Ray Schroeder named Innovation Fellow by national association

The University Professional & Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) has named Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor for online learning at the University of Illinois Springfield as its first Innovation Fellow.

“Ray has a proven track record of national and international leadership in the application of digital technology to promote effective approaches to higher education,” said Robert Hansen, UPCEA chief executive officer. “His vision and experience span the strategic, operational and pedagogical aspects of the field.”

As the Innovation Fellow for Digital Learning, Schroeder will serve UPCEA and its members with a combination of articles, white papers, webinars and consulting services through the Center for Research and Consulting. He is also the author of UPCEA’s daily “Online, Continuing, and Professional Education Update,” and is a frequent contributor to UPCEA’s quarterly newsletter, InFocus.

UPCEA is the nation’s leading professional association for deans and directors of adult, continuing, and online education. Its nearly 400 member institutions include most of the best public and private universities in North America. The group’s conferences and publications provide members with strategies that respond to the growing population of adults and non-traditional students seeking continuous learning opportunities.

Schroeder will be honored during UPCEA’s 97th annual conference in Portland, Oregon, which runs March 28-30, 2012.

In addition to the UPCEA honor, the Illinois Council of Continuing Education recently awarded UIS the Innovation 2012 Award for a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) held during the summer of 2011. The MOOC, organized by Schroeder, focused on the topic “Online Learning Today...and Tomorrow” and attracted more than 2,600 participants from 70 countries.

"We are particularly honored to receive this recognition from our colleagues at colleges and universities around the state of Illinois,” said Schroeder. “This award is especially meaningful because it recognizes our leadership in innovation in learning in higher education in Illinois."

The content from the free course is still available online at http://sites.google.com/site/edumooc/.