Access Audio Files of Podcast Reports and Select Sessions

Download MP3s of select NLII Annual Meeting sessions and related podcast reports via EDUCAUSE's new Community Blog Service (beta). New files and information will be posted throughout the meeting, so check the site regularly for the latest updates.

For more information about podcasting at the NLII 2005 Annual Meeting, please see the What’s New! section below.

Meeting Focus

Higher education institutions are being asked to ensure that learning is successful, but to do so, we must understand who our learners are and how different students learn. Given this perspective, the National Learning Infrastructure Initiative (NLII) has adopted “The Enabling Role of Technology in Successful Learning” as the focus for its 2005 Annual Meeting. Conference sessions will explore how information technology can catalyze deeper learning. They will also address the tools that enable faculty to create active and collaborative learning environments, and to assess learning outcomes. And finally, they will go beyond individual examples of innovation to consider how institutions can create and sustain systemic progress toward more effective learning.

General Session Speakers

John Bransford	JC Herz	Diana Oblinger   &   Joel Hartman		Larry Johnson

What’s New!

New for 2005, the NLII offers you a number of opportunities for increased growth, both professionally and as NLII members:

• Podcasting: The University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism, the Penn State IST Solutions Institute, and Apple will support a faculty member and students in using iPods to conduct and post audio reports throughout the meeting. (Note: NLII attendees are encouraged to bring their iPod or MP3 players so they can listen to the podcasts on-site at the meeting. Apple will provide some iPods for attendees to check-out if they don't have one to bring. Check with the podcasting table near the registration desk for more information at the meeting.)
• The "Experience It!" Track, which will give participants hands-on opportunities to engage different technologies in a learning environment (Note: The limited seating for these track sessions is on a first-come, first served basis.);
• Preconference workshops that will engage participants in subjects such as appreciative inquiry, location-aware augmented reality simulations, and the creation of collaborative virtual environments;
• Featured sessions addressing:
• Student perspectives on technology in higher education, as presented by a panel of students;
• Faculty and administrator reactions to the technology issues raised by the student panel;
• Results of the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR) study of student technology use;
• A discussion of learning materials as networked information; and
• A review of emerging uses of learning technology conducted jointly by the NLII and the New Media Consortium (NMC).
• Poster sessions that explore member initiatives and research related to the use of technology to advance successful learning;
• A postconference session to gather member feedback regarding the NLII’s strategic directions and future plans.

Important Dates

• Registration and hotel room deadline: January 5, 2005
• RSVP for NLII Member Feedback Meeting: January 15, 2005

Attend as a Team

Institutions that send a team to the Annual Meeting appear to derive the greatest value from the sessions. According to Susan Metros, Deputy CIO at The Ohio State University, "I never miss the NLII Annual meeting and I always send an interdisciplinary mix of IT staff members, faculty and librarians. The smaller size of the meeting contributes to a rich interaction and exchange of ideas both inside and outside of sessions. Our contingent always returns to campus with concrete strategies and action plans on how to move forward on a variety of teaching and learning initiatives."