We invite you to submit a proposal for the 5th Annual Emerging Technologies for Online Learning International Symposium, to be held July 25-27, 2012 at the Venetian/Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Emerging Technologies for Online Learning International Symposium, a joint Symposium of Sloan Consortium and MERLOT, is designed to bring together individuals interested in the review and evaluation of online teaching and learning technologies.

Faculty, students, instructional designers, instructional technologists and academic administrators are encouraged to submit proposals which are engaging, informative and interactive. These sessions can be targeted to all attendees or beginners, intermediates, and experts.

The symposium, focusing on the technologies, networking and systems that drive online learning effectiveness will accept presentations that offer attendees "real solutions." Symposium tracks highlight and demonstrate research, application and effective practices and noteworthy technological tools in the following areas:

The portal to submit proposals will open on December 9. Proposals for presentations must be submitted by March 5, 2012 at http://sloanconsortium.org/et4online/call_for_presentations.

Join your colleagues at the 9th Annual Sloan Consortium Blended Learning Conference and Workshop as we problem-solve, exchange ideas, and explore effective strategies about blended learning. This year’s conference theme, "Perfecting the Blend," reflects our current efforts to further explore the blending of the student experience through practice and research while harnessing the potential of new and emerging technologies, pedagogies, and practices in a greater array of educational institutions facilitating an overall improvement in the state of education.

Attendees will be able to attend two days of sessions including interactive workshops, information sessions, poster sessions, a plenary session, and a keynote address, all focused on instructional practices, academic planning, faculty development, and assessment/evaluation.

Facilitators include A. Frank Mayadas, Ph.D. at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation ; Karen Swan, Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Illinois Springfield; Wallace E. Boston, President and Chief Executive Officer of American Public University System (APUS); Meg Benke, Sloan-C President and Vice Provost for Online and Global Programs at Empire State College.

Watch your email for important ALERT message when registration opens in a few days!

December Sloan-C Certificate Graduate of the Month



Renée M. Cicchino is a Senior Instructional Designer Teaching, Learning and Technology Center at Seton Hall University. Over the last several years, Renee has led the online course development initiatives and various special projects including the development of self-paced training modules. To support her colleagues, she offers workshops, resources, and templates focusing on online course development strategies and best practices for online teaching.

Renee has been teaching various (online, face to face, undergraduate, and graduate) communication courses in the College of Arts and Sciences at Seton Hall University since 1994. Additionally, in 2004, she began teaching online mass communications courses at Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey. Renee also holds the PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and Emergency First Response Instructor ratings and will be teaching scuba diving through the College of Education at SHU this fall.

Renee completed her Sloan-C Certificate and is a very active Sloan-C Member. She currently serves as a Mentor in the Certificate program and is very active in the organization as well as a conference participant.

Congratulations Renee for your accomplishments and dedication to the Sloan-C Institute!

December Workshop Facilitator of the Month



The Sloan-C Institute has selected Cathy Swift to be the Facilitator of the Month for December 2011. Cathy has been a fantastic resource though 2011 providing numerous webinars and workshops to help our members and participants know more about resources that are available to them.

Cathy’s experience with MERLOT is Director-Academic Partner Services. She works with all of MERLOT's Editorial Boards to ensure that they continue to maintain the collection of materials in their disciplines. Their most important task is to complete the Peer Reviews, which is one of the unique things about MERLOT. Cathy was a faculty member in the College of Business Administration at Georgia Southern University for 15 years. She became involved with MERLOT back in 1999 as the Leader of the Business Team.

Cathy will be back again in March for another workshop:

MERLOT 101: Share Teaching and Learning Materials with The Online Community – March 7-16th

Thank you Cathy for your hard work and dedication to the Sloan-C Institute!

Online education is being pushed through because it is a money-maker for the university. There has been little forethought into how the medium differs from traditional on the ground learning. Montessori education allows students to learn at their own pace, reduce cognitive overload and increase creativity and collaboration. This is a model we should be looking at when creating new programs.

2012 Sloan-C Webinars - NEW!

Turning Knowledge Into Action – Contextual Learning and Natural Assessment - January 18, 2012 2:00 - 3:30PM ET