The Next Phase of Online Learning
Concurrent Session 8






Brief Abstract
The pandemic taught us that students are absolutely capable of learning online, and in many cases desire online options now more than ever. We also further learned that there is a big difference in quality online learning pedagogy vs all-day Zoom meetings. As we approach the next phase of online learning, there are rich data and insights available to help us leverage what we learned about what was effective and what wasn’t during the pandemic-era shift to online learning that can shape our future strategy and focus.
Presenters

Extended Abstract
In the pre-pandemic world, online learning was progressively growing in acceptance and effectiveness. Ivy league schools were experimenting with MOOCs and single course providers like EdX and Coursera were growing, despite low retention. But when the pandemic arrived, it disrupted nearly every aspect of our lives, and online learning was no exception. Regional universities and community colleges, all of whom were in various stages of exploring online learning prior to the pandemic, experienced a fast and seismic shift in how they delivered their curriculum. The pandemic accelerated online learning and forced everyone, regardless of capability or preparedness, to provide learning in an online format.
Now, in a post-pandemic world, it is clear that online learning is here to stay. But what did we learn from the last three years? It’s safe to say that it wasn’t all great. We’ve heard the term ‘Zoom University’, where in-person lectures were simply dropped into an online format without a full understanding of virtual learning best practices. Many institutions didn’t have time to upskill and approach online learning with pedagogical expertise. The pandemic also taught us that students are absolutely capable of learning online, and they want the online option now more than ever. We learned that students don’t want all-day Zoom meetings. That’s not effective online learning pedagogy.
As we approach the next phase of online learning, there are data and insights available to help us leverage what we learned about what was effective and what wasn’t during the pandemic-era shift to online learning that can shape our future strategy and focus.