Educational Initiatives Committee

The Charge of the Educational Initiatives Committee is to ensure that the educational offerings (conferences, webinars, courses, and institutes) of the Association align with the Association’s strategic priorities, NODA Core Competencies, CAS Standards, and the broader landscape of scholarly practices.

To meet this charge, the Committee will:

  • Support learning and professional growth, ensuring educational programs meet member needs
  • Ensure the continuous development and improvement of educational offerings relevant to the needs of the association and members.
  • Use assessments, trends, and best practices to advise on guidelines and program standards and provide quality assurance in all educational programs.
  • Engage and collaborate with NODA leadership, including faculty, instructors, program leaders, working groups, and committees, to integrate shared expectations and standards into all educational offerings.
  • Facilitate scholarly engagement, research, and publications.

Educational Initiatives Workgroups

Workgroups are short-term, task-oriented volunteer opportunities that support the work of NODA’s Educational Initiatives Committee. Designed to be flexible and impact-driven, workgroups bring together members with relevant interests and expertise to focus on specific, measurable projects within a defined timeframe. 

This structure allows NODA to respond nimbly to emerging needs, reduce duplication of efforts, and create meaningful engagement opportunities for members who may not be able to commit to a multi-year committee role. Through workgroups, volunteers contribute directly to advancing NODA’s educational priorities while seeing the tangible impact of their work.

Apply for a workgroup

Subcommittees

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Subcommittees

Educational Guidance and Compliance

Elizabeth Burns
Subcommittee Lead Elizabeth Burns
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Active Workgroups:

Peer Review Process

  • Purpose: Define expectations for peer review processes across NODA programs; outline best practices, guidance, and minimum requirements for all peer review processes
  • Skills and Qualifications: former experience on a NODA planning committee (especially as chair or co-chair of educational programming/sessions), or conference presentation experience, or peer evaluator experience
  • Time Commitment:  workgroup will meet monthly between March – November 2026. Total hours of expected work (including meetings): 15 hours

 

NODA Educational Program Assessment

  • Purpose: Create universal and standardized assessment tools and reporting processes and timelines across all NODA programs
  • Skills and Qualifications: Knowledge of assessment strategies and tools
  • Time Commitment: workgroup will meet monthly between March – November 2026. Total hours of expected work (including meetings): 15 hours

Core Competencies

Kayla Heirendt
Subcommittee Lead Kayla Heirendt
University of Southern Mississippi

Active Workgroups:

“Crisis Management” – Competency Language Review and Revision Workgroup

  • Purpose: to review and provide recommended revisions for the NODA Core Competency: Crisis Management
  • Skills and Qualifications: applicants should be subject matter experts in Crisis Management and proficient in the advanced level of the competency; applicants should have familiarity with Bloom’s Taxonomy
  • Time Commitment: workgroup will meet bi-weekly between March – May 2026. Total hours of expected work (including meetings): 6-8 hours

Core Competency Microlearning Review Workgroup

  • Purpose: NODA is currently in the process of creating microlearning opportunities that will be available at no cost to members. This workgroup will review, test, and provide feedback for 6 microlearning modules that focus on the following core competencies: Program Delivery & Management, Research, Assessment, & Evaluation, Curriculum & Content Development, Diversity, Inclusion, & Access, Financial Management, and Organization & Leadership.
  • Skills and Qualifications: applicants should review the NODA Core Competencies and have at least a foundational understanding of each of the 6 focus areas. Experience with microlearning is preferred but not required. 
  • Time Commitment: workgroup will meet monthly between March – May 2026. Total hours of expected work (including meetings): 5 hours

Scholarly Engagement Programming

Sal Rizza
Subcommittee Lead Sal Rizza
Southern Connecticut State University

Active Workgroups:

Scholarly Webinars Planning Workgroup

  • Purpose: Create a 4-part webinar series that provided step-by-step guides on how to get engaged with scholarly practices within NODA and across OTR. 
  • Skills and Qualifications: interest in scholarly work and publications; experience coordinating virtual programs
  • Time Commitment: workgroup will meet monthly between March – November 2026. Total hours of expected work (including meetings): 10 hours

Scholarly Engagement Toolkits Workgroup

Time Commitment: workgroup will meet monthly between March – August 2026. Total hours of expected work (including meetings): 8 hours

Purpose: Create content for scheduled programming and beginner-friendly resources, including grab and go resources, roadmaps, best practice document, and step-by-step guides on how to get engaged with scholarly work. 

Skills and Qualifications: previous experience with research and academic publishing; interest in educating other professionals in academic publishing; content creation experience

FAQ

Committee Membership

Committee Membership

  • A minimum of four general Association members, including one Chair and three Sub-Committee Leads 
  • Three general Board of Directors members, appointed by the Association President to serve as liaisons on an annual basis
  • One Association Staff Partner 
  • The committee may invite additional General Association Member volunteers to support specific, measurable, and time-bound working groups
  • Ex-officio members of the committee may include:
    • Publications Strategy Lead
    • Chairs of upcoming and future Annual and Spring Learning Conference committees

Committee Member Term

  • Committee members serve two-year terms.
  • Committee members can serve up to two consecutive terms.
  • Board of Directors member serves a one-year term.
  • The committee chair is a general member of the Association.
  • The committee chair should not serve simultaneously as chair and program coordinator of any current educational initiative.
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