Kord Kutchins, M.A. - Kord Kutchins is presently completing his educational doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction and holds an M.A. in Instructional Systems Design from the University of Central Florida. In addition to teaching graduate-level courses at the university in multimedia design and development, Mr. Kutchins has over 6 years experience in designing, developing, managing and consulting in the arena of computer-based and web-based training for government, corporate and educational customers.

Visual Services, Inc. recently named Mr. Kutchins to Director of Learning Technologies for the VSI education and training department. At VSI Kord will be responsible for the planning and growth of VSI's interactive-media training competency - including CD-ROM, computer- and web-based training projects. He will develop the company's internal interactive media resources, in addition to sales support to existing platform teams and new business groups.

Instructional Design Workshop - Benjamin Bell, Ph.D.

Benjamin Bell is Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology and Media at Teachers College, Columbia University. Professor Bell's research interests in intelligent learning environments reflects his previous training in Artificial Intelligence that he acquired while pursuing the Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from Northwestern University's Institute for the Learning Sciences.

As a member of the Teachers College faculty, Dr. Bell tries to avoid any public mention of computer science and instead develops technology-enabled simulation learning environments for a broad range of educational venues. To further mask any attachments to Computer Science, Professor Bell has become actively engaged in developing courseware and authoring tools for distance education projects at Teachers College and elsewhere.

Facilitating Online Learning Workshop - Patti Shank, MA Ed.

Patti Shank has been designing, facilitating and managing innovative instructor-led and technology-based educational programming for more than 13 years. She received her Masterís degree in Educational Technology Leadership from George Washington University, where her project team won the Jere Trout student project award. She is currently a faculty member at George Washington University and The University of Colorado. Formerly, as Manager of Health Education and Training for a large healthcare organization, her departmentís creative programming won accolades and awards from accreditation and national training organizations.

Patti is nationally known for her independent and insightful (and often outspoken) thinking about education, training and performance, and is an often requested speaker at national training conferences. Sheís a contributing writer for Lakewood Publishingís Technology for Learning Newsletter and has recently contributed a chapter in the upcoming book: Web-based Computer Conferencing, published by Style Publishing. Patti began Insight Ed, an instructional design and training firm, in 1995 to help others augment their training and education efforts through innovation and technology. She has helped numerous universities and corporations assess, develop, integrate, implement, and evaluate distance education initiatives.

Open Workshop - Valerie Beeman, MPH

Valerie currently works as an Online Learning Specialist at Stanford University, and has been there for 13 years. When the University chose to create staff training on non-technical processes using their intranet a few years ago, Valerie was selected to head up the project. The result is a site that targets 2,000 employees who manage other employees, called SOURCE, or Supervisors Online University Resource for Competence and Effectiveness. The goal is to expand the site over time so that it provides training for all University staff (approximately 10,000 users). Visitors to the site can view the top level of information before being locked out: http://www.hrweb.stanford.edu/source

Valerie continues to manage the site, creating content and directing the site's production. She also works as an internal consultant, helping staff in some of the 200 departments (in over 350 buildings) across the University to design departmental work processes and the infrastructure to support those processes. That work includes advising how technology could be a solution to clarify and communicate internal processes. She is a Certified Instructional Designer, and holds a Master's degree in Public Health Administration.