New podcast on the future of online learning and higher education post-Covid 19

Mark Nichols is developing a very useful and interesting series of podcasts called Leaders and Legends of Online Learning. 

I was the first person Mark interviewed and he has now extended this series to nearly 40 interviews, including many of the key people in the development of online learning, such as Dave Cormier, Richard Mayer, Diana Laurillard, Stephen Downes, Michael Moore, Paul Kirschner, and Tannis Morgan.

Last week I did my second podcast interview for Mark (what Mark has called a ‘bonus’ interview), on the future of online learning post-Covid19. This is a wide-ranging 30 minute interview, based around the impact on students, educators, institutions and educational systems.

In the end the interview covered the following topics:

• the likely impact of Covid 19 on future online and blended learning enrolments;
• changes in the workforce and the need for better teaching methods for developing high-level intellectual skills, and the role that digital technologies can play;
• what to do about large first-year lecture classes;
• challenges of scaling up faculty development and instructional design to support an increase in blended/online learning; and the future role of instructional designers;
• the need for changes to the faculty rewards system;
• why every institution should have a plan for digital learning; and what should be in it
• the likelihood of a two-tier education system that separates a high cost campus-based system from a lower cost online learning system;
• the need for greater student choice in delivery method (online vs campus).

Having listened to it, it accurately reflects my overall worldview or ‘weltanschauung’ about the role of online learning in the future. Thank you, Mark!