Nevada Workshops | Landmark College Institute for Research and Training

Please fill out our interest form if you would like to hear about future workshops or would like to consider co-hosting a regional workshop.

Understanding and Supporting Individuals With Diverse Cognitive Profiles

This 1-day workshop addressed challenges of instruction and support for students with diverse cognitive profiles. The workshop covered:

Date: July 2010
Location: Western Nevada College, Carson City, NV
Audience: Secondary and postsecondary educators, transition coordinators, vocational rehabilitation specialists, counselors, social workers, school and program administrators, technology education specialists, mentors

Effective Instruction and Universal Design

This 3-hour workshop for graduate teaching assistants included information about common learning issues for college students, beneficial instructional practices, and principles of universal design that can be implemented to improve education for all students.

Date: August 2009
Location: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Audience: Graduate teaching assistants

Transition Solutions for Northern Nevada

This workshop included an overview of Asperger's Syndrome, learning disabilities and other conditions that influence learning for high school and college students. Participants learned about characteristics of individuals who have succeeded in multiple areas of life, best practices and techniques to support students who struggle with learning, universal design approaches to education, technology resources for students, and effective services and support systems. The workshop provided an opportunity for human service professionals to become aware of community organizations and resources, and representatives from Northern Nevada agencies provided resources and information to attendees to make solutions work.

Date: August 2009
Location: NV Energy Building 6100 Neil Road, Reno, NV (link shows location on Google Maps)
Audience: Secondary and postsecondary educators, transition coordinators, vocational rehabilitation specialists, counselors, social workers, school and program administrators, technology education specialists, mentors.
This workshop was sponsored by Landmark College and Easter Seals Sierra Nevada.

Universal Design to Promote Education for All Students

This 4-hour workshop for college instructors included information about common learning issues experienced by college students in online, hybrid, and traditional education settings. Topics included profile-based instructional design, universal design principles, beneficial instructional practices, assistive technology for learning, and the role of metacognition.

Date: June 2009
Location: Nevada State College, Henderson
Audience: Nevada State College Technology Fellows, staff, and faculty

Southern Nevada Workshop Series:
Universal Design to Promote Education for All Students

This two-part workshop series provided attendees an overview of universal design principles and how they can be applied to education to support a diverse range of students and learning profiles. Drawing from learning theories and research related to attention disorders, learning disabilities, and psychiatric conditions, the workshop highlighted evidence-based college-level practices to promote learning, student engagement, and assessment. It also included information related to assistive technologies that can be used to promote engagement and understanding for struggling students both in and beyond college, such as speech-to-text, text-to-speech, visual organization, and annotation systems. Interested participants were encouraged to attend both workshops, but each was offered as an independent, standalone offering that does not require attendance in the other workshop.

Part 1:
Overview of Universal Design and Its Application to Instruction and Student Support
Universal design is a concept that emerged from the architecture and design community in an effort to go beyond simply promoting access to buildings and the use of products. In recent years, this concept has been applied to education in an effort to promote learning for all students, including those who may struggle with issues arising from under-preparedness, learning disabilities, psychiatric conditions, and insufficient access to resources. This workshop provided an overview of the universal design concept and emphasize its relevance and application to education. Attendees learned about principles of universal design as they relate to education, along with examples of how these principles can be applied to postsecondary instruction and student support.

Part 2:
Best Practices for Implementing Universal Design to Promote Learning for All Students
Universal design emerged from the architecture and product design community as a means to promote access and equity for individuals with diverse physical and intellectual needs. Applied to education, universal design can enhance the learning experience for all students, especially those who struggle with issues associated with under-preparedness, learning disabilities, psychiatric conditions, and access to resources. This workshop incorporated demonstrations and simulations to engage participants in an overview of universal design principles and how they can benefit all students, especially those who struggle with issues such as "invisible disabilities." Drawing from experiences in classroom instruction, online education, and student services, participants learned about practices that incorporate universal design to enhance student understanding and promote engagement and performance. Attendees also participated in activities that demonstrate how the principles of universal design can be applied to enhance education through the use of intentional, pedagogical practices that foster student understanding of content as well as college-level expectations.

Strategies to Support Struggling Students (Addressing the Needs of At-Risk Students in Transition)

Transition to college or work is widely accepted as a key developmental milestone in our society and students who are considered to be at-risk are in particular peril of not receiving the supports necessary to accomplish their transition. This workshop reviewed various meanings of “at-risk” and different transition strategies available for various domains of development. Participants learned strategies and practices to support at-risk students, including the use of technology, instructional methods, and other supports. Participants also explored models of programs and supports for students in transition to the postsecondary and working environments, investigated the importance of institutional climate in promoting success for at-risk students, and developed approaches for creating systems of support within their current institution, department or classroom.

Date: March 2009
Location: Western Nevada College, Carson City
Audience: Secondary and postsecondary educators, counselors, vocational rehabilitation specialists
This workshop was sponsored by Landmark College, Easter Seals Sierra Nevada, and Western Nevada College.

Effective Practices and Systems to Support Students with Learning Disabilities in Postsecondary Education

This presentation covered effective practices for students with and without documented learning disabilities in conventional postsecondary settings. The presentation emphasized a universal design approach to education that incorporates systems, processes, and resources to support a diverse range of students who struggle with attention disorders, learning disabilities, and psychiatric conditions, as well as students who are under-prepared for college-level work. Specific solutions included best practices for disability service professionals, instructors, technologists and mentors who provide both direct and indirect support to at-risk students.

Date: March 2009
Location: University of Nevada, Reno
Audience: Nevada System of Higher Education Disability Consortium

Please fill out our interest form if you would like to hear about future workshops or would like to consider co-hosting a regional workshop.

Presenter: Steve Fadden, Vice President for Research and Institute Operations

Steve Fadden, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research and Institute Operations at Landmark College
Director of the Landmark College Institute for Research and Training

Steve Fadden, Ph.D., is the Vice President for Research and Institute Operations at Landmark College and Director of the Landmark College Institute for Research and Training. Dr. Fadden received his Ph.D. in Engineering Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he specialized in cognitive psychology, human perception, and applied human factors research. Dr. Fadden's experience includes conducting research, evaluation, and project management in academic, industrial, and government settings. His basic research interests include cognitive and perceptual aspects of reading, scene perception, and attention, and his applied interests include evaluating the effectiveness of educational methods and assistive technologies, developing systems for optimal learning and task performance, and applying universal design principles for usability. Dr. Fadden's prior work in management consulting, usability engineering, and human factors psychology provides him with experience in research, system design, and training across multiple diverse domains. His past work includes research and development activities with pilots, air traffic controllers, security and intelligence analysts, computer network operators, finance personnel, and consumers. Dr. Fadden is currently managing several grants to enhance education at community colleges, improve the usability of learning resources for diverse learners, and promote interest and access to careers and disciplines in computing. He teaches psychology, usability, and engineering courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, and offers workshops on education, learning disabilities, and universal design to educators and practitioners.

Previous Workshops for Educators in Nevada