Professional Development
The Association for Distance Education and Independent Learning (ADEIL) offers valuable professional development opportunities for educators and professionals engaged in or interested in distance learning. Through its annual conference and recurrent professional development offerings, ADEIL fosters collaboration, networking, and knowledge-sharing among members. With a focus on advancing the understanding and practice of distance education of all types, ADEIL enriches members’ professional growth while promoting collaborative innovation in this dynamic field.
If you are interested in presenting for a future webinar, please complete the Call for Webinar Proposals form.
Professional Development Webinar Series
Title: Course Design: What Do You Do When Something Goes Wrong?
Date: Thursday, September 24, 2026
Time: 1-2 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Registration (Free & Required): bit.ly/4ggMVzE
All are welcome to attend. You do not need to be a member of ADEIL.
Direct Link to Webinar: Zoom link will be emailed before the webinar.
Teaching and learning professional development often focus on models, theories, and frameworks. These are worthwhile ideas to draw from, and they don’t always provide a full picture of the human element of the work. Between deadlines, conflicting priorities, and accidents, things can go wrong. This panel discussion will include the perspectives of three instructional designers on situations that did not go as anticipated and how they adapted. Presenters: Rich Freese, DMA, Instructional Designer, University of Wisconsin – Madison; Haley Kerkhoff, MA, Instructional Design Supervisor, University of Wisconsin – Madison; Gloria Washington, EdD, Instructional Designer, University of South Carolina
Title: High-Impact Inclusive Online Course Design and Teaching
Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Time: 1-2 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Registration (Free & Required): bit.ly/40zbe33
All are welcome to attend. You do not need to be a member of ADEIL.
Direct Link to Webinar: Via email before the webinar
Description
Are your online courses as engaging and inclusive as they could be? Today’s learners expect courses that are accessible, engaging, inclusive, and easy to navigate. Instructors, meanwhile, face the challenge of balancing technology, pedagogy, and human connection in a virtual space. In this focused, one-hour session, Dr. Karen Skibba provides a synthesis of the most impactful, research-based strategies for inclusive online course design and teaching.
Dr. Karen Skibba
Ph.D., Adult and Continuing Education, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee; M.A., Communication Studies, Marquette University; B.A., Journalism, Marquette University
Karen Skibba, Ph.D., specializes in online and blended faculty development and developing quality online and blended courses. She also develops and facilitates a variety of learning communities and workshops and develops resources to help all instructors enhance teaching and learning. Karen has authored book chapters on educational technologies and online and blended teaching and faculty development. She presents her award-winning research at international conferences. Karen received her doctoral degree in Adult and Continuing Education from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Her dissertation focused on how faculty members learn to teach adult learners in a blended program. She has taught college-level communication as well as courses and seminars on online/blended course development.