Student Services Track

Students with Disabilities & Online Learning: A National Study

Results of a study conducted to determine an approximate number of students with disabilities enrolled in online courses, certifications, and degree programs since such data is not collected by state, federal, private or public agencies.

Presenter: Jodi Roberts, Laura Crittenden

Ms. Jodi B. Roberts is a Coordinator for Distance Learning in the Office of Academic Outreach and has 6 years of experience in distance learning, as well as 13 years of experience in the field of disability studies. She is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and has participated in several research projects at the RRTC on Blindness and Low Vision. She has authored articles in the area of accessibility, and is researching digital literacy with faculty and students. Ms. Roberts is a graduate of the 2009 Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning offered by Penn State University and the Sloan Consortium. She has a B.S. in Educational Psychology and a M.S. in Counselor Education. Ms. Roberts hold 3 graduate certificates: Distance Education Leadership and E-Learning, Policy and Management in Distance Education, and Library and Intellectual Property in Distance Education and E-Learning from the University of Maryland University College. She is currently working on a PhD in distance learning in natural resources. Dr. Laura A. Crittenden holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from Mississippi State University and is the Manager of Academic Outreach within the Division of Academic Outreach & Continuing Education and works directly with academic departments across campus and with other institutions across the state to deliver quality programming and courses for academic credit via distance at Mississippi State University. In addition, she is responsible for ensuring that services to academic departments are rendered through program expansion and/or transition opportunities, partnership development, distance learner services, technology advancements, and is a liaison between the organization, educational institutions across the state, and the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL). Dr. Crittenden is the author of several articles on rural community colleges, minority representation in educational administration, and distance learning issues. Dr. Crittenden is a graduate of the 2009 Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning offered by Penn State University and the Sloan Consortium. She holds a Master of English from Mississippi State University where taught English for over four years before she acquired her doctorate degree. She received a Bachelor of English from the University of Maryland while she lived in Japan and taught English as a Second Language.