Dear SIG-OTL Member:

Seven things to update you following the 2013 AERA conference:

1. Call for Volunteers; AERA 2014 Program Review Panel

AERA has issued a call for volunteers for the 2014 conference program. The deadline to sign up is this Friday, May 10. Please consider serving as a reviewer for SIG-OTL.

Serving on a review panel is considered to be an honor and will be publicized to the AERA community as a form of important service to the Association.

Attached is the full call and below are the basic steps:

1: Long on to AERA’s site at: http://www.aera.net/default.aspx
2: Click on “My AERA” at the top of the page.
3: On “My AERA” page scroll down to the 2014 Annual Meeting.
4: Click on Online Program Portal and sign up.

Volunteers who are selected by program chairs will be notified in late May 2014. Should you be selected to serve on a panel, you will receive an invitation in early June. The review period is a 3-week timeframe from August 10-31. Each reviewer will be expected to review 10 proposals (so be cautious in how many Divisions and SIGs you volunteer to be a reviewer!).

2. AERA 2014

If you plan on submitting a proposal for AERA 2014, mark your calendar. The online proposal submission system will open June 1 and close at midnight on July 22, 2013.

If you plan on attending AERA 2014, mark your calendar for April 3-7, 2014 (Thu-Mon). The conference will be held in Philadelphia, PA.

3. Thank You!

Thank you to the many session leaders and presenters who shared their expertise during one of our seven presentation slots in San Francisco. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about new research developments and reflect on the state of research and practice in the field of online learning. I trust that you found the opportunities for conversation and networking to be useful for your work.

4. The Internet and Higher Education: Call for Papers

Special Issue Editor, Steve Terrell has extended an invitation to all SIG-OTL members to submit a manuscript concerning their latest online learning research to the journal, The Internet and Higher Education. Please visit our SIG web site at: http://www.sig-otl.org/resources.html to read the complete details on the call for papers. The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2013.

5. 2013 Keynote

Dr. Sebastian Thrun, Co-founder Udacity and Vice President at Google gave a provocative keynote describing his experience and vision for MOOCs. Our thanks to Dr. Thrun for this inspirational message about the need to reach more learners.

6. New SIG-OTL Officers

During the annual SIG-OTL Business Meeting, the following new elected officers were announced: Chair, Karen Swan (University of Illinois, Springfield), Program Chair, Dorea Bonneau (University of North Carolina, Pembroke), and Secretary/Treasurer, Peggy Roblyer (Nova Southeastern University). This new leadership team begins its three-year term of office (2013-2016) immediately following the conference.

In addition, SIG Chair Karen Swan has appointed Rachel Winston (Brandman University) and Michelle Kowalsky (Rowan University) to serve as newsletter editor and webmaster respectively.

7. A Privilege to Serve

Finally, I would like to thank each member for the opportunity to serve as the SIG-OTL Chair the past three years. It has been an honor to work on your behalf.

As I transition from Chair, to Past-Chair, I am pleased to report that, by all measures, the SIG is in excellent shape. We have new leaders who are excited to serve in their respective roles. We have over 200 members and have increased the number of conference proposals we have received each year, This means we have been able to grow the number of sessions we sponsor at the conference. Finally, our modest dues ($10 per year) has allowed us to support a limited number of SIG activities and yet maintain a budget that is in the black. As my term ended at the conclusion of the conference in San Francisco, I want to take one more opportunity to say thank you for your membership in SIG-OTL and your active involvement in the field of online learning.

Dave Edyburn
SIG-OTL Chair (2010-2013)