2nd CT Virtual Summit on Distance Learning to Explore Higher Ed's New Normal

• By Rhea Kelly
• 06/09/20

In recent months, colleges and universities across the country have been in emergency response mode: closing campuses, moving courses online, slapping together infrastructure to enable teaching, learning and operations to continue virtually. Now that the initial fires have been put out, institutions are faced with strategic planning for a fall semester in uncharted territory. Short term fixes need to transition to long-term solutions.

On July 16, the Campus Technology Distance Learning Summit will provide insight, ideas and information for education IT decision-makers facing higher education's new normal of teaching and learning in these unprecedented times. In three hour-long editorial sessions, education and IT leaders will discuss the most critical considerations for managing higher ed's "new normal" and engage attendees with a live Q&A. On the agenda:

Session 1: What Will the Fall Semester Look Like?
Higher education institutions across the country are facing a lot of uncertainty as they make plans for fall. While some are reopening campuses with new accommodations for physical distancing, others are keeping most of their courses online or modifying schedules to enable a hybrid approach. In this session, Dr. Elliot Stern, president of Saddleback College, will share how his institution is making these strategic decisions and what kinds of policies and infrastructure they are putting in place to move forward.

Session 2: IT Fallout from the Emergency Move to Online Learning
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and institutions were faced with the sudden need to close campuses and move courses online, let's face it: A lot of shortcuts were taken, bypassing traditional IT policies. Students, faculty and staff were using their personal devices to access university systems. They were signing up for new learning tools right and left. They were accessing the internet over open (and vulnerable) public WiFi. In this session, Brian Fodrey, CIO for Stevenson University, will discuss what institutions can do to rein in these IT security risks and better protect systems and data.  

Session 3: Online Learning Phase 2: Fine-Tuning Student Engagement
Students will need more than video lectures if they are going to survive — and thrive — in a digital learning environment. Now that many courses have made the jump from in-person to online, it's time to make sure students are actually being engaged and quality standards are being met. In this session, experts will share strategies for measuring student engagement and boosting outcomes.

Join us for this free event on Thursday, July 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PT. The summit is produced by the staff of Campus Technology, made possible by the generous support of our event sponsor, Citrix. For more information and to register, visit the CT Summit site.