The ASE Virtual Instructor Conference was a huge success as more than 900 instructors from across the country participated in the sold-out event. The conference was developed and conducted for high school and post-secondary instructors from automotive, truck and collision repair programs nationwide.
“We could not be happier with our first virtual training conference,” said Mike Coley, president, ASE Education Foundation. “We had 1,000 instructors register for the event, the limit of the virtual platform, and over 900 instructors participate in one or more sessions, a 150 percent increase over last year’s record-setting attendance. Many thanks to the presenters who shared critical information that instructors could not get anywhere else, and Cengage who provided the registration and webinar technical support.”
Educators who participated in the conference received a collective total of 5,700 hours of professional development training specifically geared to training programs coping with the effects of COVID-19. On average, each instructor participated in more than six hours of virtual training during the two days of the conference, all of which are applicable to the 20-hour annual training requirement.
The sessions covered a wide range of topics. Fernando Bleichmar, general manager of U.S. Higher Education and Skills for Cengage, gave the keynote address where he focused on macro trends in education. Toyota T-TEN instructors shared their Safe Lab plan, ASE staff discussed the impact of COVID-19 on program accreditation, and SkillsUSA showed how to develop students’ employability skills. Instructors also heard about varied instructional models, how to engage distance learners, and how to put work-based learning into action. Eight different publishers explored curriculum presentation in a virtual environment. Eric Chester, a noted speaker and author, delivered a closing speech that revealed keys to student motivation.
Instructors who were not able to attend the live conference will have the opportunity to view recorded sessions, download handouts and receive certificates of completion by visiting the Events section of the ASE Education Foundation website.