USDLA Collaboration, Momentum, and Pragmatism

This week I attended the USDLA (United StatesUSDLA conference hold a similar pragmatic view of
Distance Learning Association) conference. I wasthe way education should be delivered, and the way
apprehensive before attending: as a representative ofresults should be measured.
a performance-driven firm, I wasn't sure if I would getMission-Driven Results
enough value out of the conference to justify the timeThe mission of the USDLA is as follows:o To provide
and money that we were going to spend on the trip.national leadership in the field of distance learningo To
The break-out sessions and the plenary panel didadvocate and promote the use of distance learningo
address topics that I found to be of value, such as: 1.To provide current information on distance learningo
Strategic Academic Planning for New DistanceTo represent the distance learning community before
Education Programs that was presented by Richardgovernment policy and regulatory bodieso To serve
Hezel and Dawn Anderson 2. On-Line vs. On-Campusand support the state, consortium and individual
Adult Students: Impact of Academics on Family andorganizations that belong to USDLAo To provide
Work, presented by Ken Hartmanannual recognition and awards of outstanding
From an educational standpoint, I found the conferenceachievements in distance learningo To serve as a
to be quite valuable; innumerable pedagogical topicscatalyst for the formation of partnerships among
were discussed that ranged from how to keep onlineeducation, business, healthcare, and governmento To
students engaged, to how to avoid cheating in distanceachieve a global leadership role through liaisons with
learning classes.international organizationso To promote equity and
Generating New Businessaccess to lifelong learning through distance learningo
The tone of the USDLA conference was difficult toTo promote diversity in our organization and its
gauge at first--it was clear that a number of peopleprograms
were there to collaborate and find solutions toIf I had to provide a brief summary of the mission of
common distance learning problems, but I wasn't surethe USDLA simply from what I saw at the conference,
that the conference was the appropriate forum forI would say that the purpose of the organization is to
generating new business.improve the quality and reach of distance learning. This
By the second day of the conference however, Ican be done by creating a forum for dialogue among
found that most members and attendees view theindividuals that interact with distance learning in their
organization and the conference as a viable means forcareers or lives.
business networking, in addition to the opportunities forIt makes sense that the organization thrives off of the
learning collaboration.growth of the industry, and the industry will grow as a
Pedagogy and Profitabilityresult of effective collaboration; in this way it is in the
In this blog we've seen how popular the current trendbest interest of USDLA to encourage this dialogue,
to promote accountability and transparency inand promote its constituent members.
education is. Adapting business-type performanceAt Innovation Ads, we've been looking at the different
markers to education has been a common theme inways our business addresses best practices in the
the United States for some time now: from NCLB toenrollment management and enrollment marketing
the battle between the Randi Weingarten and the Klienindustries. In our industries--as in most other
Bloomberg administration. One interesting conversationindustries--best practices follow sustainable and
I had at the conference was based on a few simpleprofitable business; not the reverse. It was reassuring
ideas along these lines: How can we change theto see that most if not all of the attendees view
educational system in order to create a moredistance learning and education in general in a
competitive workforce? Why is it that education fightspragmatic and holistic light: by improving the process of
the use of technology, rather than embracing it? Whyeducation, we will improve the best practices of
is it so difficult for teachers to engage students in theeducation--we can make schools more efficient, more
classroom? Why can't we create incentives thatproductive, and more competitive on an international
award teachers for performance?scale.
All of these questions hover around a much largerSummary
issue: are we going to demand concrete results fromI like the approach that the USDLA takes to education;
our educational system or not? If we are, what areby combining the knowledge and skill set of
these results going to be geared towards?professionals from varying areas, we can collaborate
For the most part it is agreed that the function ofand find creative solutions to the difficult problems that
education is to prepare students for the work place.educators are tasked with solving.
To that end: shouldn't courses be developed whereWant to learn more about Enrollment Management?
marketing studies indicate there is a demand?Click here to sign up for the Innovation Ads Enrollment
I was happy to see that many of the attendees of theManagement Whitepaper.