Speaker: Christian deTorres

Christian deTorres has designed and built online courses, in-person training, Mars exploration presentations, wiki workflows, Braille-friendly UI, and online communities over the past decade. In that time, he’s supported users and clients ranging from the blind and brain-damaged at Children’s Hospital to rocket scientists at MIT. For Christian, it’s all about listening to clients, identifying their need, and providing the best possible tools for their success.


Speaker: Lance Eaton

Lance Eaton is Coordinator of Instructional Design at North Shore Community College. He has advance degrees in American Studies, Public Administration and Instructional Design. He has written for digital, popular, trade and academic publications while presenting at local, national and international conferences on such topics as audiobooks, comics, literature, history, horror, online pedagogy, online identities, social media, and universal design.


Speaker: Irene Fernandez

Irene Fernandez is a full time Spanish professor at North Shore Community College. She develops and applies technology for web-based, hybrid, and distance learning classes; instructional methods that engage students with varying learning styles and assessment strategies that maximize the learning process and measure student learning outcomes.

Her research activities involve the development of new approaches to teaching foreign languages in order to improve, innovate and expand the Language Program.

Due to her expertise in teaching models and best practices, she was invited to participate in Middlesex Community College’s Carnegie Group to study the scholarship of teaching and learning. Because of her willingness to search for new delivery methods, she was awarded many mini-grants for course development and experimental models. She received the Course of Distinction by the Massachusetts Colleges Online Best Practices and is a NISOD Excellence Awards recipient.


Speaker: Silka Hermeling

Silka Hermeling is an Instructional Designer at Framingham State University, working with faculty and staff to support the appropriate use of technology in the teaching and learning environment as well as leading programs for faculty teaching online and blended courses (Teaching at a Distance and Quality Matters). Over the past 15 years, Silka’s work has included: developing online courses, facilitator-led training sessions, and webinars for a learning management system company; and writing several courses for Brown University's Pre-College online programs (leadership, DNA science, writing, and entrepreneurship). She also wrote technical documentation and designed multimedia CBTs for a bank and consulted on custom online content (Princeton Review, Fidelity Investments, and Prudential). Silka earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Siena College, Loudonville, New York; and her Masters of Science in Technical Communications from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York.


Speaker: Andrea Milligan

Andrea Milligan is the Director of Instructional Technology and Design at North Shore Community College. Before coming to North Shore Community College, Andrea was the Director of Academic Technology at from Framingham State University, where she worked for over twelve years. Andrea has over ten years of practical and theoretical experience in promoting and facilitating the use of technology as an integral part of the total academic experience; helping faculty in the design and development of Web-enhanced, hybrid and online courses; providing professional development opportunities to faculty in using technology effectively in the teaching and learning environment; assisting and supporting faculty and students in the use of academic technology tools; and maintaining an awareness of the latest instructional technologies and emerging technologies that might have an impact on the teaching and learning environment.


Speaker: Robin Robinson

Robin Robinson is the Director of Education Technology and Support at Framingham State University (FSU), where she has worked since 2002. Robin and her staff support students, faculty and staff in their use of technology in the teaching and learning environment. Robin is the co-facilitator of the FSU Quality Matters course design initiative, co-chairs the Mobile Task Force with the Director of User Services and is leading the operational eLearning Task Force. Robin is the co-NERCOMP Blackboard Sig Master, FSU liaison to Mass Colleges Online (MCUonline) and has been an active participant in the annual MCO e-Learning Best Practice conference. Robin was the Director of Distance Education prior to her promotion in the fall of 2010 to her current position. Robin earned a Master's degree in Technical and Professional Writing from Northeastern University in Boston, and worked in Publishing before coming to the University.
 

Speaker: Amber Vaill

Amber L. Vaill has been working in the field of online education since 2004, serving in various capacities in both the K12 and higher education environments. Amber has presented and published on many online education-related topics, including faculty development for online instructors, online course design, preparing online students for success, and using the Canvas LMS. Amber currently serves as an Instructional Designer at Becker College. She holds a Ph.D. in Education with an eLearning specialization from Northcentral University, and master’s degrees from Westfield State University (History Education) and Framingham State University (Curriculum and Instructional Technology).