Jason Bock
Tiffin University/University of West Florida

Hello fellow graduate students!

I present myself as a candidate for the GSA rep to the Division of Distance Learning (DDL).

Initially, I wondered if it made sense to get involved. We are all so busy it's hard to make this sort of commitment. When I take something on, I give it the proper attention. I want to do things well. GSA works better when many people make that effort and help out.

My current role is Director of Operations for the Center for Online and Extended Learning at Tiffin University, a small, private institution in northwest Ohio. In that role, I serve 800 fully remote students at our institution providing support, instructional design, quality assurance management, and textbook management.

I am currently in the second year of coursework for an EdD in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of West Florida. My dissertation is developing into an intervention action research study on students' sense of community and institutional services for online undergraduate students.

Higher education is my second career after spending years managing and owning entertainment facilities like laser tag and theme parks. I still am a partner in a business that brings mobile escape rooms to colleges, schools, and corporations around the United States.

While I wouldn't change a thing about my professional past, higher education is a more rewarding opportunity for me.

Online education is at the center of everything I do. I started as an online undergraduate student completing my baccalaureate degree in 1999 with the Union Institute and University. Both my master's and doctoral degree are from wholly online programs. I am passionate and delighted about the promise of remote education and the potential for improvements in online pedagogy, delivery, and technology. I am working with a coding team on various ed tech software creations in my spare time.

Although new to AECT, I have recently become active in GSA and DDL. I was excited to present at my first AECT Conference this past October and hope to continue presenting at future conferences.

I see DDL as my future home within AECT. As I found myself selecting presentations in Las Vegas, nearly every topic I found interesting was part of the DDL track. Based on my current role and schedule, there should be no problem regularly attending DDL events and meetings. I would be honored to bring back highlights of these activities to my GSA peers.