Augmented Reality Adventures in Teaching Horticulture

May 22, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

Today we welcome Shannon Riggs, Executive Director of Course Development and Learning Innovation for Oregon State University Ecampus. She is also the author of the forthcoming Thrive Online: A New Approach for College Educators (Stylus, 2019). Shannon shares with us a most fascinating and recent example of innovation — using Augmented Reality to teach Horticulture […]

Accidental Adoption: When the Tool Finds You

May 3, 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

Picture of man sitting at a table and working on a laptop computer. He is wearing headphones and drinking coffee.

Today we welcome Kenneth Rogers, Enterprise Instructional Technology Specialist with Alamo Colleges District as he shares a story from which all contemporary educators can glean insight. Integrating new technology requires courage and a willingness to embrace change and yet springs tremendous growth and opportunity, just as Kenneth captures in this blog. Enjoy! -Erin Walton – […]

The University of Missouri System Seeks Success in eLearning Through Innovative, Needs-Based Approach

April 24, 2019.Reading time 12 minutes.

Official sign of University of Missouri System including Columbia, Kansas City, Rolla, and St. Louis.

Today we welcome Steven Chaffin, Research Consultant, and Steve Graham, Senior Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, both from the University of Missouri System. Online learning is an increasingly attractive alternative for students and educational institutions, and yet, to be successful in this realm requires thoughtful and deliberate action. Let us learn from the trail-blazing […]

Finding Inspiration for Strategic Planning

April 19, 2019.Reading time 10 minutes.

Yellow quote box that reads, "We have a strategic plan -- It's called doing things," by Herb Kelleher.

Today we welcome Judith Sebesta, Executive Director of Virtual College of Texas as she shares a poignant, entertaining story of valuing strategic planning and the many benefits it offers all organizations, particularly those that receive state legislative appropriations. Enjoy! -Erin Walton – contract editor for WCET The classic Pixar movie Toy Story conveys some compelling […]

Adventures at the Consumer Electronics Show: the world’s largest “Digital Disney World,” the higher ed perspective

February 8, 2019.Reading time 20 minutes.

Picture of the shoes of two people standing on tile that reads, "Passion Led Us Here."

Executive director of WCET, Mike Abbiatti, recently attended the massive Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. New and soon-to-be introduced electronic products are unveiled each year at the Show. The following blog contains the details and reflections of his adventure through the latest technological innovations. He also wonders what the impact of these new tools […]

Transforming Our Model for Student Success: The WRAP Initiative

October 19, 2018.Reading time 14 minutes.

quote box reads: “It’s truly rewarding to watch our campus do a complete 180-degree turn, 9% virtual in 2004 and now is 9% face-to-face in 2018. To accomplish this and have increases in matriculations, persistence, and graduations as well as keeping a population of over 24,000 students active by completely overhauling our model is incredible.” - Jason M. Ruckert, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide

Welcome to the final blog post in our WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) Award blog post series! Today we are joined by Jason M. Ruckert from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide, to discuss their 2018 WOW Award winning initiative: Worldwide Retention, Affinity, and Persistence or WRAP. The WRAP initiative encompasses immersive solutions which include the incorporation […]

WCET’s 7th Annual Leadership Summit

June 15, 2018.Reading time 22 minutes.

word cloud with words: inclusion, financial aid, learning, worstudy, data, equality, faculty, studnet, diversity, skills, future, access OER, equity, digital, accessibility, success, technology, diverse, innovation, competencies, highered, worforce, education,a chievement, committment

We just got back from the annual WCET Leadership Summit in Newport Beach, CA where we deliberated on how digital learning can help higher education can embrace: Equity as a demonstrated priority for the institutions’ students, faculty, and staff. Accessibility as the lens through which the institution examines its resources, policies, services, and infrastructure. Data […]

Looking Back, Looking Forward

January 16, 2018.Reading time 15 minutes.

word cloud with the words "technology, buzz, CBE, tradition, distance ed, personalized, teaching, virtual reality, copetency, augmented rality, accessibility, data, content learning, instructional design, enrollment, digital, magic, platform, accomodations, evidence, digital learning, innovation, student, SARA, policy, online learning, govnerment, hype, OER, student

It seems like all the cool kids are writing about last year’s trends and predicting what will come to pass in 2018. Well, we WCETers don’t want to be left out of the fun! Over the last few weeks I’ve discussed 2017 and 2018 with some of the movers and shakers in the higher ed, […]

What is Distance Education? – Definitions and Delineations

November 7, 2017.Reading time 13 minutes.

image reading "what is distance education?"

Close your eyes (not for too long) and answer the question: “What is distance education?” Did you envision the same concept and experiences as I did? Even though more than one-quarter of all higher education students in the United States and a roughly equivalent number in Canada now take at least one distance education course, […]

From a Vision to Reality: The Story of Sentinel City®

October 24, 2017.Reading time 8 minutes.

a screenshot from inside the sentinel city platform, showing a virtual healthcare building

Today we continue the WCET Frontiers series on the 2017 WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) Awards. These awards honor member institutions and organizations that develop technology-based solutions to challenging educational needs. The 2017 award winners will be honored this week at the 29th WCET Annual Meeting. Welcome to Megan Sellers, from Healthcare Innovations, a division of […]