Welcome to Professional Development for Instructors Online Forum!

 

This forum, facilitated by Dr. Simone Conceição and Dr. Karen Skibba, focuses on online and hybrid resources, webinars, micro-courses, and podcast episodes for instructors. We invite you to join the forum, follow the postings, and share resources!

Dr. Conceição has over 25 years experience in online teaching and learning, learning design, and professional development for instructors in higher education, K-12, business, and training. She is Professor Emerita in the Department of Administrative Leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Conceição is the editor of Teaching Strategies in the Online Environment (2007). She coauthored the books Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to “Be There” for Distance Learners (2010). Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success (2011) and Motivating and Retaining Online Students: Research-Based Strategies that Work (2014). She published Designing the Online Learning Experience: Evidence-Based Principles and Strategies (2021). She was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame in 2018.

Dr. Skibba has over 20 years experience in professional development helping instructors develop quality online and blended courses. Currently, she works in the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Mentoring at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her innovative work providing resources and tools to help instructors enhance course design and teaching has been recognized by the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network and featured in the EDUCAUSE 2022 Horizon Report. Karen authored book chapters on educational technologies, online and blended teaching, and faculty development. Her research was selected for a POD Robert J. Menges Award for Outstanding Research in Educational Development. Karen received her doctoral degree in Adult and Continuing Education from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and Master’s Degree in Communication Studies and Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Marquette University.