TOPkit Workshop

Overview of TOPkit Workshop 2023

TOPkit Workshop empowers those who manage faculty development or prepare faculty to teach online with practical tools and strategies to enhance their vocation. Participants will enjoy the workshop as a live virtual event. Join us as we engage in informative sessions about planning, developing, or evaluating faculty development programs as well as networking and fun.

Join us as we blast to the past for this year’s workshop theme: Vintage Florida!

We will bask in the excellence of online teaching and learning to build on the past to empower our future.

The TOPkit Workshop provides half days full of professional development resources and networking opportunities. Share and discover:

  • Innovative approaches to faculty development in higher education
  • Methods for assessing the effectiveness of faculty development and e-learning
  • Lessons learned in adopting new instructional technologies
  • New ways to foster a culture of quality for online learning
  • Trending instructional design practices
  • Collaborative, cross-institutional presentations.

Registration is Open

Register today to secure your spot at this year’s workshop. Enjoy three half days of sessions, networking, and fun. Schedule forthcoming.

Registration InformationDates
State of Florida Funded Registration (free) – Registration is subsidized by Complete Florida for State University System of Florida and Florida College System participants ONLY. To utilize state funds, please be sure to use your institutional email address for registration.October 10, 2022 –
March 1, 2023
General Registration – Early Bird ($26.74+$3.26 Fee) – General registration for all participants outside of the State University System of Florida & Florida College System.October 10, 2022 –
January 20, 2023
General Registration ($45.59+$4.41 Fee) – General registration for all participants outside of the State University System of Florida & Florida College System.January 21, 2022 –
March 1, 2023

TOPkit Workshop 2023 Keynote Panel

Christine Brown – Panel

Christine Brown is the Associate Vice President of Innovation Education (InEd) at the University of South Florida. Her team provides strategic leadership at the intersection of education, technology, and the student experience.

Christine has a passion for developing engaging digital content to solve learning challenges. She has over 25 years of experience designing learning experiences with custom multimedia and has served as the AVP for InEd’s Digital Learning for several years. Under her leadership, the team has won over 80 international awards for learning design and video production. Christine’s areas of interest focus on the exploration and evaluation of digital content to improve student learning outcomes, AR/VR for engaged learning, technology enhanced active classrooms, and improving digital fluency in higher education. 

Josh Strigle – Panel

Josh Strigle is the Director of E-Learning and Learning Support Centers at the College of Central Florida. He began serving online students and faculty in 1998. He has experienced the pains associated with the growth of online learning from the administrative, faculty and student perspectives.  He has served as his college’s representative to the Members Council for Distance Learning and Student Support, of the Florida Virtual Campus, since 2010 and is currently serving a second term as chair. This combination of student, faculty, administrative and policy experience serves him well, as he seeks to continually improve the learning experience for online students.

Vicki Westergard – Panel

Vicki Westergard is the Executive Director of Instructional Design, Education and Support (IDEAS) at St. Petersburg College, with 30+ years of experience in higher education in instructional support and leadership positions, including overseeing a 2014 college-wide online learning revitalization effort. Ms. Westergard has lead teams in instructional technology and videography, learning management system support and web development. She has led her current team of instructional designers and other creatives since 2004. 

Wendy Howard – Facilitator

Dr. Wendy Howard is the Program Director of the Pegasus Innovation Lab (iLab) at the University of Central Florida. The iLab is an incubator of experimental projects focused on digital learning innovations aimed at positively impacting student success in online learning at the institutional level. With over twenty-five years of experience in both instructional design and teaching. Dr. Howard brings invaluable insight and leadership for both faculty and student engagement to the position. Her current research is focused on faculty development, collaborative online learning, and internationalizing the curriculum through technology.

TOPkit Workshop 2023 Chair

Dr. Charlene Hu is the Director of Instructional Design for the Center for Distributed Learning at the University of Central Florida. Her duties include oversight of all aspects of the instructional design process and managing the instructional design team. Charlene started her professional career teaching in higher education. She has been in instructional design and faculty development roles for nearly twenty years, including ten years at California State University in Bakersfield, where she was instrumental in guiding faculty professional development for online quality assurance.  

Born and raised in China, she has lived in the United States for over three decades. She enjoys traveling, gardening, and spending time with her family and friends. 

TOPkit Workshop 2023 Schedule

Date/Time Session Format 
Tuesday, March 7, 2023 Day 1 
12:50 – 01:00 PM ET Getting Started & Networking Activity
01:00 – 01:10 PM ET Welcome & Orientation
01:10 – 01:50 PM ET TOPkit Chair Welcome & Keynote –  
Chair: Dr. Charlene Hu 
Keynote facilitator: Wendy Howard, EdD 
Panelists: Vicki Westergard, Executive Director, St. Petersburg College 
Josh Strigle, Director, College of Central Florida 
Christine Brown, Associate Vice President, Innovative Education 
01:50 – 02:00 PM ET BREAK 
02:00 – 02:45 PM ET Developing: Flexible and High Quality Course Design- Design and Implementation of Flexible Course Designs
University of South Florida, Caylen Holmes 
02:00 – 02:45 PM ET Developing: From the Classroom to the Living Room; Humanizing the Asynchronous Environment
Lynn University, JeVaughn Lancaster 
02:00 – 02:45 PM ET Developing: Assignments that promote civil online dialogue about controversial topics
University of Central Florida, Ann Miller; Martha Hubertz; Sharon Woodill; Michelle Dusseau 
02:45 – 03:00 PM ET BREAK 
03:00 – 03:45 PM ET Best in Track Developing: Online academic integrity: Flip it from an afterthought to a strategic PLAN
University of South Florida, Lindsey Mercer; Victor Ventor 
03:45 – 04:00 PM ET Day Wrap-up Tomorrow Overview/QA 
Wednesday March 8, 2023 Day 2 
12:50 – 01:00 PM ET Meet & Greet 
01:00 – 01:45 PM ET Special Session: Collaborating (with the living and non-living) to Solve Educational Issues of Time and Money
University of Central Florida, Jim Paradiso and Lily Dubach
01:45 – 02:00 PM ET BREAK 
02:00 – 02:45 PM ET Planning: Creating Powerful Learning Objectives
Lynn University, JeVaughn Lancaster 
02:00 – 02:45 PM ET Planning: Survival of the Fittest: A New (to us) Approach to Course Development Planning
Johns Hopkins University, Olysha Magruder; Diane Banner; Edward Queen 
02:00 – 02:45 PM ET Planning: We Don’t Talk About Bruno… But We Should!
University of Central Florida, Charlotte Jones-Roberts; Tina Calandrino; Baiyun Chen 
02:45 – 03:00 PM ET BREAK 
03:00 – 03:45 PM ET Best in Track Planning: Just in Time – A Framework for Faculty Professional Development
Purdue University, Connie Hahn; April Wolf 
03:45 – 04:00 PM ET Networking Activity 
Thursday, March 9, 2023 DAY 3 
12:50 – 01:00 PM ET Meet & Greet 
01:00 – 01:45 PM ET Evaluating: TOPR Information Session: What is it? How do I use it? How can I contribute? University of Central Florida, Sue Bauer; Shelly Wyatt 
01:00 – 01:45 PM ET Evaluating: “Quality Can’t Be Done in a Checklist”: Applying Faculty Perspectives about Online Course Reviews
University of Central Florida, Aimee deNoyelles; Nancy Swenson 
01:00 – 01:45 PM ET Evaluating: Leveling Up Your Online Game:  Developing a Self-Assessment Opportunity for Quality Online Teaching 
Florida Gulf Coast University, Rebecca Yost; Katie Wing 
01:45 – 02:00 PM ET BREAK 
02:00 – 02:45 PM ET Developing: Beach Time with the Virtual Small Group: Catch the Data on this Wave of Research!
University of Texas Permian Basin, Dan Keast 
02:00 – 02:45 PM ET Developing: Creatively Simulating the Corporate World for Business Students
University of North Florida, Leonard Ferman
02:45 – 03:00 PM ET  BREAK 
03:00 – 03:45 PM ET Best in Track Evaluating: Revamping PALs: Improving Faculty Development Program for Adaptive Learning Using Data 
University of Central Florida, Jessica Tojo-Raible; Baiyun Chen; Joseph Lloyd; Rebecca McNulty  
03:45 – 03:50 PM ET TOPkit 2023 SUS Outreach/Contribution Campaign
Sue Bauer
03:50 – 04:00 PM ET Workshop Reflection & Closing 
Charlotte Jones-Roberts 

Themed Backgrounds

Download a TOPkit Workshop 2023 themed background to use during the workshop.

Timeline of Important Dates

Proposal Reviewers Sign-up Closed
Proposal Submission Due Closed 
Proposals Distributed to Reviewers Closed
Proposal Reviews Due Closed
Notification of Session AcceptanceClosed
RSVP to PresentClosed
Workshop Registration ClosesClosed
TOPkit Workshop 2023March 7-9, 2023

Arise! Empower! Ignite! Images from TOPkit Workshop 2022

Enjoy reminiscing about the medieval fantasy theme of TOPkit Workship 2022! We explored what’s within our influence as facuty development professionals who champion quality digital learning at our higher education institutions.


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View Schedules of Past Workshops

TOPkit Workshop 2022

TOPkit Workshop 2021

TOPkit Workshop 2020

TOPkit Workshop 2019 

TOPkit Workshop 2018

Enjoy the TOPkit Workshop? Attend the Innovation Summit?

The TOPkit Workshop and Innovation Summit focus on digital learning and occur around the same time every year so participants can benefit from attending both events. Innovation Summit offers a more general, broad focus. The Workshop offers a variety of interactive sessions that empowering fauclty development professionals with innovations and best practices.