Education futurist Steve Hargadon to keynote Post University's Online Learning Conference 2012

TAP THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION: Attend Post University's
Online Learning Conference 2012 on April 20

In our efforts to make higher education institutions better, we sometimes focus on fixing the broken parts from the past, rather than starting with a fresh slate upon which we can create and innovate for the future. We have the ability to go beyond just amending and patching what's not working anymore, and instead make a whole new education world.

Many education thought leaders -- including futurist Steve Hargadon -- believe that the new world is online education. Steve, in fact, was one of the first to recognize the value that social networking could add to education, and has since become one of the industry's preeminent voices for technology, education, and learning. His Future of Education interview series (which Post University's online Master of Education degree program students all subscribe to) has been a catalyst for sharing these ideas with the world.

STEVE HARGADON: Keynote speaker
for our Online Learning Conference 2012

That's why we couldn't think of anyone more fitting to keynote Post University's Online Learning Conference 2012 than Steve. This year's conference theme is "Shaping the Future: Driving Innovation in Online Higher Education." Steve's keynote address will fittingly focus on "The Future of Education."

We're holding the conference on Friday, April 20 at The Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, Conn. We hope you'll join us. You can register for the conference online. But don't wait to sign up. We're expecting a large turnout this year, and we're accepting registrants on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Our Online Learning Conference 2012 will be an opportunity for anyone in higher education to hear leading professors and instructors share some of their latest online learning research and strategies. The one-day event will feature 12 breakout sessions, including:

• How to Turn an Online Course into a Mission to Save the World, by Roger Travis, Associate Professor at University of Connecticut.
• Participatory Tweeting as a Vehicle for Course Engagement, by Jerald D. Cole, Professor and Chair of the graduate Instructional Technology program at University of Bridgeport.
• A Twitter workshop, by Jennifer Bouchard, Academic Program Manager for Post University's School of Education. She will share some of the tweeting assignments she uses within Post's Online Master of Education degree program.
• An online discussion board forum, by Dr. Zvi Goldman, Academic Program Manager for the Marketing concentration of Post University's Online MBA Degree Program. He will share his research related to workload and value perceptions of students and instructors when it comes to online discussions.

We're planning to announce the rest of the speakers on our blog soon. In the meantime, we've posted the basic agenda at the bottom of this post so you can keep it handy.

If you go to the conference, keep an eye out for our blogging team. They will be on hand to capture the sights and sounds with videos, podcasts, interviews, photos, and more. Feel free to take an interview with them! We'll be posting our coverage on our blog. You can follow all of our blog posts related to the conference by bookmarking the Online Learning Conference 2012 tag.

You know, it was only a few short weeks ago that I went to Teachers College at Columbia University to hear Frank Mulgrew, President of Post University's Online Education Institute, speak with Teachers College faculty, staff, and students about the future of higher education. Post and Columbia are very different institutions, learning from each other how to shape a new order of higher education.

Our collective dialogue at that forum was energizing to all. As we see innovations like Kahn Academy flipping classrooms, and watch renowned instructors like MIT's Professor Lewin teach physics through open courseware, we know that there is no room for business-as-usual in academics.

That's why I'm excited to be on the committee organizing Post University's Online Learning Conference 2012, and about our initiatives at Post University. We are working to create a model of higher education that is different than traditional models of post-secondary education.

Our play with future visions is not only to help our university, but also the organizations and institutions our students will touch. As our students take courses such as Future of Education or Unleashing and Sustaining Innovation in Organizations, we're expecting them to start thinking about reshaping their own education, business, and career worlds.

I am looking forward to joining my fellow higher education colleagues at our April conference, where discussions about the future of education as well as the encouragement to be ever more creative and engaging in the classroom will be the order of the day! See you there.

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Post University Online Learning Conference 2012 Agenda
"Shaping the Future: Driving Innovation in Online Higher Education"

The Mattatuck Museum
144 West Main Street
Waterbury, Conn. 06702

Friday, April 20
8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

• 8 a.m. Continental breakfast and networking
• 8:30 a.m. Welcome by Frank Mulgrew
• 8:45 a.m. Keynote by Steve Hargadon, "The Future of Education"
• 10 a.m. Concurrent Sessions (3)
• 11:15 a.m. Concurrent Sessions (3)
• 12:15 p.m. Lunch and networking
• 1:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions (3)
• 2:30 p.m. Concurrent Sessions (3)
• 3:30 p.m. Closing remarks, wine and cheese reception

The conference fee is $125, and includes breakfast, lunch, closing reception, and all conference presentations. You can register online. The conference is being hosted by Post University and sponsored by Pearson, Cengage Learning, and McGraw-Hill Education.