Blog post for the #OLCAccelerate conference website, about the Online Learning Consortium's Field Guide social engagement program for the 2018 Accelerate conference

Kendal, Taylor

Marquart, Matthea S.

English

Columbia University Academic Commons

10/16/2018 5 Professional Benefits of Volunteering as an OLC Accelerate Field Guide - OLChttps://onlinelearningconsortium.org/benefits-volunteer-field-guide/ 1/55 Professional Bene ts of Volunteering as an OLCAccelerate Field GuideBy Matthea Marquart and Taylor Kendal | No Comments | August 8, 2018 | Leave a commentOne distinctive characteristic of the Online LearningConsortium’s conferences is the organization’s support formembers who want to experiment with new ideas tocontinually improve the attendee experience.  Last year,OLC launched a new social engagement program at OLCAccelerate called the Field Guide program, and thanks topopular demand, we’re happy to announce that it willreturn this year.Field Guides are members of the OLC community whovolunteer their time to enrich the conference experiencefor  rst-time attendees by sharing their knowledge, insight, and experiences in navigating OLCconferences.  They can choose from a variety of leadership activities: organizing groups for lunch/dinner outings,leading Walk-n-Talk sessions, facilitating networking discussions at the kicko  session, managing aconference Slack channel, answering questions at the Field Guide basecamp station, leading groupsto Disney World parks on Thursday evening, creating and distributing engagement maps with a listof curated conference sessions for a variety of attendee experiences.  Altogether, Field Guidesenable  rst-time attendees to make the most of attending OLC Accelerate.Being a Field Guide is more than giving back and having fun connecting with attendees — FieldGuides rave about the professional bene ts they acquire from volunteering.  Here are the top  ve:10/16/2018 5 Professional Benefits of Volunteering as an OLC Accelerate Field Guide - OLChttps://onlinelearningconsortium.org/benefits-volunteer-field-guide/ 2/51) Build new and rekindle old connections.  Volunteering as a Field Guide provides an opportunityto make new professional connections, as well as collaborate with existing colleagues.2) Establish yourself as a thought leader by sharing your knowledge and insight.  Field Guideshave the opportunity to share their expertise during walk-n-talk sessions, group meals, and othernetworking sessions, as well as learn from other attendees.3) Enhance your online/digital pro le by having your contributions acknowledged andcommended by OLC.  OLC recognizes Field Guides in the opening Accelerate keynote and within theprinted program, as well as on the Accelerate website, providing the opportunity for guides topromote their professional brand.4) Strengthen your leadership skills by taking on a leadership role.  Volunteers have theopportunity to be Accelerate conference leaders, and every leadership role is a professional growthopportunity.5) Expand your role within the OLC community.  Volunteering as a Field Guide can be a great steptoward further participation with OLC, or a chance to continue being active with the organization.We asked the OLC Accelerate Field Guide Founders, Beth Rubin, Clark Shah-Nelson, and PhyliseBanner to share their favorite moments from last year’s inaugural Field Guide Program:Beth Rubin, Dean of Adult & Online Education at Campbell University:“One great memory of the Field Guide Program was hosting seven newbies for dinner onWednesday night. It was great to meet new people, and they had a wonderful range of backgrounds,knowledge and opinions. And we had a lovely time!  Another favorite memory was the terri c energyand excitement in the Kick-o  meeting. Experienced  eld guides really enjoyed sharing andfacilitating meetings, and new participants were so happy to have an introduction and overview.Everyone walked out with a few new connections, and it was a great way to start the conference! And a personal professional bene t of the Field Guide Program was the chance to learn newtechnologies (such as Slack) that I’ve started to use at work; I  nd it adds a personal connection andstrengthens warm relationships with colleagues.”10/16/2018 5 Professional Benefits of Volunteering as an OLC Accelerate Field Guide - OLChttps://onlinelearningconsortium.org/benefits-volunteer-field-guide/ 3/5Clark Shah-Nelson, Assistant Dean of Instructional Design and Technology at University ofMaryland School of Social Work:“It was energizing to see how Field Guides and participants connected virtually in Slack – before andduring the conference, and to see how people connected in real life. It’s always fun to run intosomeone new and chat and then realize you know who that person is from a previous virtualconversation. The #OLCAccelerate Slack team also helped get a feel for people’s’ personalities andinterests. A favorite memory from the Field Guide Program was seeing all the new folks who hadnever attended #OLCAccelerate before – and being able to help orient them to the most importantplaces and spaces. I remember my  rst large conference, and it can be very overwhelming and takea lot of time and energy to get your bearings, so being able to give  rst timers a quick rundown andhelp orient and make them feel comfortable in the space felt like a useful and importantcontribution.”Phylise H. Banner, Learning Experience Designer and President of Phylise Banner Consulting,shared:“You know that feeling when you enter a room  lled with hundreds of people and you feel like anoutsider? Imagine what it’s like for someone new to OLC – not only do they have to negotiate thecrowd, they have to choose from so many sessions, and  nd someone to have dinner with. Yes, tohave dinner with. We brought the Field Guide program to life because we wanted to make it easierfor  rst-timers at the conference – to ease their entrance into the OLC conference attendeecommunity. We met new people. We helped them  nd their way. We introduced them to colleagueswho could mentor them and shape their futures.  I knew we were successful when a  rst-timeattendee came up to me at the end of the conference and asked how she can participate as a FieldGuide next year, because it made such a positive impact on her conference experience.”We hope that you’ll sign up to be a Field Guide at this year’s conference, and we look forward toconnecting with you online as we prepare for November in Orlando.About the Authors10/16/2018 5 Professional Benefits of Volunteering as an OLC Accelerate Field Guide - OLChttps://onlinelearningconsortium.org/benefits-volunteer-field-guide/ 4/5Matthea Marquart currently serves as the Director of Administration, Online Campus, at ColumbiaUniversity’s School of Social Work. In this role, she manages the operations of the online Master’s inSocial Work program, focuses on the quality of the experience for online MSSW students andinstructors, leads the School’s 5-week Institute on Pedagogy and Technology for Online Courses, andteaches in the management and leadership track. @MattheaMarquartTaylor Kendal is an instructional designer and teacher with 20 years of experience in projectmanagement, leadership development, digital/social media, and systems-level hacking of higher ed.His current focus is on bridging cultures of entrepreneurship and higher education, infusing agilityinto bureaucracies, designing awesome LX/UX, and building the future of higher education on theblockchain. @taykendesignLeave a ReplyName (required)Email (will not be published) (required)WebsiteCommentI'm not a robotreCAPTCHAPrivacy - Terms10/16/2018 5 Professional Benefits of Volunteering as an OLC Accelerate Field Guide - OLChttps://onlinelearningconsortium.org/benefits-volunteer-field-guide/ 5/5Copyright © 2018 Online Learning Consortium

5 Professional Benefits of Volunteering as an OLC Accelerate Field Guide

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5 Professional Benefits of Volunteering as an OLC Accelerate Field Guide

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