ISSUED: 6 September 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Six representatives from Shepherd University’s College of Nursing, Education, and Health Sciences attended the 35th annual University of Wisconsin-Madison Distance Teaching and Learning Conference in August.
More than 800 higher education faculty, staff, instructional designers, and workforce trainers from across the nation attended the conference, which invited collaboration, connection, and network-building and spotlighted best practices and evidence-based approaches to distance education. Those representing Shepherd were Dr. Sharon Mailey, dean, College of Nursing, Education, and Health Sciences; Dr. Angela Fetty, assistant professor of nursing education; Dr. Jennifer L. Penland, director, School of Education; Dr. Dawne R. Burke, professor of education; Dr. Desmond Lawless, associate professor of health and physical education; and Dr. Andro Barnett professor in recreation and leisure studies and M.B.A. sport management coordinator.
Keynotes and panels addressed emerging technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, multimedia design, and alternative credentials. Keynote speaker Bryan Alexander, internationally known futurist and author of “The New Digital Storytelling,” offered a vision of distance education’s next phases, and laid out the practical steps for getting there. Conference sessions explored the changing landscape of distance education and how best to prepare for its future.
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