It's an exciting time for educators and students. The development of tools and resources that increase student and faculty engagement, allow for anytime anywhere access to courses, synchronous and asynchronous collaboration, campus resources and community information are changing the way we teach and learn. Learning for the digital age must be less structured and more informal, self-enabled, interactive, engaging and collaborative. The early success of new tools, like social networks, video, wikis, podcasts, IM, and more, show a demand for learner-driven education. At the same time, educators and administrators are resource constrained and must economically find and integrate expanding: - Relevant content - Global resources - Peer expertise - Diverse perspectives And do so while engaging 21st century learners and maintaining high-quality teaching. Teaching and learning are evolving from traditional classroom lectures and activities to online courses, collaborative ad-hoc discussions, and anytime/anywhere access to information and experts. To achieve their academic, administrative, and financial goals, today's educational institutions are investing in technologies that go beyond the virtual classroom and web conferencing to also facilitate the business of education. The time has come to blend pedagogy, learning outcomes and student engagement with sound business decision-making. On an organizational level, institutions must engage in strategic planning and decision making that will enhance productivity for faculty and staff. With ever-decreasing budgets, academic institutions and training organizations must balance important educational impacts with bottom-line revenue implications, including a rapid return on their investment in technology. Hear how educational organizations at all levels are implementing integrated technologies that enable them to: - Increase learner comprehension, engagement, and satisfaction - Enhance teacher effectiveness and learning experiences - Increase retention and completion rates - Facilitate adoption of learning technologies - Increase operational efficiency and productivity - Leverage existing technology investments - Reduce travel and physical infrastructure costs Session participants will take away an understanding of: - The importance of synchronous interaction in an online or blended teaching and learning environment - Why availability, accessibility, and usability are key criteria for supporting 21st century teaching and learning - How academic institutions can collaborate with vendors to drive technology development, resulting in richer, more interactive experience for all, regardless of geography, economy, or ability - What features and functionality can eliminate barriers to meeting individual needs and learning styles, enabling a wider range of users to fully engage and participate
