By Cheryl Zelle, Graduate Student, Kansas State University
Faculty and staff interested in online learning, educational technology, and instructional design are invited to attend the Summer Institute on Distance Learning and Instructional Technology (SIDLIT) Wednesday, August 2 at K-State Olathe and Thursday-Friday August 3-4 at Johnson County Community College. The conference is hybrid, so virtual participation is also available for all sessions.
Thanks to the sponsorship support of the K-State Olathe and Salina Aerospace and Technology campuses, registration for the conference in person is reduced to $50 and virtual participation is FREE! You can find the registration links and discount codes below.
About SIDLIT 2023
The SIDLIT (pronounced “sidelight”) conference is an annual event organized by Colleague 2 Colleague (C2C), and this year returns in person after three years of entirely virtual conferences. The event begins Wednesday afternoon with 3-hour workshops for deeper participant engagement, experiential learning, and opportunities for hands-on practice.
Thursday, a panel of experts – including K-State’s own Scott Finkeldei, Director for Academic and Student Technology, and Dr. Rana Johnson, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging – discuss the intersection of educational technology and DEI. Lisa Shappee, Professor and Director of Instructional Design and Faculty Support at Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus, is coordinating the panel discussion, which will be moderated by Dr. Robert Gibson, Dean of Academic Technology and Director of Instructional Design at WSUTech.
Also Thursday, C2C members and a diverse group of presenters offer breakout sessions on topics such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence, adaptive learning, accessibility, teaching presence behaviors, art-making generative AI, faculty-focused online professional development, OER publishing processes, innovative ideas for Canvas shells, empathy and mental health in education, and various tech tools such as Pixabay, Poll Everywhere, LinkedIn, Deep Dream Generator, Adobe Aero, and more.
Friday includes more breakout sessions and a box lunch provided, followed by a powerful and interactive virtual keynote address. C2C is honored to welcome Dr. Angela Gunder, Chief Academic Officer and Vice President of Learning for the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), who will deliver “a call to action” as she speaks about “Embracing the Digital Turn: A New Era of Quality, Equity, and Care in Online and Blended Learning.” The conference wraps up with C2C’s annual awards presentation, brief closing remarks, and door prizes – including for virtual attendees.
Links to more information and registration
You can use the following links to:
- visit the website to learn more about C2C
- learn more about the SIDLIT conference
- register to attend in person or virtually
- plan your custom schedule for the conference on the Sched app
- learn more about the keynote speaker, Dr. Angela Gunder
subscribe to the mailing list for more news and announcements from C2C
About C2C in 2023
Colleague 2 Colleague (C2C), with some 1,500 members, presents the SIDLIT conference annually in collaboration with its host institutions and sponsors. Historically, the C2C chairperson hosts the conference at the institution they represent, whenever possible. This year’s chair, Cheryl Zelle, is a doctoral candidate in Adult Learning and Leadership at the K-State Olathe Campus and Global Campus. She is also an adjunct faculty at Johnson County Community College and Baker University, who are also hosting and providing graduate credit for conference attendance, respectively. Ms. Zelle recently received the 2023 K-State Alumni Association Graduate Award for Outstanding Leadership and Service and is proud to showcase the K-State Olathe Campus she represents for the first afternoon of the conference.
Several other members of the K-State community are presenting and volunteering during the event, including faculty and staff from Manhattan, K-State Olathe, Global, and Salina Aerospace and Technology campuses. C2C extends special gratitude to Lisa Shappee in Salina and Shalin Hai-Jew in Manhattan for their leadership and dedication to the volunteer organization.
Cheryl Zelle may be reached at czelle@ksu.edu.
