TOPcast: The Teaching Online Podcast

In the fifth season kick-off, hosts Kelvin Thompson and Thomas Cavanagh reflect on what makes them crazy about the field of online education and what online practitioners might do to remedy the situation. This is a great episode to share and discuss with colleagues inside and outside the field. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s05e49/

Access to education is not equal across all demographics. What might we do about that? In this episode, rockstar scholar Dr. Chuck Dziuban joins hosts Tom and Kelvin to discuss equity and the affordances of digital learning. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s04e48/

In this episode Kelvin and Tom are joined by Dr. Tawnya Means and Dr. Meridith Bergeron as they consider the value of engagement, especially for students who have online-only experiences with their institutions through online programs. Means and Bergeron share details about a current research project in which listeners may participate. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s04e47/

In this episode, hosts Kelvin and Tom note the student success benefits of learning analytics initiatives and consider thoughtfully the appropriate roles for human decision-making in such initiatives. Students, faculty, advisors, and administrators are just some of the humans who can be empowered by analytics. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s04e46/

In this episode, co-hosts Tom and Kelvin are joined by Unizin’s Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Jill Buban, to discuss the importance of institutional consortia in advancing higher education’s aspirational innovation goals that benefit students. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s04e45/

Join hosts Tom and Kelvin as they discuss the intertwined futures of online learning and digital learning. How we frame our work and where we invest our innovation efforts will have at least some bearing on where our futures lead. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s04e44/

Managing change is part of the business of leading innovation in online/digital learning. Sometimes we make mistakes. In this episode of TOPcast, hosts Thomas Cavanagh and Kelvin Thompson share lessons learned from a recent controversial case study in change management at UCF’s College of Business. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s04e43/

While “traditional” online education relies on asynchronous experiences, there are specific contexts in which synchronous online learning is best for students. In this episode, hosts Tom and Kelvin discuss how and when to make the most of real time options. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s04e42/

Conventional wisdom has it that small is good, but is this true? Can institutions of higher education be both big and good? In this episode, hosts Tom and Kelvin revisit the “iron triangle” construct as they explore the tensions inherent in pursuing both scale and quality. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s04e41/

“Marketing,” as a concept, rankles some in academic circles, but it is increasingly key to the work of online education. In this episode, hosts Kelvin and Tom are joined by marketing guru Courtney Borton to consider how to best market online programs. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s04e40/

Preparing faculty to successfully teach online can be challenging and lonely work, especially if you are a part of a small team of instructional designers. In this episode, hosts Kelvin and Tom unveil a set of free, open-licensed resources designed to make online faculty development easier and less lonely. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s04e39/

In this episode, hosts Tom and Kelvin are joined by Angela Gunder and Jessica Knott to consider the powerful humanizing and empathy-building roles storytelling can play in online education. Tools and frameworks for incorporating story in courses, mentoring, and professional development are discussed. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s04e38/

Online faculty are at the heart of successful (and unsuccessful) online courses. Hosts Thomas Cavanagh and Kelvin Thompson explore several of the ways online instructors can make or break courses through their online teaching practices. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s04e37/

What do we know about online learning leaders? Hosts Kelvin and Tom are joined by Dr. Eric Fredericksen who is now the “keeper of the list” of 1500+ disparate online learning leaders of US higher education institutions after conducting two recent research studies into their roles, preparation, and priorities. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s03e36/

In this episode, hosts Kelvin Thompson and Thomas Cavanagh share the details of a strategic blended learning course redesign initiative with the potential to impact student success at an institutional scale. Additional resources for conducting and applying research are also suggested. For show notes and interaction opportunities, please visit: http://cdl.ucf.edu/topcast-s03e35/