Goldey-Beacom College Launches Inaugural Advancing Digital Learning Symposium

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

CONTACT:   Janine G. Sorbello, Dir. of Ext. Affairs             DATE: November 20, 2024

CELL:            302-290-3224                              

EMAIL:         [email protected]

 

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Goldey-Beacom College Launches Inaugural Advancing Digital Learning Symposium

 

Wilmington, DE – On Friday, November 8, 2024, the Goldey-Beacom College Center for Professional Development and Partnerships, led by Dr. Deanna Merritt, convened educators, policymakers and industry leaders to explore and discuss the transformative role of digital technology in expanding global education access.

 

Dr. Alexandra Salas, founder of the DelMarVa Digital Learning Association, and Dr. Deanna Merritt, director of professional development and partnerships, both professors at GBC, partnered with the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to present the inaugural Advancing Digital Learning Symposium.

 

Guest speakers addressed important topics including the basics of practical uses and ethical guidelines to the more complex topic of how to apply trauma-informed approaches in online learning. Attendees discussed foundational aspects of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) including the challenges and benefits of AI in education, the need for responsible and innovative use and the initial resistance that many institutions are experiencing.

 

Office of Digital Learning presenters from the Delaware Department of Education explained Senate Bill 195, the Digital Citizenship Act, which emphasizes media literacy and internet safety. The bill includes 13 key elements for K-12 education and defines media literacy broadly, encompassing all communication forms and integrates digital citizenship norms. Although the legislation was written before the boom of generative AI, there are direct connections that will guide how we embrace the use of AI. Many guests agreed that AI is not our competition. Our competition is the person who uses AI the best.

 

Professors Merritt and Salas announced the date for the second annual Advancing Digital Learning Symposium – November 7, 2025.

 

 

About DelMarVa Digital Learning Association

DelMarVa Digital Learning Association (DelMarVa-DLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization  committed to growing an ecosystem of support and experiential opportunities for students and educators. Through strategic partnership and grant-funded initiatives, DelMarVa-DLA will host exchanges, webinars and affinity discussions aimed at advancing knowledge about digital learning and its role and impact across industries to develop meaningful connections and catalyze positive change in education.

 

DelMarVa-DLA was formed to foster dialogue, innovation and advocacy through collaboration and partnerships in the Delmarva region (Delaware, Maryland and Virginia). As a state chapter of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), and in collaboration with other affinity groups, DelMarVa-DLA aims to be a steward in the transformational digital learning space to contribute to improving knowledge access and success outcomes.

 

Founded in 1886, Goldey-Beacom College has approximately 1,300 students enrolled from 29 states and 65 nations. The College offers 48 degree options in its graduate and undergraduate programs with majors in psychology, economics, criminal justice, communication & media, human services, English, and all areas of business, including accounting, business administration, entrepreneurship and finance. Additionally, the College offers 21 certificate programs.

 

The College began accepting students into three new degree programs in fall 2023: Bachelor of Science in Digital Marketing, and two concentrations in the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program: Cybersecurity and Esports & Gaming Administration. Also offered in fall 2023 are stackable new macro and micro graduate certificate programs.

 

The College is committed to connecting its graduates with careers in their respective fields. For over a decade, the College has achieved a 90% placement rate for graduates. Goldey-Beacom College is located in Pike Creek Valley, a suburb of Wilmington, Delaware. The College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.

 

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