Blackboard to Present at OLC Accelerate

Thursday, November 17

3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.        

Creating eLearning environments where students with disabilities can succeed and all students benefit: When colleges and universities create an accessible e-Learning environment, it's not only students with disabilities that benefit -  research shows that every student benefits. During this engaging and interactive session, led by Blackboard accessibility expert Scott Ready, participants will learn several conventional and non-conventional approaches to creating a barrier free eLearning environment.

3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.     

Now that the election is over – what's on the horizon: While the U.S. Department of Education continues to assist the president in executing their education policies for the nation and in implementing laws enacted by Congress, a presidential election tends to impact on executive actions and legislative timelines.  Now that the election is over, what's on the horizon with regard to federal policy?  Join this panel to discuss the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and other key legislation. Panelists include: Van Davis, ‎Associate Vice President of Higher Education Research & Policy, Blackboard; Karen Pederson, Chief Knowledge Officer, Online Learning Consortium; Kathleen S. Ives, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Online Learning Consortium; Russell Poulin, Deputy Director of Research and Analysis, WCET; and Ken Salomon, Partner, Thompson Coburn LLP.

Friday, November 18

9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.     

Quality, Accessibility, Inclusiveness: What makes a great online program: An inclusive online learning program provides all students, including those with significant disabilities, equitable opportunities to receive effective educational services. Quality online programs take advantage of the many capabilities offered by technology, such as video and interactive tools, to make coursework engaging and best present material to learners. Led by Blackboard accessibility expert Scott Ready, this session will provide attendees with best practices and tools they can implement to develop quality, accessible programs at their own institution.