H-LTLA Academy – Voting 2021

Part I. Personal Information and Demographic Data

Applicant Full Name

Melissa LaCour

Applicant Title

Director of New Markets

Institution or System

Louisiana Community & Technical College System

Address for Official Correspondence

265 South Foster Drive Baton Rouge LA 70806

Track of interest

English track

Languages

English

Have teach an online course in the past three years

Yes

Have taken an online course in the past three years

Yes

Have you been in charge of an instructional technology initiative

Yes

Have you been in charge of a distance education initiative

Yes

Years of experience in Higher Education

21 or more years

Part II. Education

Highest Earned Degree

Masters

College/University

Louisiana Tech University

Field/Major

Health Informatics & Information Management

Next Highest Earned Degree

Bachelors

College/University

Louisiana Tech University

Field/Major

Medical Records Administration

Other Degrees Earned

College/University

Field/Major

Medical Records Administration

Part III. Experience

Present Responsibilities

Responsible for the administration of the system-wide LMS/Canvas and coordination of the system-wide
eLearning coordinators. With responsibility for development, coordination and delivery of high quality
programs to new student markets with an emphasis on innovative delivery methods. Working collaboratively
with all LCTCS Colleges and LCTCS partners to achieve these goals

Academic and Professional Distinctions and Honors

Endowed Professorship Award, 2005-2006, Delgado Community College
Seymour Weiss Excellence in Teaching Nominee, 2004-05, Delgado Community College
Career Achievement Award, 2004, Louisiana Health Information Management Association
Endowed Professorship Award, 2001-2002, Delgado Community College
Legacy Award, 2002, American Health Information Management Association

Civil and Community Activities

I am active in my parish church community and formerly in our community youth playground associations.

Professional Goals

I am looking for short term focus learning experiences or credentials to sharpen my skills to focus on higher
education, removing barriers to student success, and innovative delivery models.

Please explain what you expect to gain by participating in the H-LTLA

I believe this program perfectly blends my areas of passion and enthusiasm for short-term, focused, and diverse perspectives to approach the opportunities presented to many of us in today’s higher education environment.

Part IV. Professional References

Professional Reference #1

Rene Cintron, PhD
Chief Education and Training Officer
Louisiana Community & Technical College System
225-922-2800
renecintron@lctcs.edu

Professional Reference #2

Sasha Thackaberry, PhD
Vice President, Online and Continuing Education
Louisiana State University
(225) 578-0369
thackaberry@lsu.edu

Professional Reference #3

Wendi Palermo, PhD
Executive Director of Academics and Workforce
Louisiana Community & Technical College System
225-922-2800
wendipalermo@lctcs.edu

Upload a letter from a president, chancellor, or cabinet-level administrator stating the nominee’s qualifications for the program, leadership strengths, and development opportunities.

https://hets.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/145/HETS-Learning-Technologies-Leadership-Academy-signed-2.pdf

Part V. Initiative and Mentor

Upload a letter describing a project that you will consider implementing at your campus or organization on any of the areas of the Program with the name of your Mentor. Your Mentor can be different from your references and should be a staff with experience in the area selected. The Mentor information will be submitted with the signature to confirm the availability to guide the implementation of your campus initiative.

https://hets.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/145/HETS-program-project-signed-2.pdf

Part VI. Statement of Purpose

1. From your perspective, what are the top three issues facing higher education today? Why?

1. The broad scope of online learning requires vigilance to remain aware of federal, state, and accrediting body rules and the best practices evolving as we gain experience and our students needs or desires change. Leaders in our area need skill, energy, and effective practices to implement new methods to ensure this compliance.
2. We lack the financial support to acquire people and tools for instructional/ curriculum design AND there is a shortage of professionals in this area with the needed skill sets to transform all of our courses/programs.
3. Our work must be measured to ensure alignment to our mission, and data for digital learning must be used to guide our efforts. We need standard KPIs (or some equivalent) to assist here.

2. What are your own institution’s priorities and challenges with regard to leveraging instructional technology and distance education for the benefit of the entire organization?

Our priorities involve converting courses/programs to the appropriate mix of hybrid or distance delivery to meet the needs of our customers while ensuring the rigor and content requirements of each discipline. Our challenges are time, effort, and expertise needed to build quality in the design and delivery of the transformed courses/programs. We seek innovative practices that are sustainable to make this work possible. We are passionate about building learning environments that support our students’ success and we recognize that we cannot continue doing things the way we have traditionally done them.

3. If have the influence to instill change at your Institution, was one thing you could change, what would that be; and what is the unique aspect of your institution you would like to keep?

The Change: I would build the army of people to train and support our faculty to ensure the delivery of engaging course work. The army would require the support of the leadership of our entire organization; everyone must recognize and support (financially and otherwise) what is happening in our classrooms! Our faculty & staff are passionate, however the work load can get heavy, we need opportunities across the board for our faculty and staff to ensure that the learning experience and environment are meeting the needs of our students and the business & industry/community we serve.

Keep: The LCTCS colleges utilize a system-wide instance of Canvas that provides the perfect environment to scale quality practices and delivery. To compliment our LMs environment we have an active committee of eLearning coordinators, each college is represented, where we are able to share best practices and resources to support the improvement needed and scaling to ensure broad impact.

Evaluation

Please provide your input for the following candidate application, using a scale from 1 to 3 (based on the rubric and metrics provided for each area):

Applicant name (for your reference): *

Title (for your reference): *

Track of interest (for your reference): *

Part I. Personal Information and Demographic Data

Part I. Personal Information and Demographic Data: Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1 – (Poor: Have not taught or taken an online course, or have not been in charge of instructional technology or a distance education initiative, and have less than 5 years of experience in Higher Ed.); 2- (Good: Have taught or taken at least two online courses, or have been in charge of instructional technology or a distance education initiative, and have between 6 and 10 years of experience in Higher Ed.); 3- (Excellent: Have taught or taken two or more online courses, have been in charge of instructional technology or a distance education initiative, and have between 11 and 20 or more years of experience in Higher Ed.) *

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Part II. Education

Part II. Education: Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1- (Poor: Bachelor’s degree or less than a bachelor’s degree in any academic Field); 2- (Good: Bachelor’s degree in Education with a major related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed., or a master’s degree in Education); 3- (Excellent: Master or courses towards a doctor degree, or a doctor’s degrees in Education related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed.) *

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Part III. Experience:

Present Responsibilities, distinctions, and activities: 1- (Poor: Not present responsibilities related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed., and doesn't have distinctions or activities related to the fields); 2- (Good: Present responsibilities related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed., and mentioned distinctions or activities related to the fields); 3- (Excellent: Present responsibilities related to management or supervision of Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. initiatives, and mentioned the distinctions or activities related to the fields). *

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Professional Goals: Professional Goals: 1 – (Poor: Goals described are not related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. Initiatives); 2 – (Good: Goals described are related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. Initiatives); 3 – (Excellent: Goals described are innovative and related to the management or supervision of Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. Initiatives). *

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Please explain what you expect to gain by participating in the H-LTLA: Please explain what you expect to gain by participating in the H-LTLA: 1 – (Poor: Candidate’s expectations are not aligned with the H-LTLA curriculum and competencies); 2 – (Good: Candidate’s expectations are in some way aligned with the H-LTLA curriculum and competencies); 3 – (Excellent: Candidate’s expectations are significantly aligned with the H-LTLA curriculum and competencies) *

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Part IV. Professional References

Part IV. Professional References: Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1 – (Poor: Provided are one or two references and are not related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. Faculty or Administrators, and the nomination letter is pending); 2 – (Good: Provided two references and are related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. Faculty or Administrators, and included the nomination letter or provided the evidence that is in process); 3 – (Excellent: Provided more than two references and are related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. Administrators, and included the nomination letter) *

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Part V. Initiative and Mentor

Part V. Initiative and Mentor: Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1 – (Poor: The candidate’s initiative is unclear or not aligned with the H-LTLA curriculum and competencies, and the mentor does not seem to have experience in the proposed initiative area.); 2 – (Good: The candidate’s initiative is clear and somehow aligned with the H-LTLA curriculum and competencies, and the mentor seems to have some experience in the proposed initiative area.); 3 – (Excellent: The candidate’s initiative is clear and very aligned with the H-LTLA curriculum and competencies, and the mentor seems to have a lot of experience in the proposed initiative area) *

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Part VI. Statement of Purpose:

1. From your perspective, what are the top three issues facing higher education today? Why? Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1 – (Poor: The issues and explanations are not clear or pertinent to the education reality today); 2 – (Good: The issues and explanations are somehow clear or pertinent to the education reality today); 3 – (Excellent: The issues and explanations are very clear and pertinent to the education reality today) *

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2. What are your own institution’s priorities and challenges with regard to leveraging instructional technology and distance education for the benefit of the entire organization? Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1 – (Poor: The priorities and challenges described are not directly related to leveraging instructional technology and distance education); 2 – (Good: The priorities and challenges described are somehow related to leveraging instructional technology and distance education); 3 – (Excellent: The priorities and challenges described are directly related to leveraging instructional technology and distance education.) *

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3. If have the influence to instill change at your Institution, was one thing you could change, what would that be; and what is the unique aspect of your institution you would like to keep? Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1 – (Poor: Only mention one aspect, and is not directly related to a thing that he/she could change or keep at his/her Institution); 2 – (Good: Mention one or two aspects, and are somehow related to a thing that he/she could change or keep at his/her Institution); 3 – (Excellent: Mention both aspects and are related to a thing that he/she could change and keep at his/her Institution.) *

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Name of the Evaluation Board Member *

Evaluation Board Member Comments about the Applicant: Please write your recommendations or additional feedback

Please select the best category that applies to this candidate based on the following criteria

Please select the best category that applies to this candidate based on the following criteria: 1-Beginner: Obtained mostly 1 point in Personal Information and Demographic Data; Education; Present Responsibilities distinctions, and activities; and Initiative and Mentor; but the rest of the categories could score 1, 2 or 3); 2- Intermediate: Obtained mostly 2 points in Personal Information and Demographic Data; Education; Present Responsibilities distinctions, and activities; and Initiative and Mentor; but the rest of the categories could score 1, 2 or 3); 3- Advanced: Obtained mostly 3 points in Personal Information and Demographic Data; Education; Present Responsibilities distinctions, and activities; and Initiative and Mentor; but the rest of the categories could score 1, 2 or 3) *

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