Illinois Online Higher Education Symposium

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Last Updated: Jun 03, 2025, 12:17 PM

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Doing Less with Less, Effectively: Illinois Online Higher Education Symposium

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Illinois Online Higher Education Symposium!

After a successful inaugural event, we're excited to invite you back for another engaging gathering of Illinois educators and thought leaders in online teaching and learning. Our theme, "Doing Less with Less, Effectively," emphasizes innovative strategies for impactful online education within evolving resource constraints.

The free virtual conference on November 7th, 2025, is for those who learn, teach, develop, support, or administer online education. 

New this year:

  • Dedicated tracks highlighting insights and strategies from our community college colleagues and staff, whose expertise can greatly benefit all institutions.

  • Expanded focus on Hyflex teaching modalities to better accommodate diverse student needs.

Target Audience (Presenters and Attendees):

  • higher education instructors who teach online
  • online leaders or administrators
  • instructional designers
  • instructional technologists
  • anyone interested in online or hyflex learning

While the focus is on Illinois, we invite anyone from anywhere to participate.

Purpose of the Event:

  • Showcase exemplary practices in online and Hyflex education

  • Foster collaboration within the Illinois online education community

  • Share effective practices and innovative solutions tailored to Illinois’ unique educational landscape

Become a Sponsor:

  • Become a sponsor and help support education in Illinois. 

To become a sponsore, please email The Center for Teaching Excellence, SIUC at teach@siu.edu

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Pre-Register Today for Updates & Reminders

Present at the 2nd Annual Symposium

We invite proposals highlighting effective strategies from our vibrant statewide higher education online community. This year's theme, "Doing Less with Less, Effectively," emphasizes achieving quality outcomes despite limited resources. Sessions may focus on efficient online teaching practices, streamlined course design (including hybrid and HyFlex models), and effective leadership of online programs.

We particularly encourage submissions from community college colleagues and staff, whose experience and innovative approaches can greatly inform and benefit institutions across Illinois and beyond.

Proposals will undergo peer review, and presenters will receive thoughtful, constructive feedback.

Step 1: Download & Complete the Proposal Template

Step 2: Submit Your Proposal by June 30, 2025

  • Timeline

    • April 2, 2025: Accepting submissions
    • June 30, 2025: Deadline for submissions
    • August 4, 2025: Notification of acceptance
    • October 1, 2025: Conference schedule released
    • November 7, 2025: Symposium

Themes to Consider:

  • Visionary Leadership: Maximizing Impact with Limited Resources
  • Efficient Leadership Strategies in Online Education
  • Streamlined Course Design for Multi-modal Learning (Traditional, Workplace, Accelerated, Micro-credentials)
  • Online Pedagogy: Effective and Efficient Practices
  • Practical AI Applications in Online Education
  • Supporting Faculty, Students, and Technologies in Environment of Cost Reduction
  • Innovative Hybrid/HyFlex Strategies for Sustainable Teaching

 

Review Criteria:

Proposals will be reviewed using the following criteria:

  • Clarity: The proposal is written clearly and professionally.
  • Relevance: The session’s topic is relevant and of current interest to those who teach, administer, support, research or lead online education.
  • Significance: The session will make a notable contribution to the knowledge and/or practice of online education.
  • Completeness: The proposal adequately describes what will occur during the session (not just describing the background and importance of the topic).
  • Alignment: The proposal aligns with one or more of the conference topics.

 

Organizing Committee

  • Anthony Piña, Chief Online Learning Officer, Illinois State University
  • Craig Engstrom, Director - Center for Teaching Excellence, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
  • Layne Morsch, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs at UIS, University of Illinois-Springfield
  • Lisa J. Anderson, Director - Office of Online Learning, University of Illinois
  • Nikki LaGrone, Director - Center for Teaching & Learning, Governors State University
  • Susan Wegmann, Director - SIUC Global, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
  • Michael Porterfield, Educational Technology Manager, McKendree University

Featured Speaker

  • Keynote Speaker: Joe Sallustio

    Joe Sallustio

  • 2025 Session Description

    Coming Soon!

     

    Biography

    Dr. Joe Sallustio stands out as a leading expert and influential voice in the world of higher education. His unique blend of experience across operations, finance, and academics positions him as a rare breed of executive with leadership acumen in diverse functional areas. Across his impressive 20+ year career, Joe has led teams in every critical aspect of university operation, from non-profit institutions to for-profit colleges. This comprehensive understanding makes him invaluable for scaling and operating businesses and institutions effectively in the 21st century.

    Currently, Joe is the Vice President of Industry Engagement for the market-leading educational technology company, Ellucian.  Additionally, he co-founded and hosts "The EdUp Experience Podcast," America's leading platform for higher education insights, featuring interviews with prominent global leaders. His influence and expertise further extend to his role as a sought-after keynote speaker, moderator, and facilitator. Joe is also the co-author of the best-selling book "Commencement: The Beginning of a New Era in Higher Education," a trusted resource guiding thousands of staff and faculty worldwide and co-author of the forthcoming book “Digital Modernization for Higher Education Boards,” commissioned by AGB and set for release in June of 2025.

COMMENCEMENT, A New Era in Higher Education - by Kate Colbert & Joe Sallustio, EdD

Commencement