Melody Thompson Penn State University |
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| Karen Swan is Research Professor in the Research Center for Educational Technology at Kent State University and a faculty member in the Instructional Technology program. Dr. Swan’s research has been focused mainly in the general area of media and learning on which she has published and presented nationally and internationally. Her current research focuses on online learning and on student learning in ubiquitous computing environments. Dr. Swan has authored several hypermedia programs including Set on Freedom: The American Civil Rights Movement 1953-1968, and co-edited two books, Social Learning from Broadcast Television and Ubiquitous Computing in Education: Invisible Technology, Visible Impact, as well as a DVD ROM on the latter topic. | Dr. Shea has served for several years as a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, where he has taught at the graduate level both online and in the classroom. His research focuses on the student and faculty experience in technology-mediated teaching and learning, most recently on the topics of "teaching presence" and community in asynchronous learning networks. He is the author of many articles and several book chapters on the topic of online learning and co-author of "The Successful Distance Learning Student". He is a co-recipient of several awards including the EDUCAUSE Award for Systemic Progress in Teaching and Learning for the State University of New York, and Sloan Consortium Awards for Excellence in Faculty Development and Asynchronous Learning Networks Programs. He is a member of the American Educational Research Association and the editorial board for the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. | Melody M. Thompson holds a dual appointment at Penn State: in the College of Education as Director of the American Center for the Study of Distance Education (ACSDE) and assistant professor of education and in Outreach as Director of Quality & Planning for Penn State’s World Campus. Her current research interests include evaluation of distance education programs, institutional policy related to distance education, and the faculty experience in the online environment. Dr. Thompson has written a number of peer-reviewed articles and several book chapters about distance education; with Alan Chute and Burton Hancock she co-authored the 1997 McGraw-Hill Handbook of Distance Education. She has served as book review editor for The American Journal of Distance Education and currently serves as editor of the Sloan-C “Faculty Satisfaction” Effective Practices Web site and on the editorial board of JALN (Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks). She received her B.A. degree in English from Bryn Mawr College and her M.Ed. and D.Ed. degrees in Adult Education from Penn State. |
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| This presentation is being brought to you by the Distance Learning Advisory (DLA) and Teaching, Learning and Technology (TLT) Committees.. | ||
