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 – […]

State Authorization Lawsuit: Court and Ed Department Need to Work Together to Avoid Causing More Confusion for Students and Institutions

April 30, 2019.Reading time 22 minutes.

A photo of a gavel on a keyboard representing a legal finding in a technology-based case.

As one of my favorite columnists, Dave Barry, used to say, “I am not making this up!” Maybe what I am about to share isn’t as exciting to you as last week’s release of “Avengers: Endgame” or Sunday’s “Game of Thrones” episode, but I kid you not, we are living in real life plot twisting […]

Negotiated Rulemaking: The Complexity of “Regular and Substantive Interaction”

April 26, 2019.Reading time 20 minutes.

Image of extremely complicated and complex geometry problem, including numbers, shapes, and graphs.

This is the third in our blog post series on the results of the U.S. Department of Education’s negotiated rulemaking process. The first in the series focused an overview of process, issues, and next steps. The second covered rules for state authorization. Today, we focus on definitions that seem like they should be easy, but […]

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 […]

Negotiated Rulemaking: What Happened with State Authorization and Licensure Notifications?

April 17, 2019.Reading time 30 minutes.

Graphic that reads "State Authorization" in red. The names of each state are written around the phrase "State Authorization."

In this second of our blogs dedicated to exploring the outcomes of the recent negotiated rulemaking sessions, Cheryl Dowd and Russ Poulin focus on the state authorization for distance education language that transpired from those conversations. They also share some integral changes to professional licensure notifications, as those requirements have been expanded to ALL programs […]

Negotiated Rulemaking Reaches Consensus: An Overview of Processes, Issues, and Next Steps

April 12, 2019.Reading time 16 minutes.

Picture of five human fists, joined over a wooden table in the form a fist punch.

In this first of several blogs dedicated to sharing the meaningful outcomes of the three-month negotiated rulemaking sessions, Cheryl Dowd and Russ Poulin announce some exciting news and provide an overall assessment of the process and results from these important sessions. Enjoy! –Erin Walton, contract editor for WCET Consensus was a surprise! That is right, […]

The Connected Student and the Internet of Things

April 9, 2019.Reading time 12 minutes.

Today we welcome Mickey Slimp, Executive Director of the Northeast Texas Consortium of Colleges & Universities (NETnet), located at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, where he also serves as an associate provost of academic affairs. In his blog, Mickey discusses the realities of thriving in an Internet dependent society. More importantly, […]

Announcing 10 Tips for Report Writers

April 3, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

PIcture with red background and sign that reads, "10 Tips for Report Writers" from Oregon State University Ecampus Research Unit.

In this blog, we welcome Mary Ellen Dello Stritto and Kathryn Linder from the Oregon State University Ecampus Research Unit as they introduce a companion resource: 10 Tips for Report Writers. This new resource was thoughtfully developed to assist practitioners and researchers in the field. Like the Report Reader Checklist, this resource serves as a […]

Ivy Tech’s ‘Innovation Day’ Supports Promising Faculty Ideas

March 29, 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

Picture of a single light bulb placed against a blackboard. The light bulb is surrounded by a white cloud drawn in chalk.

Thank you to Kara Monroe for today’s WCET Frontiers guest blog post. Kara is the Provost and Senior Vice President at Ivy Tech Community College and also serves on the WCET Steering Committee. During Ivy Tech’s Innovation Day, faculty have three minutes to pitch a new idea. A few are selected to be supported with […]