

TOPcast: The Teaching Online Podcast
Thomas Cavanagh & Kelvin Thompson
Hosted by Thomas Cavanagh and Kelvin Thompson, the Teaching Online Podcast (TOPcast) takes a fun and informative look at the various trends, best practices and technologies in the realm of online education.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 15, 2024 • 28min
Episode 154: Alternative Educational Programs and Digital Higher Ed
Guest Dr. Anna Porcaro joins hosts Tom and Kelvin to share insights on how higher education institutions can be more effective in meeting workforce needs through digital alternative educational programs.

Jan 1, 2024 • 31min
Episode 153: Better Serving Learners Through Transformed Business Models
As a follow-up to the pre-2024 call-in show, hosts Tom and Kelvin talk through the need to re-examine, challenge, and change existing institutional structures as we seek to serve learners better - both existing students and a wider variety of potential new students.

Dec 18, 2023 • 33min
Episode 152: Still “Be Prepared” for Disruption with Digital Learning
Guest Patti O’Sullivan joins hosts Kelvin and Tom to discuss the significance of advance planning for academic continuity and the role that digital teaching and learning can play. Important all the time - not just for global pandemics.

Dec 4, 2023 • 28min
Episode 151: “What a Year [of Disruption] It Has Been! […But] 2024 is Upon Us!”
In this “call-in show” episode, hosts Kelvin and Tom are joined by multiple voices from the online education community to help us all make sense of 2023’s disruptions and make the most of 2024’s opportunities in our collective work. Themes include meeting the needs of diverse potential students and incorporating continually-evolving AI resources in this work.

Nov 20, 2023 • 30min
Episode 150: A Global, Holistic, 360 Degree Perspective on Online Higher Education
Guest Dr. Safary Wa-Mbaleka joins hosts Tom and Kelvin to talk about the importance of cultivating a more global perspective on our online higher education field and shares how a new book can help. The SAGE Handbook of Online Higher Education is out now.

Nov 6, 2023 • 21min
Episode 149: “Baking AI into the Process” of Digital Learning Over the Next Five Years
Emerging from the “TOPcast Live” session at OLC Accelerate 2023, join hosts Kelvin and Tom as they discuss how the framing and implementation of our increasingly AI-influenced digital learning field might continue to evolve over the next few years.

Oct 16, 2023 • 31min
Episode 148: Fostering Digital Learning Innovation
Guest Jared Stein joins hosts Kelvin and Tom to discuss the ways that we think about, talk about, and foster innovation in our higher education digital learning context, to the benefit of students and faculty.

Oct 2, 2023 • 31min
Episode 147: “Faculty Preparation” and More QA Insights from CHLOE 8
In this episode, hosts Tom and Kelvin discuss highlights from and reactions to the CHLOE 8 report, including the importance of faculty preparation, other quality assurance practices, and more.

Sep 18, 2023 • 35min
Episode 146: Get Hands-On with AI
In this second of two back-to-back episodes on AI in higher ed, guest Dr. Rohan Jowallah joins hosts Kelvin and Tom to share his insights and advice after years of evaluating and working with AI tools.

Sep 5, 2023 • 33min
Episode 145: “More of the Human Element:” Dolly, Picard, Ray, Dede, and More
About Episode 145:
Hosts Tom and Kelvin conclude that “nobody’s through talking about AI” and provide the first of two back-to-back episodes with an update on developments within the digital teaching and learning space, reflections on institutional support, and a conclusion that we need “more of the human element.”
Podcast Recording
Download Transcript: PDF
Episode 145 Show Notes:
Episode Synopsis via Twitter
View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter
Coffee Links
Single-Origin Kenya - Davis Roasters (Madison County, NC)
Content Links
[Please Click and Vote Now!] Listener Poll: Topic Selection for “TOPcast Live” session at OLC Accelerate 2023
On Wikipedia: “DALL-E”
In EdSurge: “Instructors Rush to Do ‘Assignment Makeovers’ to Respond to ChatGPT” (Jeff Young)
“Official Conference Report: AI x Education” (hosted by Stanford University)
Participant Reflection from UPCEA/Schroeder AI Course: “Preliminary Evaluation of Generative AI and Lifelong Education” (Rod Lastra)
On Diigo: AI Weblinks Shared by Ray Schroeder (+some others collected by Kelvin)
UCF Conference: “Teaching & Learning with AI”
Visual: “Gartner Hype Cycle”
Course from Auburn University: “Teaching With AI at Auburn”
Course from University of Sydney: “AI in Education” (for students and built by students)
Website: “AI @ the University of Florida”
Website: “Teaching and Learning with Artificial Intelligence Apps” (University of Calgary’s Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning)
Website: “UCF’s Information Literacy Modules”
In The Chronicle of Higher Education: “GPT-4 Can Already Pass Freshman Year at Harvard” (Maya Bodnick)
Blog Post: “No, an AI could not pass ‘freshman year’ in college” (Steven D. Krause)
From CNN: “ChatGPT passes exams from law and business schools”
Keynote Video: “If AI is the Answer, What is the Question: Thinking about Learning and Vice Versa” (Dr. Chris Dede)
On Memory Alpha: Star Trek’s “Commander Data”
On Memory Alpha: Star Trek’s “Captain Picard”
TOPcast Episode Episode #131: “ChatGPT: Friend or Foe?”
TOPcast Episode Episode #120: “Academic Innovation Lessons: Hype vs. Hope”
Just-For-Fun Pop Culture Links
From “All About Psychology:” “The Fascinating Phenomenon of the Old Woman Young Woman Illusion”
Annotated Photos: #KelvinsCupCollection (on the platform formerly known as Twitter)
“Chock Full O’ Nuts” Coffee
Extra Special Feature
Video Version of this Episode!