National Distance Learning Week and eLearning Open House

By Lucy Worley, Marketing & PR Coordinator

Texas Tech University eLearning & Academic Partnerships celebrated National Distance Learning Week (NDLW) the week of November 6-10, 2017.

Every year, the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) sectors including Pre-K-12, Higher Education, Corporate, Government/Military and Telehealth encourage their constituents to celebrate their growth and accomplishments attained in the area of distance education.

TTU eLearning & Academic Partnerships kicked off the week with an open house on Tuesday, November 7. The open house provided a chance for TTU faculty and staff to see our new space and network with eLearning staff such as Blackboard specialists, course designers and more.

"The festive atmosphere was a wonderful way to meet the clients we work with every day," said Jackie Luft, Assistant Director for Online Accessibility.

TTU eLearning & Academic Partnerships serves various online and distance learning constituents across the Texas Tech community including TTU K-12, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and multiple regional sites.

With the nature of distance learning being largely online, the open house provided a unique chance for faculty and staff to connect with people they collaborate with year-round.

Kirsten Morris, Coordinator for the Online Accessibility Lab, said, "It was great to connect with other offices around campus that are also interested in distance learning. There is so much we can learn from each other and do to help one another."

Shelby Crews, Director of OLLI, said, "We were especially pleased that so many of our OLLI members came out for the open house. They enjoyed the breakfast pastries and coffee as well as spending time in the classroom and touring the new office space. We heard time and again how impressed they were with our new offices."

In addition to the open house, TTU eLearning and Academic Partnerships hosted multiple webinar sessions throughout the week. Faculty and staff from across campus attended to learn about breakthrough technologies, instructional design, parent support for K-12 students, and various other topics.

NDLW was packed with networking, learning, collaboration and the planting of new ideas. We look forward to seeing them implemented throughout the year as Texas Tech University continues to pave a path forward for students to earn an exceptional education, from anywhere.