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2011
Conference
Registration Form
2010
Conference
Program
2011
Call for Proposals
A FESTIVAL FOR LEARNER-CENTERED
EDUCATORS! 
Get ready for the 6th annual On Course
National Conference...April 1-2, 2011, in Long Beach, California!
Back by acclaim...a variety of full-day pre-conference workshops on
March 31 (details below).
During the past decade and a half, more than
17,000 college
and university educators have attended On Course Workshops at conference centers
and campuses across North America. At these innovative professional development
events, they experienced an immersion in learner-centered strategies that
empower students to become active, responsible
learners.
Informed and inspired, participants took On
Course strategies back to their students to use and creatively adapt. At many
institutions, these strategies became the foundation for courses and programs
that have dramatically improved student academic success and retention. (View
the data.)
Join us to exchange and celebrate best practices in student
success...from immediately usable instructional and counseling strategies to campus-wide programs that increase retention and student academic success.
Learn great new strategies from
educators who are changing the lives of their students and transforming their
colleges into learner-centered institutions.
Best of all, you won't just hear
about how to empower your students to become active, responsible learners.
You'll experience it!
Please register early--spaces
limited to first 500 participants.
| I want to extend to the entire On Course crew our gratitude for the spectacular
2010 national conference that has just come to an end. We found it to be one of the most rewarding, informative, and interactive experiences in our careers as higher education professionals. The organization of the conference was first class: the sessions were phenomenal, and the venue was terrific.
--Fred Savitz, President-Elect, Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators, Professor of Education, Emeritus, Division of Education and Human Services, Neumann University, PA |
| As a first-time conference attendee, I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and learned much
from my colleagues. I attend at least 3 conferences each year, and On
Course was by far the most beneficial and the most enjoyable. --Jeffrey
A. Detrick, Division Chair, Mathematics and Life Sciences, Brazosport
College (TX) |
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?   
Whether you've been working with On Course strategies
for years or just care deeply about the success of your students, attend
this powerful professional development conference. Expect to experience and learn proven strategies you can implement
immediately to help your students reach more of their potential in
college...and in life.
The National On Course
Conference is ideal for...
 | Instructors and coordinators of student
success and FYE programs |
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Faculty from all academic disciplines |
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Counselors, retention
specialists, TRIO personnel, and student affairs staff |
| Administrators looking for proven approaches
for improving student academic success and retention |
| After 30 years of teaching an FYE
course, this conference has given me ideas and tools to make it even
better. --Kyle Morgan, The Ohio
State University (OH) |
WHO SHOULD SUBMIT A PROPOSAL?
If you're an experienced On Course educator or an
educator with a favorite learner-centered strategy, please submit a proposal to
share your idea with colleagues from across the United States...and beyond!
We're seeking proposals that introduce your colleagues to...
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Learner-centered strategies that
actively engage students, empowering them to become active, responsible
learners (Strategies Sessions) |
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Innovative and successful learner-centered
programs or classes that use On Course or another approach for
empowering learners (Program Sessions) |
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and, for you creative types, a learner-centered
idea so unique that it doesn't fit the other categories (Special
Sessions) |
Click HERE
to access the Call for Proposals and the online submission form (deadline
October 15, 2010). Presenters will be invited to a hosted celebration dinner on
Friday evening, April 1, 2011, where they will meet and exchange ideas with some
of the most innovative minds in higher education today. Questions? Click to send
an email.
| All of the sessions were awesome. The
facilitators were great! I have never attended a conference in my entire
professional career where I was able to maximize my learning experience
at every session. Unbelievable!! --Juletta Patrick, Illinois
Valley
Community College (IL) |
YOUR CONFERENCE HOSTS
 
The
National On Course Conference is hosted by the On Course Ambassadors. This group of
outstanding educators has a
mission to transform their colleges and
universities into learner-centered institutions that empower students to become active, responsible
learners. The specific goal of the OCAmbassadors is to bring about significant increases in
student academic success and retention. Members of the 2011 On Course
National Conference Steering Committee will be announced shortly. Members of the
2010 On Course National Conference Steering Committee were...
| Jonathan Brennan, Faculty, English, Mission
College, CA (Chair) |
| Kristie Daniel DiGregorio, El Camino
College, CA |
| George Daniels, Director, Student Success
Center, University of Tennessee-Martin, TN |
| Lea Beth Lewis, Assistant Dean, Student
Affairs, California State University-Fullerton, CA |
| Bill Johnson, Student Success Coordinator,
University of North Carolina-Greensboro, NC |
| Kathy Magee, RRT, Occupational Health and
Safety Program, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Alberta, CN |
| Robin Middleton, Counselor, Jamestown
Community College, NY |
| Deb Poese, Director, School of Education
and Faculty, Mathematics, Montgomery
College, MD |
| Eileen Zamora, Faculty, English,
Southwestern College, CA |
Does your college or university have an On Course
Ambassador? View the entire roster HERE.
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Best conference I’ve ever attended.
--Latonia Bailey, Crowder
College (MO)
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SPONSORING COLLEGES &
UNIVERSITIES
The On Course Steering Committee would like to
acknowledge our local college hosts for the 2011 On Course Conference in Long
Beach, CA:
| El Camino College |
Thank you for your support!
THREE FULL-DAY
PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS--March 31, 2011
All pre-conference workshops have THREE
things in common: 1) Schedule: 8:45 to 4:45 on March 31, 2011, 2) Location: Hilton
Long Beach and Executive Meeting Center (conference hotel) and 3) Limited
Enrollment: Please register early to get the session of
your choice.
OPTION 1: The
One-Day On Course Workshop
If you're new to On Course, this full-day
workshop will provide a foundation to help you get even greater value from your
experience at the On Course National Conference. If you've already attended the
On Course I Workshop (and even the On Course II Workshop), you'll get a great
review of On Course Principles plus a whole new batch of empowering
learner-centered strategies to add to your tool box. If you are Interested in
innovations that promote active, responsible learning across student success
courses, all academic disciplines, and student services...then this is the
session for you! Led by a certified On
Course Facilitator, this is the same one-day On Course Workshop presented on
college and university campuses across North America! To see a detailed agenda
for this pre-conference workshop, click HERE
(and scroll down until you come to the One-Day Workshop).
OPTION 2: The Great Teachers of On Course
Seminar
Designed for educators with previous experience
using On Course strategies, this special session, modeled on the Great Teachers
Seminar, is designed to: celebrate good teaching; guide educators to look beyond
their own discipline for effective best practices; promote an attitude of
introspection and self-appraisal; develop realistic, creative, learner-centered
and empowering approaches to instructional challenges; stimulate the exchange of
information and ideas among educators who have been using On Course strategies
with their students (and themselves!).
Participants will share successes and challenges, develop
focused topic sessions, brainstorm innovative solutions and reflect on their
discoveries. This seminar will be lead by Dana Murphy, who is the Chair for
Learning Acceleration at National Park Community College (AR). For the past
seven years she has directed and trained instructors for the college's Freshman
Year Experience Program, which uses the On Course text, and since 2001,
she has been a facilitator for the Arkansas Great Teachers Seminar. This seminar
session will be guided by both the eight On
Course principles for empowering students and the four premises of the Great
Teachers Seminar:
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Teachers learn best from other teachers.
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The greater the diversity of the group, the
more creative the thinking will be.
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The collective wisdom of the group far
surpasses that of any one individual expert.
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The key to good teaching is simplification
(less is more).
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OPTION 3: The On
Course Leadership Seminar
Management is doing things right; leadership
is doing the right things. -–Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis
This seminar offers participants the opportunity
to identify and enhance campus leadership skills. It is designed to support your
efforts to develop and implement campus programs/practices that will
significantly increase student success. If you’ve been using On Course
with your students, and have been taking a greater leadership role on your
campus (or have the desire to do so), you’ll have the opportunity to share and
assess best practices in campus leadership; learn new strategies for the design
of On Course student success programs; identify and address leadership
challenges; clarify goals, intentions and values; become more effective at
getting things done; and brainstorm and share solutions to student success and
retention challenges. Participants will examine and experience recent
innovations in communication strategies, change management, principle-based and
service leadership, student leadership, and other powerful leadership tools and
practices that promote institutional and individual change and effectiveness. This
workshop will be led by Jonathan
Brennan, a certified On Course facilitator.
2011
Conference
Registration Form
| During 30 years of attending workshops, I've not
spent a more informative, enjoyable, beneficial time than this
pre-conference. Time flew. I wasn't ready to leave. Thank you for the
shot in the arm!
--Kathy Tyndall, Wake Technical Community College, NC
Thank you for inspiring me in this
pre-conference workshop to get students more actively engaged with the
material, for providing the tools for deep learning, for helping me
clearly see why teacher-centered learning (lecture) does not reach most
students. I can't wait to implement these strategies in all of my
classes. --Susanne Johnson, Eastfield
Community College, TX
This pre-conference workshop offered so many
valuable and insightful suggestions for actively engaging students in
their education. It is wonderful and well worth taking the extra day. I
cannot wait to get the rest of the faculty and staff at my college on
board --Valerie Pilmaier,
Marian College, WI
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SEE YOU IN ... 
OUR HOTEL: The 2011 On Course National Conference will convene at the
Hilton Long Beach & Executive Meeting Center, located at 701 West Ocean
Boulevard, Long Beach, California, United States, 90831-3102 (562-983-3400).
Twice awarded Hilton's Top Guest Service Award for excellence, the Hilton
Long Beach & Executive Meeting Center in Long Beach offers all the comforts
and conveniences expected from a luxurious and newly renovated hotel, with comfortably
appointed accommodations, in-room refreshment center and high-speed Internet
access. Enjoy the Word Trade Center Health Club as well as the hotel's own Acari
Ristorante. Conveniently located near three international airport (Los Angeles,
Long Beach, and John Wayne/Orange County), the Hilton Long Beach hotel is ideal
for conference attendees.
For maps and driving directions, click HERE.
We have arranged for discounted parking rates for our attendees.
Simply identify yourself as a participant in the conference when you arrive.
RESERVE A ROOM: Call 1-562-983-3400 and identify yourself as a participant in the 2011 On Course National Conference. In that way, you'll qualify for our special conference rate of $159 single/double, plus tax. This special rate can be extended to 2 days before and 2 days after the conference, based on availability. You can also reserve a room online by clicking
HERE (link coming soon).
IMPORTANT NOTE: You may make reservations at our special room rate through March 25, 2011, or until all hotel rooms are reserved, whichever comes first. We expect a great demand for rooms, so make your reservations early!
FUN IN LONG BEACH: To access information on entertainment options in LONG BEACH, click
HERE.
The three links above will
take you to external web sites. Use your "Back" button to return
here.
| I loved the great experiential
sessions, a terrific conference staff always ready to help, and participants so
friendly and willing to share. This conference is what all conferences
should aspire to be! --Marianne Auten, Paradise
Valley Community College (AZ) |
A GREAT VALUE IN PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
The conference registration fee includes:
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An opening and closing session with
distinguished presenters |
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Your choice of at least 50 learner-centered
break-out sessions |
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Hot buffet breakfast, Friday and Saturday |
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Lunch on Friday |
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Beverage and snack breaks |
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All conference materials |
| Free parking on site |
| Friday reception and musical entertainment |
| This is a big conference with a small
conference feel. The atmosphere was positive, collegial, and
helpful. Lots of variety in topics. So many sessions sounded good it was often
difficult to choose. Obviously so much thought and planning went into
everything! --Kristie
Daniel-DiGregorio, El Camino College (CA) |
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE: (For
the detailed schedule, with session descriptions, click
here)
| March 31 |
PRE-CONFERENCE 1-DAY ON COURSE WORKSHOP |
| 7:30-8:30 |
Registration (Breakfast on your own) |
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8:45-12:00 |
Session #1 |
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12:00-1:30 |
Lunch (Provided) |
1:30-4:45 |
Session #2 |
| 6:00-9:00 |
On Course Ambassadors' Dinner (by
reservation only) |
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| April 1 |
DAY 1 |
7:00-8:15 |
Breakfast (Hosted) |
8:15-9:45 |
Session #1: Plenary with keynote
facilitator to be announced (90
min) |
10:00-11:00 |
Session #2: Breakout Sessions (60 min) |
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11:00-11:15 |
Beverage Break |
11:15-12:15 |
Session #3: Breakout Sessions
(60 min) |
| 12:15-1:15 |
Lunch (Hosted) |
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1:30-2:45 |
Session #4: Breakout Sessions (75 min) |
3:00-4:00 |
Session #5: Breakout Sessions (60 min) |
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4:15-5:15 |
Session #6: Breakout Sessions (90 Min) |
| 5:15-6:15 |
Reception (Cash Bar and Snacks) |
6:15-8:00 |
Conference Presenters' Dinner (by
reservation only) |
| 8:00-10:00 |
Music (Free for all conference attendees) |
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| April 2 |
DAY 2 |
7:00-8:15 |
Breakfast (Hosted) |
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8:15-9:30 |
Session #7: Breakout Sessions (75 min) |
9:45-11:00 |
Session #8: Breakout Sessions (75 min) |
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11:00-11:15 |
Beverage Break |
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11:15-12:30 |
Session #9: Closing Session with
Skip Downing, Author of On Course (includes
Raffle for Great Prizes!) |
| This has been a totally different
experience for me. I learned that I can create a fully interactive,
engaging classroom experience. --Danielle Carter,
Maryville
University (MO)
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| The On Course Conference was beyond
my expectations. Imagine going from session to session, soaking up the
excitement and creative ideas of your fellow educators, meeting people
who care just as much about student success as you do. I'm excited about
how On Course will slowly but surely transform the way we teach and
treat students, and how that will then transform the lives of our
students. At our closing session, we wished the conference would go on
for days more. Can you say that about the last conference you went to?
--Susan Cordova, Central New Mexico Community
College (NM) |
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