Watch the Conference Live:
The main speaker events for the conference will be webcast live on December 3-4. The December 4 afternoon workshop sessions will not be webcast or recorded. Recordings will remain available for viewing on the Graham Center website following the event.
December 3 webcast: http://mediasite.video.ufl.edu/Mediasite/Play/6695d907473a483ebc4153e61ddf3f381d
December 4 webcast: http://mediasite.video.ufl.edu/Mediasite/Play/9e1ec02d55df4e3981e3be2c118f7e381
As the University of Florida looks to expand its online course offerings in January with the launch of UF Online, the Office of the Provost and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida will kick-off the digital education initiative by jointly offering a two-day conference for faculty and administrators entitled Online Learning and the Future of Higher Education on Dec. 3-4. The conference will be streamed live on the Bob Graham Center website at www.bobgrahamcenter.ufl.edu.
Leaders from around the nation and faculty and administrators from UF and other State University System schools will gather to engage in a substantive discussion about new technologies and ways they can be deployed to strengthen the learning experience of students. Issues surrounding online education from delivery platforms to student engagement to intellectual property will also be addressed.
Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Will Weatherford will offer a luncheon address during the event. Weatherford, a champion of the legislation that mandated the online track at UF, will discuss the impetus behind the expanded funding for online education by the Florida legislature.
Conference participants will also attend a series of breakout sessions during the two-day program. The breakout sessions are designed to bring together faculty who are teaching in new formats with faculty who are teaching traditional classes so they might collaborate on ways to deliver the highest quality online education for students.
“This conference represents an important opportunity for faculty and administrators to shape the direction of online education on campus,” said David Colburn, provost and senior vice president emeritus and director of the Bob Graham Center.
The Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) is conducting a survey to determine faculty perspectives on the challenges and benefits the new technologies pose for higher education. The results of the BEBR survey will be sent to all meeting participants prior to the event and will be used as a springboard for discussion.
Recommended Reading:
In preparation for the December 3-4 Conference, the following articles are recommended reading for faculty:
- Presidents and Professors Largely Agree on Who Should Lead Innovation by Jeffrey Selingo
September 30, 2013 Chronicle of Higher Education (must be UF affiliated or have a Chronicle of Higher Education subscription to access)