Current News

Authors, CEOs, and Mobile Learning Pioneers to Speak at CFTTC

Whether faculty are interested in mobile learning or best practices for designing and delivering online instruction, this year's MSVCC conference has something for everyone.

Jon Baker, CEO of Desire2Learn, will be discussing his company's product roadmap.  Desire2Learn, a leading provider of learning management system software, has more than 450 clients worldwide.

Dr. Scott Perkins, Professor of Psychology and Director of Research at Abilene Christian University, is the pre-conference keynote speaker.  ACU is considered the national leader in mobile learning programs, and Perkins oversaw 10 research projects related to on-campus mobile learning initiatives in 2010. 

Dr. Robin Smith is the author of Conquering the Content: A Step-by-step Guide to Online Course Design, published by Wiley press.  Smith will be presenting twice.  "We expect her hands-on session to be quite popular, thus the repeat session," says Terry Pollard, Director of Professional Development at the SBCJC.  “Her sessions are practical and full of lightbulb moments for faculty."

The conference will also feature a mobile learning lounge on the main conference floor.  It will feature a collaborative workspace where participants can explore educational uses for the Apple iPad.

MELO site averaging 7k uniques per month

In the waning months of 2010, the Mississippi Electronic Libraries Online (MELO) web site averaged 7,000 visitors a month.

The site is a launching point for many students who begin research-based projects.  

"We're pleased that students and teachers continue to find MELO a valuable resource," says Dr. Christian Pruett, Assistant Executive Director of Instructional Technology and eLearning at the SBCJC.  "Our students, faculty, and libraries find it invaluable, as well as our accrediting body."

The site, redesigned and relaunched in 2010, provides tools for analyzing site statistics.  "Not only can we obtain a quick snapshot on user traffic, we also know, for the first time, how many of our student users are accessing MELO from a mobile phone," says Terry Pollard, one of the site administrators.  "We even had one student in the fall accessing MELO from his Wii."

MELO is managed and operated through the purview of the Mississippi Library Directors Association, and contains vetted links to articles, books, databases, reference materials, and subject guides in eighteen disciplines.