We're pleased to invite you to attend the 8th Annual OCICU Conference, Rockin' the Parthership.  This two-day event will be held in Denver, Colorado, March 27th -28th, 2014.  

There are many different routes you can take, types of equipment you can use, and challenges you may face when developing online learning programs.  It's easy to become lost when you try to navigate the terrain alone.  One of the greatest resources available to you is the OCICU partnership.  Whether you're an experienced user of online learning, or trying to develop an online program for the first time, mapping the best route with others is the best way to go.   The OCICU was built on the notion of members working together, collaborating, and sharing resources to advance online academic opportunities.  Let's climb to the summit together!

As in previous years, the OCICU Conference will include opportunities for collaboration, information gathering, networking,  and celebration.  The conference format will offer concurrent and general sessions to allow participants flexibility to obtain information on a variety of topics.  The entire conference has been developed for OCICU members by OCICU members.  We'll have more detailed information, such as specific topics and presenters, available soon.   If you have a specific topic you'd like to see covered, please send us an email and let us know.

TRAVEL INFORMATION:  When planning your air reservations, keep in mind that the event is scheduled to begin at 8 AM on Thursday, March 27th, and conclude at 3 PM on Friday, March 28th.  We're looking into adding a shuttle/bus service from the hotel to Denver International Airport at the conclusion of the conference on Friday.  Be sure to select the shuttle/bus option on your registration form so we can gauge interest in this option.

All conference events will be held at the Sheraton Downtown Denver Hotel, Colorado's largest hotel.  The hotel is located just steps from the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall, downtown Denver's mile-long tree lined promenade featuring outdoor bistros, microbreweries, shopping, and entertainment.  The Denver Art Museum and Colorado State Capital are nearby. 

VisitDenver.org, Denver's official Travel & Visitor Bureau, is a helpful tool for planning your trip to Denver.

General Sessions:

• Keynote Speaker - Luke Dowden, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• State Authorization Update - Marianne Boeke, NCHEMS
• Swapping Beta: Members & Providers Sharing OCICU Tricks, Tips and Experiences

Break Out Sessions:

• Rapid Course Development: Scaling the Face of a Traditional Campus - Mark Kassel, Robert Morris University                                                                                                                                                                                 This presentation will offer participants an inside look at a course development process implemented at two academic institutions during the start-up phase of online initiatives. This process focuses on how to rapidly build academically sound courses for online delivery under less than ideal conditions. Resistant faculty with little or no training in teaching or developing online courses, a minimal budget for development, and only one or two personnel dedicated to course development, building and system maintenance make up the face that this presentation will scale.
• For Credit Competency Based Programs - Maureen Hencmann, Regis University
Regis University School of Education has joined with the Jesuit Secondary Education Association and the Jesuit Virtual Learning Academy to create a badging system for high school educators. This presentation will outline key issues encountered during definition and standards development. The presenter will review the process for hosting portions of the learning activities and explore the tracking system for JSEA participants. Finally, the focus will then turn to the challenges of third-party validation to enable these educators to earn college credit for these external activities.
• Conditioning for the Expedition: Preparing for Providership - Adam Samhouri & Sam Brown, OCICU
The trek to providership is a time intensive journey which requires extensive knowledge, experience and resources.  This presentation will examine the documentation and rubrics used to evaluate potential providers and discuss what institutions should do to prepare for the application process.
• Military & Veteran Students in Higher Education - John Cain & Ed Dadez, Saint Leo University
• Your Users, My Resources: Federated Identity and Single Sign-On- Erich Delcamp, Regis University
Institutions benefit from sharing their technology resources with each other, but these partnerships have difficult problems in managing users and providing secure access.   This presentation will demonstrate a modern approach to resource sharing that not only addresses these issues, but also provides new capabilities to partnering organizations.

Stay tuned for more information!

A networking cocktail reception and dinner will be held on Thursday, March 27th at 5pm, at Marlowe's, Denver's Historic Saloon and Chophouse (located just two blocks from the conference site).   This event is included with your conference registration. 

 A special thank you to Saint Leo University for sponsoring this wonderful event!