Online Learning Goes Mainstream
“Online Learning Goes Mainstream” is a series that explores the various features of online learning and its growing role in higher education.
Episode 1: The new normal of higher education
Episode one focuses on how the COVID-19 pandemic brought online coursework to the forefront of higher education at Ohio State. Experts in instructional design weigh in alongside professors and students about the unique challenges and opportunities presented by online learning. Professors and students grapple with how to adapt to the often unfamiliar online educational environment in new and creative ways.
Episode 2: Building community online
Building a classroom community and relationships between students, their peers and professors are not only socially beneficial, but essential aspects of engaging and successful coursework. In episode two, students, professors and instructional designers discuss the importance of social interactions and how to promote them between students and professors in online coursework.
Episode 3: The accessibility dilemma
The expanding role of online learning in higher education exacerbates the digital divide — the gap between populations with and without broad access to high speed internet and technology. Episode three examines the challenges posed by the digital divide and the steps the university is taking to address accessibility concerns.
Episode 4: Higher education and beyond
The final installment of this series looks to the future of the role of online learning in higher education and its impact on graduates in the professional sphere. This episode considers how online learning — and the digital skills it builds — contribute to career development. Regarding the future of online education in higher education, Dr. Tracey Stuckey, Associate Clinical Professor in Learning Technologies, said, “I do believe in the young people that are coming up behind me and their ability to solve a lot of the problems we have, and I think I would like the students to remember their power.” As this series has detailed the challenges of online learning, Stuckey’s message serves as a reminder that though there are new challenges, there are also new possibilities.
Thank you to everyone who participated in or was interviewed for this project. I appreciate their willingness to give their time and share their knowledge and stories with me.
Thank you to my colleagues at The Lantern for their feedback and support, especially Christian Harsa, Managing Editor for Digital Content, for his guidance.
Title cards by Abby Fricke.
Produced for The Lantern
Celia Andrews | Special Projects Producer
