News release
E-Learning revolution: Education's next great challenge
Concordia e.SCAPE conference gathers top minds on technology in teaching
Join the conversation April 3 - 5 on Twitter at #CULearning
Montreal, March 27, 2013 - While traveling via jet packs remains in the realm of a Jetsons-like future, new technologies are transforming higher education. On April 3 to 5, Concordia University's inaugural conference on e-learning will connect participants to the latest developments in using emerging technology to teach and learn in the classroom and online.
The conference, e.SCAPE: KNOWLEDGE, TEACHING, TECHNOLOGY, will be held in various locations across its downtown campus. Most sessions are open to the public. No registration is required.
The program will illuminate the vast landscape of new technologies involved in teaching and learning, helping participants sort the MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) from the MOODLEs (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment). Those attending will have opportunities for hands-on discovery through workshops, product demonstrations and a multimedia installation, "Einstein Dreams", designed to help visitors explore the creative process.
Online course offerings are proving increasingly popular at Concordia and universities worldwide. Almost 31,000 students are taking 53 online courses through eConcordia this academic year.
“Concordia University has been a leader in revitalizing the relationship between technology and higher education,”” says Concordia President Alan Shepard. “We are taking the best of the university experience and focusing it with new tools that broaden how people think, teach and learn.” At e.SCAPE, several Concordia faculty members will present workshops covering topics such as how to integrate social media or blogs as pedagogical tools, or how game design can enhance the teaching of humanities courses.
Two invited keynote speakers will also outline their experiences with technology-integrated teaching and learning.
Atsusi Hirumi, an award-winning associate professor of instructional design and learning at the University of Central Florida, will invite educators to explore the latest strategies and tools they can use to expand on the use of technology to enhance creativity in learning experiences.
Kenneth G. Brown, a professor of management and organizations and Henry B. Tippie Research Fellow at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, is the second keynote speaker. Brown, a winner of awards for teaching and research, will lead participants on an exploration of the types and uses of technology in universities and link these applications to larger issues in teaching and research.
Concordia University is developing a new academic framework that will determine the future of online learning within the institution. The e.SCAPE conference is designed to support Concordia's Academic Plan. The plan's three main priorities are innovative and dynamic undergraduate offerings, graduate student recruitment, and investments in the libraries.
Related links:
Source
© Concordia University