Join three experts with decades of experience in online learning for an informal fireside chat. Through candid reflections and shared perspectives, the panel will explore how online learning has evolved over the past 30 years, the pivotal moments that shaped its direction, and how expectations among learners, educators, institutions, and industry have changed.
Looking ahead, the conversation will consider how higher education and corporate partners can work together to strengthen learning experiences and better serve learners and the organizations that support them. Panelists will discuss what past experience can teach us, which assumptions deserve reconsideration, and what meaningful progress could look like. Attendees will leave with questions and practical perspectives to inform their own decisions about the future of online learning.
Presenters
Bethany Bovard | Instructional Design Consultant & Online Facilitator
Carey Smouse | Vice President, Customer Experience, Honorlock
In her role as Vice President of Customer Experience, Carey supports Honorlock client institutions, leaders, and faculty in achieving their academic integrity and student success goals, while ensuring a high-quality customer experience. A former instructional designer, Carey has 25 years of experience in corporate learning & development, higher education teaching & learning, and education technology customer success, sales, and product. Prior to Honorlock, she led customer success initiatives and deep client partnerships at Blackboard and HelioCampus. Carey is a North Carolina native and has a BA in Psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MPA from Jacksonville State University.
Olena Zhadko | Director of Online Education at Lehman College, CUNY
Olena Zhadko is Director of Online Education at Lehman College, City University of New York, USA. She has 15 years of experience providing leadership in teaching and learning, online education, and innovative use of technology. With Susan Ko, she is the co-author of Best Practices in Designing Courses with Open Educational Resources (2020).
Sherri Restauri | Director of Professional Learning, Online Learning Consortium
Sherri brings more than 24 years of experience in professional development, instructional design, and organizational change management to the OLC team. Both as an administrator and a faculty member, her work has focused on developing scalable, inclusive, and research-informed learning experiences tailored to diverse institutional contexts.
As the leader of the OLC Center for Professional Learning (CPL), Sherri focuses on collaboration and learner-centered design to ensure meaningful impact. She is dedicated to creating responsible, flexible learning opportunities grounded in data-led research.
An accomplished researcher and speaker on inclusive digital learning, Sherri looks forward to expanding OLC’s scope of high-quality educational opportunities. Her goal is to drive innovation and excellence in digital education worldwide.