Digital Learning Conference
Conference Program
The 2027 TxDLA Conference is taking place at Embassy Suites Denton Convention Center in March.
Keynote Line-Up
Dr. Dustin York
Communication Expert
Keynote
TBD
Event Schedule
Sunday
March 7
- Afternoon preconference workshops
- Opening of exhibit hall
Monday
March 8
- Opening keynote
- Breakout sessions
- Extended workshops
- Exhibit hall open
- Networking activities
Tuesday
March 9
- Keynote address
- Breakout sessions
- Extended workshops
- Exhibit hall open
- Networking dinner & fun
Wednesday
March 10
- Extended workshop
- Closing Panel
Tuesday
April 14
- Opening Keynote
- Breakouts
- Edtech panel
Wednesday
April 15
- Breakouts
- Closing Keynote
Schedule and line-up subject to change.
Pre-Conference Workshops
March 23 | 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Get a head start on the conference with intensive, hands-on learning. Choose ONE workshop: All workshops run concurrently 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM on March 23, 2026 at the Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston, TX.
Accessibility Speed Training: Preparing Your Faculty ($50)
Prepare Your Institution for the April 24, 2026 Federal Accessibility Deadline
This interactive pre-conference workshop equips instructional designers and learning leaders with efficient, scalable strategies to train faculty on accessibility compliance before the federal deadline.
What You’ll Experience:
Rotate through “speed training” tables led by practitioners already implementing WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance at their institutions. Each table focuses on a different faculty-focused accessibility technique, giving you multiple ready-to-use approaches in a single session.
You’ll Gain:
- Real-world compliance strategies
- Practical techniques you can immediately teach to your faculty
- Student perspectives on why accessibility compliance matters
- Efficient training methods that work with limited faculty time
- Ready-to-implement solutions for your institution
Who Should Attend:
Instructional designers, faculty developers, educational technologists, and learning leaders responsible for preparing their institutions and faculty for WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance.
Workshop Leaders:
- Janet Kamps, Director, Office of eLearning, Del Mar College
- Lynn Cagle, Instructional Designer III, The Bush School, Texas A&M University (2018 TxDLA Certified Accessibility Specialist)
- Bria Peters, Instructional Designer II, The Bush School, Texas A&M University (2025 TxDLA Digital Accessibility Certificate)
- Anita Garodnick, Instructional Designer II, The Bush School, Texas A&M University
AI Skills for the Modern Campus: Workshop for Faculty, Staff, and Administrators ($50)
This engaging three-hour workshop equips faculty, staff, and administrators with the knowledge and confidence to integrate artificial intelligence into their educational practice, both responsibly and effectively. Participants will discover AI tools that boost productivity, personalize the learning experience, streamline daily workflows, and advance student success. Through interactive demonstrations and discussion, attendees will develop the skills to critically evaluate AI tools for accuracy, privacy, and accessibility, ensuring every application aligns with institutional values and serves meaningful classroom objectives.
Who Should Attend:
Educators in higher ed or K-12, instructional designers, faculty, and learning leaders seeking to redesign curricula for an AI world while maintaining rigorous learning standards.
Workshop Leader:
- Tim Mousel — Tim Mousel is a faculty member in Kinesiology at Lone Star College-Online and chairs the System-Wide AI Task Force. His work on AI in higher education has been featured in Forbes, published by Harvard’s AI Pedagogy Project, and led to invitations to the White House AI Task Force on Education and OpenAI’s inaugural Higher Education Forum. A TEDx and keynote speaker, he serves as an AI consultant for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and developed two commercial educational AI tools before ChatGPT’s release.
Getting Published in TxDLA Journal (FREE)
Transform Your Expertise into a Published Article
You’ll Gain:
- Comprehensive understanding of the five distinct submission topic areas accepted by the TxDLA Journal for you to strategically align your work.
- Introduction to the Journal Editors and your fellow aspiring authors
- Familiarity with the Journal
- Understanding of the type of articles accepted by the Journal
- Start to your writing and ideation process immediately
- Exploration and application of AI Tools & Techniques for Scholarly Writing
- Progress on your own article
- Plan for continued success
Who Should Attend:
Practitioners, researchers, instructional designers, faculty, students, and ANY digital learning professionals ready to contribute to the field through publication.
Workshop Leaders:
- Harriet Watkins, PhD, Chief Academic Officer, Instructional Connections, LLC (Editor of forthcoming book on academic coaching; co-author of AI and ethics textbook chapter)
- Randy McDonald, Director of Learning Design and Distance Education, Texas A&M Engineering (Past President of TxDLA; Managing Editor, TxDLA Journal; Recipient of Don Foshee Award for Outstanding Leadership)
- Mickey Slimp, TxDLA Journal Editorial Team
Detailed Event Schedule
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Schedule and line-up subject to change.