Walden University Faculty and Staff to Present at Sloan Consortium Conference

Minneapolis—October 9, 2012—Walden University announced today that 27 faculty and staff members will be presenting at the 18th Annual Sloan Consortium International Conference on Online Learning, the premier global conference for online learning, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Oct. 10–12. Faculty and staff members will deliver presentations highlighting faculty development and assessment, research best practices, online learning, student outcomes and technology use.

“The annual Sloan Consortium conference brings together and engages individuals and higher education institutions and organizations on topics of online learning,” said Dr. Eric Riedel, chief academic officer for Walden University. “As a leading institution in providing quality online higher education, we are proud to share our best practices and research with our colleagues in higher education to continue improving online education.”

Walden University will have 27 presenters in 14 sessions at the conference. Presentations include:

• Kimberly Ford, Center for Faculty Excellence, “Faculty Performance Assessment Using Data and Dashboards”
• Dr. Gary Burkholder, Center for Research Quality; Nicole Holland and Jim Lenio, Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, “Predictors of Online Graduate and Undergraduate Student Retention”
• Dr. Jennifer Smolka and Dr. Kelly Jo Walters, The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership; Dr. Laurel Walsh, College of Undergraduate Studies; and Dr. Annie Pezalla, Center for Student Success, “Prescriptive Interventions Through Automated Essay Scoring”
• Dr. Annie Pezalla and Heidi Rivers Marshall, Center for Student Success, “Technical Comperacy and the 21st Century Adult Student: An Assessment and Action Plan”
• Dr. Molly Lauck, Center for Research Quality, “Case Study of a Faculty Development Program: Walden University’s Research Dissemination Support Program”
• Dr. Nina Nabors and Dr. Marilyn Powell, School of Psychology, “Psychology Graduate Students in Distance Education Programs: Impacts on Underserved Communities”
• Dr. Gina Smith, Dr. Maria Minor and Dr. Henry Brashen, School of Management, “Cyber Bullying: A New Phenomena in Online Education”
• Dr. Leilani Endicott and Dr. Marydee Spillet, Center for Research Quality; and Jenny Sherer, Office of Research Ethics and Compliance, “Assisting Online Student Researchers to Understand and Apply Research Ethics Principles”
• Dr. Beate Baltes and Dr. George Smeaton, The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, “Identifying Discrepancies Between Expertise and Expert Status in Academic Virtual Communities of Practice”
• Dr. Louis Milanesi, Dr. Laura Knight Lynn, Dr. Gary Burkholder and Dr. Leilani Endicott, Center for Research Quality; and Dr. Daniel Salter, The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, “Tools and Processes to Help Assess and Mentor Doctoral Capstone Research”
• Dr. Juan Stegmann, School of Management, “The Social Impact of Online Education”
• Dr. Lori LaCivita, School of Psychology, “Effective Evidence Based Faculty Coaching for Enhanced Engagement in the Online Classroom”
• Dr. Robert Hogan, The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, “Transnational Distance Learning: New Markets and Opportunities to Meet the Needs of Emerging and Developed Nations”
• Dr. Lisa Kangas, School of Management, “21st Century Instructional Planning Tool: Blooms Digital Taxonomy”

The Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) is an institutional and professional leadership organization dedicated to integrating online education into the mainstream of higher education. For more information about this conference and its presentations, visit http://sloanconsortium.org/conference/2012/aln/program.

About Walden University
For more than 40 years, Walden University has supported working professionals in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and their communities. Today, more than 48,500 students from all 50 states and more than 140 countries are pursuing their bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees online at Walden. The university provides students with an engaging educational experience that connects them with expert faculty and peers around the world. Walden is the flagship online university in the Laureate International Universities network—a global network of more than 60 campus-based and online universities in 29 countries.

Walden offers more than 65 degree programs with more than 330 specializations and concentrations. Areas of study include health sciences, counseling, human services, management, psychology, education, public health, nursing, public administration and information technology. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu. Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.hlcommission.org.