TOPcast: The Teaching Online Podcast

Hosts Tom and Kelvin discuss how institutions can avoid the enrollment cliff by embracing a values-driven strategy in online higher education. Learn key insights to navigate demographic shifts, economic pressures, and the evolving digital learning landscape. Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Episode 183 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  Single-Origin Ethiopia Yirgacheffe from Just Love Coffee (Murfreesboro, TN) Content Links Case Study Items from this Episode [In Yale Daily News] “Yale Pushes for Largely In-Person Courses, Discourages Asynchronous Course Requests” [From UICToday] “UIC’s Online Initiative Expands Access and Opportunity in Online Learning” [Resource Guide] “Strategies for Building Online Learning at Regional Universities” (by Jeff Selingo) [On Wyoming Catholic College’s Website] “WCC Announces Partnership Between COR Expeditions and Hallow App” (articulating unique value proposition of institution) [OLC Innovate 2022 Keynote Plenary] “Let’s Not Romanticize 2019 for Online Learning” (Hill and Moreau. edited transcript and video on OnEdTech blog) Related Past TOPcast Episodes #182: “When Is Good Teaching Just ‘Good Teaching’?” #181: “Help in Grasping ‘Good Online Course’” Just-for-Fun Pop Culture Link [Hosted by the University of Kansas] “History of American Journalism – 1930s” (including Edward R. Murrow, Walter Winchell, and other iconic figures) [From Ripley’s Believe It Or Not] “Or Not: Do Lemmings Jump Off Cliffs?” Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!

Guest Dr. Thomas J. (Tom) Tobin joins hosts Tom and Kelvin for a slightly spicy conversation about the extent to which general teaching behaviors can be meaningfully separated from other factors such as course modality, student characteristics, institutional resources, and more. Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Dr. Thomas J. (Tom) Tobin Episode 182 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  “Office Coffee: How It Works” [From Moustache Coffee Club. No relation.] Content Links  Dr. Thomas J. Tobin’s Website [Book] Evaluating Online Teaching (co-written by Dr. Tobin) [From Higher Ed Dive] “Ed Department changes reporting requirements for online colleges” (January 2025) [From Wikipedia] History of the “Loyal Opposition”  [OLC Innovate 2022 Keynote Plenary] “Let’s Not Romanticize 2019 for Online Learning” (Hill and Moreau. edited transcript and video on OnEdTech blog)   [From EDUCAUSE’s Game Changers ebook] “The Postmodality Era: How Online Learning Is Becoming Learning” (Cavanagh, 2012)  TOPcast Episode #177 “Creating the Digital Learning Future Our Students Deserve” (featuring cameo by Dr. Tobin) TOPcast Episode #160 “‘Remember the Why:’ Designing Meaningful Learning Assignments” (with guest Dr. Jean Mandernach) TOPcast Episode #127 “Community Wisdom: Students, Hybridity, and More!” (including “call-in” comment by Dr. Tobin) Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!

Hosts Kelvin and Tom discuss the challenge, still present after 30 years, of helping others (e.g., policymakers, potential students, etc.) understand what a  “good online course” is without experiencing one themselves. They discuss why this still matters and what approaches might help. Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Episode 181 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  Single-Origin Costa Rica – “Finca Ines San Roque” – from Loquat Coffee (Los Angeles, CA) [From Wikipedia] Background on National “Cup of Excellence” Coffee Competitions Content Links  [Article with embedded video] “Bill Gates on What Sets UCF Apart:The philanthropist and Microsoft founder described UCF as a pioneer in digital learning.” [From UCF] “Knights Online” Video Series for Prospective Students [7-minute video] “Webcourses@UCF [LMS] Student Tour” [From UCF’s “Quality Review Showcase”] Example of Aligning Course Excerpts with Online Course Quality Standards (“Introduce Course Modules”) An Example Written “Portrayal,” Telling the Story of an Online Course (from Kelvin’s Dissertation) Overview of Kelvin’s Dissertation (Constructing Educational Criticism of Online Courses: A Model for Implementation by Practitioners) A Remembrance of UCF Colleague Dr. Barbara Truman All the Past TOPcast Episodes Tagged with “Quality” Just-for-Fun Pop Culture Link “Whitman’s Sampler” of Chocolates Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!

Returning guest Dr. Nicole Johnson joins hosts Tom and Kelvin to discuss findings from the seventh annual report of the state of digital learning in Canada produced by the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association (CDLRA). Similarities with global themes and distinctives unique to the Canadian context are discussed. Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Guest Dr. Nicole Johnson Episode 180 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  White Chocolate Mocha (Starbucks) Hazelnut Creme (San Francisco Bay Company) Content Links  Dr. Nicole Johnson’s Online Profile “2024 Pan-Canadian Report on Digital Learning” “Canadian Digital Learning Research Association (CDLRA)” Dr. Johnson on LinkedIn Ch. 8 – “Online Higher Education in Canada” (by Dr. Nicole Johnson) in SAGE Handbook of Online Higher Education TOPcast Episode 01: “What Is Online Learning? Definitions, Boundary Objects, and Baggage” TOPcast Episode 124: “Reliable ‘Buckets:’ Toward Modality Clarity” (with guest Dr. Nicole Johnson) TOPcast Episode 177: “Creating the Digital Learning Future Our Students Deserve” Just for Fun Pop Culture Link [4 minute video] Comedian Nate Bargatze’s Coffee Bit (“How to Order Artisanal Coffee”) Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!

As US higher ed institutions experienced shifts to remote work and instruction in early 2025, it’s an ideal time for us as digital learning professionals to reflect on key lessons learned in ensuring continuity of operations as we seek to support successful future transitions. Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Episode 179 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  Coffee “Tote” from Panera Bread Catering Starbucks Blonde Roast Content Links [In USA Today] “Brutal Winter Storm Pounds Midwest, East Coast As Over 60M Face Treacherous Conditions” (from January 5, 2025) [In Inside Higher Ed] “California Colleges Confront Loss as L.A. Burns” (from January 17, 2025) [From UofL’s Delphi Center] “Continuity of Instruction” (updated)  [In Wikipedia] “2009 [H1N1] Swine Flu Pandemic in the United States by State” TOPcast Episode #152 “‘Still Be Prepared’ for Disruption with Digital Learning” (with guest Patti O’Sullivan)  TOPcast Episode #168 “More Positive Hope than Ever Before” (with guest Melissa Loble) Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!

Guest Dr. Vickie Cook joins hosts Kelvin and Tom to discuss unexpected career trajectories for digital learning professionals, especially COLOs, related to sought-after, transferable skill sets. Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Guest Dr. Vickie Cook Episode 178 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  Single-Origin Guatemala San Isidro (from Lineage Coffee Roasting, Orlando, FL) Gorilla Decaf (from Organic Coffee Company) Content Links  Dr. Vickie Cook’s Online Profile UPCEA 2025 Program Featuring Enrollment Management Session Panel with Dr. Vickie Cook UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership [From OLC Research Center for Digital Learning & Leadership] Publications Related to Digital Learning Professional Roles TOPcast Episode #74: “‘Connecting the Dots:’ Lessons for Leadership” (with guest Dr. Shubha Kashyap) Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!

In celebration of 30 years of OLC conferences and with input and reactions from our community of online/digital learning professionals, including a live audience(!), hosts Tom and Kelvin discuss the issues inherent in predicting and shaping a desirable future for online/digital education over the next 30 years. Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Episode 177 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  [Book] Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey (by A.J. Jacobs) Content Links  [From CERN] “A Short History of the Web” [On the Bavablog by Jim Groom] “Archie, Veronica, and Other Old Gold Technologies” [OLC/Sloan-C History] “Pioneering Higher Education’s Digital Future: An Evaluation of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Anytime, Anyplace Learning Program (1992-2012)” (Picciano et al.)  [From the Carnegie Foundation] “The Carnegie Unit”  [From the Christensen Institute] “Disruptive Innovation Theory”  Background on 2024 OLC Accelerate Keynote Dr. Christina Katopodis [Book via Project MUSE] Learning Online: The Student Experience (by George Veletsianos – quoted in this episode) Quote attributed to Alan Kay: “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”  On Being Uniquely Human – Poet, Philosopher, and Theologian Examples [From the On Being podcast with Krista Tippett] “Seeking Language Large Enough” – Interview with Poet David Whyte [Via Wikipedia] Martin Buber’s “I/Thou” Relationships Summary of Karl Barth’s Criteria for Authentic Human Meetings (Built on Buber’s I/Thou) in Relation to AI [in Book Review: “Kinstler on Herzfeld, ‘The Artifice of Intelligence: Divine and Human Relationship in a Robotic Age’”] Just for Fun Pop Culture Links [Video] “You Look Marvelous” (Billy Crystal) Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!

Guest Dr. Matt Bergman joins Tom and Kelvin to discuss the current role credit for prior learning plays in American higher education and how we can all do a bit more to use this approach effectively in our digital learning work. Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Guest Dr. Matt Bergman Episode 176 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  Yirgafecta by Sightseer Coffee (Austin, TX) | Fellow’s Brew Recipe Content Links  Dr. Matt Bergman’s Online Profile Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) [Report From AACRAO] “Embracing Credit for Prior Learning: Advancing Educational Equity and Mobility through a Learner-Centric Approach” [Report From CAEL] “The PLA Boost” [Case Study from AASCU] “Accelerating Graduation with Expanded Credit Initiative” (Lehman College) [YouTube Channel] “College Hacked” (recommended by Tom) Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!

In this “call-in show” episode, hosts Tom and Kelvin are joined by some of the past year’s guests in sharing observations about 2024 as it ends and predictions and hopes about 2025 as it begins. Some of the themes emerging include balancing humanness and technology-assistance and staying focused on the aspirational goals of our collective work. Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Episode 175 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  Single-Origin Guatemala Miramundo from Sunergos Coffee (Louisville, KY) Green Mountain Half-Caff  Content Links  Past Years’ “Special December Episodes” of TOPcast Past TOPcast Episodes Featuring Call-In Guests (in order of appearance in #175) (Dr. Anna Porcaro) TOPcast #154: “Alternative Educational Programs and Digital Higher Ed” (Dr. Justin Shaffer) TOPcast #166: “High Structure Course Design for Online STEM Courses” (Angie Rocha) TOPcast #172: “Online Education in Guatemala” (Dr. Jenny Sumner) TOPcast #164: “Student Success Coaching Online” (Dr. Jean Mandernach) TOPcast #160: “‘Remember the Why:’ Designing Meaningful Learning Assignments” (Russ Poulin & Cheryl Dowd) TOPcast #162: “Listen and Act Now! US ED’s Proposed Online Changes” (Dr. Carmin Chan) TOPcast #159: “‘Adjusting Your Sails’ in Online Ed Based on the Data”  (Patti O’Sullivan) TOPcast #152: “Still ‘Be Prepared’ for Disruption with Digital Learning” (Melissa Loble) TOPcast #168: “‘More Positive Hope than Ever Before’” Related Previous Episodes of TOPcast Episode #171: “The ‘North Star’ of Online Learners’ Needs” Just for Fun Pop Culture Links [2.5 minute video] Dorothy Wakes Up – “There’s No Place Like Home” (The Wizard of Oz) [On Wikipedia] “Serenity Prayer” Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!

Guest Phil Hill joins hosts Kelvin and Tom to discuss substantive insights on the role of the LMS and trends in online higher ed enrollments. (Must see TV. Even if it is a podcast.) Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Episode 174 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  Trader Joe’s Small Lot Single-Origin Mexico La Concordia Coffee Starbuck’s Maple Pecan Coffee Content Links  Phil Hill’s Online Profile “On EdTech Newsletter” Phil Hill and Associates [On Apple Podcasts] “Online Education Across the Atlantic” Podcast (hosted by Phil Hill, Glenda Morgan, and Neil Mosley) LMS Provider Websites Blackboard by Anthology Brightspace by D2L Canvas by Instructure Moodle [On Corporate Finance Institute Website] “[Everett Rogers’] Diffusion of Innovation” Related Prior TOPcast Episodes #159: “‘Adjusting Your Sails’ in Online Ed Based on the Data” [includes shoutout to Phil Hill’s work] #140: “Maturing the Core Work of Online Education” (with guest Neil Mosley) #110 – “The LMS: Institutional ‘Linchpin’” (with guest Kerlene King) #12 – “The LMS: Past, Present, and Future” Just for Fun Pop Culture Links [2.5 minute video] “Pecos Bill Rides A Tornado in Texas” [In All Recipes] “Wait—How Do You Pronounce ‘Pecan?’” [Craft Beer from Hop Atomica] “It’s Pronounced Peecan” Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!