Conference Tracks

The 2010 Symposium will offer eight tracks plus pre-conference workshops in a range of topics related to emerging technologies in online learning.  Tracks include:

1. Pre-Conference Workshops

The workshop format allows for more detailed descriptions and walkthroughs during the quieter time before the conference. You may want to draw out audience participation and conduct conversations or debates on complex issues. Likewise, if you have ideas on how to use the place-based resources around the hotel such as local culture and technology venues, this highly flexible format is ideal. These long sessions work best when multiple experts coordinate an integrated presentation, though this isn’t required. Many attendees bring laptops and are able to follow along using the hotel's wireless network. Proposals for "unconference" events, mobile technology, open source projects, and augmented reality gaming are particularly valued here. You are free to submit similar proposals to the pre-conference workshops and the regular conference sessions.

Examples of topics: Moodle training, support, software development, or hosting, developing and vetting learning objects, management perspectives, low-cost tools, designing hybrid course for the net generation learner, Web 2.0 technologies and student-centered learning, Google apps to organize your work, cloud computing for student services, moving laboratories online, copyright issues, content creation, and social networking tools.

2. The Cutting Edge

What tools are being developed that will change education? Will new social networking tools help us graduate more people? What technologies will improve learning outcomes? This track is for serious cutting edge applications and theoretical work which provides supportable rational for transformative innovations. The focus is be on the development of custom applications or advanced, off-the-shelf, applications. Theoretical discussions should provide  a view to future technological developments in the online learning space. The presentations can focus on technology, best practices, networking, semantics, artificial intelligence, new learning designs and other approaches which challenge current practices.

Examples of topics: personal learning systems, mobile learning, augmented reality, integrating emerging technologies with Moodle, new & innovative Moodle blocks and modules, alternative learning paths, promising cloud technologies, developments in design and development

3. Pedagogy

How do new technologies improve teaching and learning? How do emerging technologies affect instructional design? How do emerging technologies support assessment including explicit (acquisition, display, understanding) to the implicit (built-in, hidden, or ubiquitous)? What is the instructional value of new technologies and how do we analyze the value of these tools? How do we promote more use of tools among the community, especially those created and shared in MERLOT?

This track is specifically for sharing proven successful practices and strategies, including pilots of pedagogical applications in teaching and learning.
Examples of topics: Open educational resources, collaborative efforts, STEM education, using Moodle features to help students meet learning objectives, Moodle teacher design paradigms, and affordable and sustainable delivery models are areas of interest.

4. Faculty Development

How do we help faculty share content in new and meaningful ways? Do we need to address all types of faculty: early adopters, late adopters and those in the middle? What are the best practices that can be incorporated for various faculty populations and various discipline areas? The best technology is only effective if faculty know how to utilize it. The focus of this track is to describe practices, policies, cases, etc. that can be used to cultivate tech savvy faculty. Presentations should explore ways in which to encourage, promote, and educate faculty in the best practices for improving teaching. MERLOT has provided a model for faculty development while providing faculty with peer reviewed documentation in support of tenure.

Examples of topics: Implementing emerging technologies to influence instructional design, supporting faculty in the learning of new tools, improving teaching and learning with new technologies and Moodle-training; using Moodle to provide faculty examples, best practices showcase by Moodle faculty, highlight effective Moodle training practices, faculty development strategies for moving to Moodle.

5. Inventive uses of media and tools

Which emerging technologies make sense for use in everyday instruction? What is the evidence that inventive uses of media and tools really improve outcomes in learning, accessibility, affordability, faculty satisfaction, or student satisfaction?  

This track is especially for practitioners to share information about using media and tools for specific learning objectives, to explain results of media studies, or to describe inventive approaches including reducing costs use open software like Moodle; collaborations with others-use Moodle decrease barriers.
Examples of topics: podcasting, visualization, simple games, lecture capture, inexpensive digital video, inter-institutional Moodle collaborations, faculty and student satisfaction using Moodle.

6. Immersive Learning and Virtual Environments

What are replicable or shareable examples of immersive and virtual environments that improve outcomes in learning, accessibility, affordability, faculty satisfaction, or student satisfaction?  How do simulations--virtual worlds, gaming, virtual science or engineering labs, and other simulations−succeed in experiential and service learning, collaboration, practice for critical skills or training? What models support investment in the researching and developing immersive learning tools which sometime have higher costs in development, faculty training, or staff time? This track welcomes submission that support theory and recommends methods to collective evidence of effectiveness.

Examples of topics: 3-D worlds, remote labs, avatars, mobile technologies, haptic devices, simulations, Sloodle (Second Life & Moodle integration)

7. The New Learning Communities

How are new social networking applications transforming online and hybrid educational environments? Some example of applications include: blogs, wikis, communications within customer service management applications, etc. How are these new tools and communities supporting the learning experience? How do these affect: student learning and satisfaction; the roles of faculty, administration, and staff; access to educational opportunities; or the formation of non-traditional networking? What new learning communities are forming to bridge disciplines, institutions, regions, and nations? What evidence measures the effectiveness of these communities?  What principles guide their development?

This track seeks submissions that demonstrate significant learning, satisfaction, access, affordability improvements through online social connectivity, and support communities using Moodle.

Examples of topics: establishing social networks, engaging communities of learning, fostering Moodle communities of practice, integrating social networking sites with Moodle, community software, personal learning environments, mentoring, learning architecture.

8. Emerging Technologies for Administration, Infrastructure, and Support Services

How have the myriad new applications and technologies affected student and staff support systems and models? What are creative and cost effective applications of technology for staff and faculty development and training, library, academic and student support services?  What can we learn from for-profit institutions about scalability? What are effective approaches to technology selection, open source utilization and partnerships, peer learning, or self-learning paradigms? How do institutions use technologies to scale for capacity enrollment while improving quality?

This track focuses on new paradigms for learning and information technology infrastructure, emphasizing infrastructure support for online and hybrid environments, best practices using Moodle, including open educational resources and academic continuity.

Examples of topics: social networking tools, student information systems, using Moodle for non-coursework (e.g., project management, administrative committee work, campus support services), retention and technology, ePortfolios

9. Architecture & Applications

How can new and emerging applications be leveraged to benefit pedagogical effectiveness? What are the savings, in terms of human and / or financial resources associated with these implementations? Corporate partners are encouraged to present research, case studies and emerging applications related to specific solutions that have significant educational value.  These presentations must demonstrate pedagogically grounded uses of new and emerging technologies for the delivery of online learning. These presentations must include academic partners who can help illustrate the clear value of these solutions beyond a marketing level to make clear the pedagogical value proposition of the implementation.

This track focuses on clearly demonstrating value propositions inherent in adopting commercial solutions.

Examples of topics: use cases, case studies, exploration of emerging applications from a pedagogical perspective, and how to support architecture best practices for enterprise-level Moodle installations