SDCCD DE Summit 2024
2024 Distance Education Summit
Friday October 4th
In-person & Online (Zoom)
CCE's North City Campus, 8355 Aero Dr. San Diego, CA 92123
RM 101 & Online (Zoom)
Flex Credit:
College: #25639
CCE: #36161
Join Us for the 2024 Distance Education Summit!
We’re excited to invite you to the Annual Distance Education Summit, hosted by the San Diego Community College Online Learning Pathway Department on Friday, October 4th, 2024!
For the first time since 2019, we’re back in person to celebrate the incredible contributions of online educators. This summit honors the vital role educators play in bridging the gap between students and learning opportunities through online modalities.
This event offers a unique opportunity to connect, network, and collaborate with fellow educators. Together, we'll dive into cutting-edge topics such as Open Educational Resources (OER), the integration of AI into education, and innovative strategies for online learning.
We’re thrilled to feature Dr. Derek Bruff as our keynote speaker, sharing his insights on the transformative power of educational technology in college teaching.
Don’t miss out on this inspiring day of learning, growth, and connection. We look forward to seeing you there!
Schedule Of Events
8:00 - 8:45 AM Breakfast and Networking
Event Description:
Online & DIstributed Learning Dean Weston will kick off the 2024 Online Summit with a presentation on distance education efforts across the District, updated numbers on our students, and support for the 24/25 year.
About our Presenter:
Brian Weston started working in California Community College’s as an American Sign Language Interpreter and progressed into Information Technology and Teaching. Brian serves as the Dean of Online & Distributed Learning at San Diego Community College District. He leads the Districtwide Distance Education Steering Committee, Educational Services Software Workgroup, and Student Textbook Affordability Committee for the district. His focus is enhancing online programs and course offerings while ensuring that students have access to necessary college services.
Event Description:
Chalkboards and projectors are familiar tools for most college faculty, but when new technologies become available, instructors aren’t always sure how to integrate them into their teaching in meaningful ways. As faculty interested in supporting student learning survey the changing landscape of technology, determining what’s possible and what’s useful can be challenging. In this session, we’ll explore several teaching principles for matching technology to pedagogy, principles that can help us make intentional and effective use of technology in our teaching.
About our Presenter:
Derek Bruff, an educator, author, and higher ed consultant, is associate director at the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Virginia. He is the author of two books, Intentional Tech: Principles to Guide the Use of Educational Technology in College Teaching and Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Creating Active Learning Environments. He writes a weekly newsletter called Intentional Teaching and produces the Intentional Teaching podcast. Bruff directed the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching for more than a decade, where he helped faculty and other instructors develop foundational teaching skills and explore new ideas in teaching. He consults regularly with faculty and administrators across higher education on issues of teaching, learning, and faculty development. Bruff’s major accomplishments while leading the CFT include building a “students as producers” approach to course design into CFT programming as a way to help faculty at a research university rethink their teaching and engage their students in deep learning, integrating learning management system and other instructional technology support into the CFT to help instructors teach in a variety of modalities (in-person, synchronous and asynchronous online, hybrid), and guiding the strategic development of the CFT as it went from 8 to 14 full-time staff positions. Bruff has a PhD in mathematics and has taught math courses at Vanderbilt and Harvard University. Currently, he is Visiting Associate Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, University of Mississippi.
10:00 - 10:15 AM Break
Event Description:
Discover how to incorporate Open Educational Resources (OER) into your courses, reducing textbook costs for students and potentially boosting enrollment. This workshop will guide you through exploring OER repositories. By the end of this session, you'll be equipped to integrate OER effectively into your curriculum, and create more accessible and affordable learning experiences for your students.
About our Speaker:
Maddie Button
OER Analyst
SDCCD Community Funding Grant
- Native San Diegan
- Experience in education since 2018
- Working with SDCCD since 2022
- Support transition of online courses to using OER
- Technical support, accessibility checks, licensing checks
- Finding OER <------------------> Creating OER
- Exploring new OER options
Event Description:
Learn about the Student Prep & Online Training geared to help students prepare for online learning. This 1-1.5 hour self-paced will help students learn the importance of cultivating a positive mindset to online learning, key skills to navigate the online classroom, study habits, time management, and organizational skills for academic success in the online environment.
About our Speaker:
Online Learning Pathways Team
Event Description:
This workshop will explore the ethical implications of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the classroom, exploring best practices for implementing AI tools while maintaining ethical standards. Join this session to collaborate with peers to develop actionable strategies for addressing ethical concerns in AI applications.
About our Speaker:
Professor Alison Gurganus, Ed.D.
Faculty Specialists for Emerging Technologies (SDCCD II&E)
Online Services Librarian, Professor at San Diego Mesa College
Dr. Alison Gurganus is the Online Services Librarian/Professor at San Diego Mesa College where she has worked since 2007. She also serves as a Faculty Specialist for Emerging Technology at the San Diego Community College District’s Office of Innovation and Institutional Effectiveness. Additionally, she serves as President of the Council of Chief Librarians, an organization that advocates, negotiates and provides professional development for all of the 116 libraries in our California Community Colleges (CCC). She is heavily involved in the CCC’s AI work and sits on the AI Council at the CCC Chancellor's Office.
Professor Rodrigo Gomez, M.A.
Faculty Specialists for Emerging Technologies (SDCCD II&E)
Professor of English, World Languages & Ethnic Studies
Rodrigo Gomez is a Full Professor of English at San Diego Miramar College, where he has been teaching transfer-level composition and literature courses since 2016. He also serves as a Faculty Specialist for Emerging Technology at the San Diego Community College District’s Office of Innovation & Institutional Effectiveness, a role he began in 2023. Professor Gomez has a passion for rhetoric, pedagogy, and poetry. He maintains a keen interest in gamification, edtech, and web3 technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in how they can make education more engaging, relevant, and impactful for students.
12:00 - 12:30 PM Lunch
Event Description:
Online Learning Pathways presents resources that collectively support SDCCD's online education initiatives, providing faculty with the necessary tools, professional development, and online teaching certification to effectively deliver online courses to students.
About our Speaker:
Online Learning Pathways Team
Pronto Updates Event Description:
Pronto will present a brief overview and demonstration of its features within Canvas, showcasing how it enhances student success. This session will highlight key functionalities and practical applications that facilitate communication, collaboration, and engagement among students and instructors. Join us to learn how Pronto can be a valuable tool for students’ educational experience!
About our Speaker:
Sydney Dutson is a Customer Success Manager at Pronto. Sydney has been at Pronto for exactly three years to the date. Prior to joining Pronto, she was an elementary school teacher and taught for 5 years. Understanding the importance of communication and student engagement in the classroom, she is ready and excited to help implement Pronto as a communication tool in your classes as she is SDCCD's dedicated CSM. Please reach out to Sydney for additional help and individual support at sydney@pronto.io
12:55 - 1:00 PM Break
Event Description:
Introducing the Peer Online course Review (POCR) Faculty Showcase: an opportunity to celebrate and highlight the exceptional work and contributions of our faculty members. This session features presentations and demonstrations that showcase innovative teaching methods and effective teaching practices for online teaching using the Online Education Initiative (OEI) Rubric. Join us to engage with our talented educators, gain insights into their impactful work, and explore new ideas that enhance the learning experience for our students. Don’t miss this chance to appreciate the dedication and expertise of our amazing faculty!
About our Speaker:
Online Faculty Mentors
Event Description:
Join Dean DeVore for an insightful session on the benefits of Student Services. This presentation will highlight the various resources and support systems available to enhance our students’ academic journey and overall experience. Discover how Student Services can assist students in navigating challenges and achieving their goals!
About our Speaker:
Dean Victor DeVore has over 15 years of experience in higher education, all within the California Community Colleges system. He began his career as the Admissions and Records Officer at Cuyamaca College before joining the San Diego Community College District as a Student Services Analyst, where he provided support for admissions, records, and financial aid. In 2021, Victor started his role as Dean of Student Services, where he coordinates a range of student services programs and activities across the district's four colleges, as well as managing the Campus Solutions system.
Event Description:
Last Thoughts & Raffle
About our Speaker:
Online Learning Pathways Team