I was interviewed recently for Top Hat’s blog. Top Hat is a commercial publisher of online and digital educational resources based in Toronto. It recently acquired another former Canadian education published, Nelson.
The article can be found here.
The blog post covers the following topics:
- why the sudden pivot to online learning was so difficult for most instructors
- the need to focus on soft skills development and active learning for online teaching
- how the move to online learning should shift work rather than increase work for instructors
- how the transparency of online learning can be used to increase teaching effectiveness
- what I would say to students about having to study online in the fall
- not using lectures as the organising framework for online learning
- why I am optimistic about learning post-Covid 19
Once again, this is another avenue, similar to my interview for CBC Radios ‘Spark’ and my interview with Nadia Naffi, for getting my message to a wider audience that teaching methods need to change, not just because of Covid-19, but to meet the changing needs of students in a digital age: online and blended learning are essential components of such change.
Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.
I always look forward to your thought leadership, Tony. Thank you for plugging-in and contributing so much during this difficult time.