The role of leadership in distance learning
We all know that distance learning has been thrust into the higher education spotlight over the past three years, but as we continue to return to a more predictable blend of in-person and online teaching…
ITC
The future of online education: Invest in your adjuncts
Picture it: a college basement adjunct lounge, 2017. In four years, I never saw anyone be able to print anything from the printer. There was a random toy castle on one of the shelves —…
10 trends to watch in distance learning
As we all know, prior to the Covid pandemic, the growth of online enrollments at colleges and universities had been phenomenal. As late as 2019, online enrollments were on average 25% of overall community college…
What’s on your course menu?
Think about your online course shell like a website for your class. When you go to a website, what are you looking for in terms of navigation or design? Think about the last website you…
The perfect organizational structure?
Reporting structures vary widely among institutions and change over time. According to the annual ITC survey, distance learning reporting structures shifted from “technology” to “academics” ending up with 80% of respondents indicating that they report…
The influence of instructional designers
For many community colleges, instructional design and online faculty support consist of a small team of individuals who wear many hats. These individuals often have different titles from organization to organization, such as learning content…
It’s not all async or swim with online courses
While everyone loves the flexibility and independence of online courses, sometimes a sense of isolation can settle in for both instructors and students. Most communication in online courses is text-based and can be a bit…
One step forward, three steps back
Community colleges continue to adapt in the post-Covid era. Uncertainty remains as to whether we will have to close down again or not. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are potential…
‘We’ll never have more money than we do today’
The chief information officer of a university, who was serving on a panel about the future of information technology in higher education, made this prophetic, frightening and probably accurate statement about funding: “We’ll never have…
Online ed and OER: the perfect pairing
Online education has had a phenomenal impact on higher education by increasing access for students. This format for learning also has fostered greater flexibility, convenience and completion for traditional and nontraditional students alike. The “physicality”…