The Next Phase of Online Learning

Concurrent Session 8
Streamed Session Blended Research Leadership Equity and Inclusion Community College

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

Lead Presenter: Andrew Shean, Penn Foster

Dr. Andrew Shean is the Chief Learning Officer at Penn Foster where he leads academic program leadership, curriculum/courseware, academic support, faculty, non-academic support, and academic operations in pursuit of improving student lives. Penn Foster recently earned one of the best online providers in 2023 from Newsweek. Previously, Dr. Shean was the Senior Vice President & Chief Academic Officer at National Education Partners. In the earlier stages of his career, Dr. Shean has served in a variety of roles: the Chief Academic Learning Officer for Bridgepoint Education, Vice Provost for Ashford University, Executive Dean for the College of Education at Ashford University, and helped lead the Poway Unified School District’s initiative to develop online and 1-1 education programs. He also served as a high school English teacher where he was named the 2009 District Teacher of the Year. In 2014, Dr. Shean was selected to be one of six faculty to lead the Institute for Engaged Leadership in Online Education through Penn State World Campus in partnership with Online Learning Consortium. In 2017, Dr. Shean was selected as a Chief Academic Officer Digital Fellow, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation along with 31 other CAO's from across the country. Dr. Shean currently serves on the Association for Chief Academic Officers Board of Trustees, is sought out to give keynotes, and is highly involved in academic research. Dr. Shean earned his Doctorate of Educational Leadership and Management degree from Alliant International University. He holds an MA in Education and a BA in Sociology from the University of Northern Colorado.

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.