TOPcast: The Teaching Online Podcast

Return guest Dr. Jocelyn Widmer joins hosts Kelvin and Tom to discuss a brand new book focused on leading the strategy and practice of online higher education and clarifying the role of the Chief Online Learning Officer (COLO). Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Return guest Dr. Jocelyn Widmer Episode 188 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  [From Wake Up Coffee] “10 Reasons Why Your Office Coffee Tastes Terrible” Content Links Dr. Jocelyn Widmer’s Online Profile [Publisher’s Website] The Chief Online Learning Officers’ Guidebook: A Framework for Strategy and Practice in Higher Education (Widmer and Cavanagh, 2025) [Discount Code!] Use this code on the publisher’s website (above) through July 31, 2025 to receive a 20% discount off the list price of the Widmer and Cavanagh COLO book: 25SMA2  TOPcast Episode #126: “COLOs, Context, and Community” (featuring Dr. Jocelyn Widmer) Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!

Hosts Kelvin and Tom speak about (and to) the “core audience” of online faculty, instructional designers, and administrative leaders, alongside many other roles, to unpack the podcast’s conceptualization of online education as centered on optimizing course design and teaching. Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Episode 187 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  “Longest ‘94” House Blend from Heine Brothers Coffee (Louisville, KY) Content Links All TOPcast Episodes Tagged “faculty” All TOPcast Episodes Tagged “instructional designers” All TOPcast Episodes Tagged “leadership” Specific Prior TOPcast Episodes Mentioned in this Episode #25 – “But FIRRST… Lead Innovation” #37 – “6 Deadly Sins of Online Teaching” #72 – “Pro Tips on Vocal Care for Faculty” #99 – “The Importance of ‘Faculty Voice and Faculty Valuing’ in Online Education” #105 – “How Roasted is Your Course?” #122 – “More Equitable Outcomes Through Instructional Design” #167 – “Cultivating a Startup Mindset” Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!

Return guest Dr. Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich joins hosts Kelvin and Tom to share hard won expert tips on improving online program marketing and enrollment.  Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Return guest Dr. Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich Episode 186 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  Single-Origin Peru San Fernando from Wonderstate Coffee Wonderstate Coffee Fellow Drops Coffee Connection Service Content Links Dr. Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich’s Online Profile [Book] How to Grow Enrollment in Online Higher Education: Strategies for Marketing and Recruitment (Thackaberry-Voinovich, 2025) [Company] SkillsWave [Article from Ruffalo Noel Levitz] “Digital Marketing at Every Stage of the Enrollment Funnel” [Article from Niche] “How to Tackle Summer Melt (5 Effective Ways)” Related Past TOPcast Episode: “Managing Change and Growth in Online Initiatives” (with guest Dr. Sasha Thackaberry) Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!

With ten years in the rear view mirror, hosts Tom and Kelvin talk through insights gained about the field of online education and the podcast itself after they reviewed the “Top10” episodes of TOPcast. [Spoiler: Tune in for a big announcement!] Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Episode 185 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links  Single-origin Guatemala from Heine Brothers Coffee (Louisville, KY) Content Links Full List of “Top 10” TOPcast Episodes Other TOPcast Episodes Referenced in This Episode Episode #183: “No Lemmings! Avoid the Enrollment Cliff with a Values-Driven Strategy“  Episode #134: “Self-Care and Online Education: Saying Yes, Saying No, and Why” (with guest Dr. Dylan Barth, related to knowing when to stop) All 11(!) TOPcast Season Kick-Off Episodes [Book] Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away (Duke, 2022) [From UCF] “Teaching and Learning with AI Conference” [Book] The Chief Online Learning Officers’ Guidebook: A Framework for Strategy and Practice in Higher Education (Widmer and Cavanagh, 2025) [From UofL] “AI Ate My Homework” Podcast The Lift, Insights and inspiration for academic innovation, digital learning, and leading [On LinkedIn] Not-Quite-A-Newsletter Version [On Soundcloud] Audio Edition Just-for-Fun Pop Culture Link [From Biography] “Did Yoko Ono Break Up the Beatles?” Extra Special Feature Video Version of This Episode!

Curtiss Barnes, CEO of the 1EdTech Consortium with over 30 years in education, drops by for an insightful conversation. He highlights the rebranding journey from IMS Global to 1EdTech, focusing on the importance of collaboration in shaping educational standards. The discussion also touches on the impact of data privacy in technology and the value of membership for higher education institutions. Barnes emphasizes how simplified mission and trusted apps can enhance digital learning, paving the way for innovation and improved credentialing.

Hosts delve into how institutions can avoid the looming enrollment cliff by adopting a values-driven strategy. They reflect on the tension between in-person and online education, showcasing different institutional responses. Anecdotes emphasize the power of aligning personal passions with core values. The conversation highlights the need for intentional strategies to address demographic shifts and evolving educational trends, urging colleges to cater to diverse learners while staying mission-focused.

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!