Insights
WHAT’S ON OUR MINDS. 
We’re always learning, wondering and sharing. Here’s what we’re thinking about lately.
Giving Faculty Back Their Time
Published By Carrie O'Donnell
on Nov 10, 2021
Institutions and faculty are emerging from the pandemic with the realization that they must reframe their courses for an evolving, and here to stay, virtual learning landscape. Many online courses resulted from an overnight shift from in person to virtual. With little time to reimagine learning with pixelated faces and on screen white boards, courses that were developed for in person do not translate to the screen.
Our Major Takeaways from The Purposeful Learning Festival 2021
Published By Cathryn Mattimore
on Oct 27, 2021
In case you missed it, throughout the month of September, O’Donnell Learn hosted a virtual festival seeking to bring awareness to student mental health and well-being. Over a series of 7 virtual sessions, we discussed strategies for educators to support student success and ways to craft learning environments that support learner well-being, especially during uncertain times. Here are our key takeaways from the Purposeful Learning Festival 2021.
“See each other for the humanity that holds us” Lessons in Trauma Informed Pedagogy from Mays Imad
Published By Cathryn Mattimore
on Oct 20, 2021
O’Donnell Learn recently hosted a webinar led by Mays Imad, Ph.D. as a part of its recent Purposeful Learning Festival focused on mental health and wellness. Dr. Imad is a thought leader in trauma-informed pedagogy and a professor at Pima Community College based in Tucson, Arizona where she is also the coordinator of the Teaching & Learning Center. As a current Master’s of Education student at Northeastern University who also lives with mental illness, I was excited to learn more about using the classroom, virtual or traditional, as a safe place for learners to heal and grow. I met virtually with Dr. Imad to hear more about her teaching philosophy, beliefs surrounding mental health, and ways to ensure student success in uncertain times.
Higher Ed Has the Toolset, But Do They Have the Mindset to Future-fit?
Published By Joana Jebsen
on Aug 12, 2021
Imagine a fresh-faced eighteen year old, naive to the great big world ahead, hoping for an acceptance into an accredited two or four year college. They’re navigating the long hall towards their college counselor’s office, reviewing the list of schools in their mind, while envisioning a future of friends, inspiring courses and eventually a career, a life. College, whether community or four year, will be their first steps towards adulthood, towards maturity, or so they think. What they don't know, what they aren’t told, is that most higher education is unequipped to prepare them for life. The real responsibilities they’ll meet when they exit campus are not delineated, explored or taught in school. To make matters more complicated, the notion of the “traditional student” no longer exists. Students are opting out of four year residential colleges for two year schools and online programs. They’re also delaying the start of college in pursuit of a career. Additionally, there’s been an enormous uptick in adult learners, with families, who start school later, or attend school in tandem with a job. It’s clear: there’s a broken talent pipeline. And an enormous question: is higher education fit for the future?
Looking Back/Learning Forward: Lessons For the Now Normal
Published By Brett Christie, PhD
on Jul 20, 2021
Looking Back, Learning Forward, a motto and mindset to utilize as we envision the future of distance education and fuse historic learning practices with modern lifestyles. I recently co-hosted a webinar with Dr. Jim Julius, Faculty Director of Online Learning at Mira Costa College, where we walked a group of educators through insights gathered over the last fourteen months of online learning. If one thing is clear, it is that it’s been a journey for everyone: faculty, students, education consultants, learning designers, institutional leadership, and families alike.
Launching Faculty Learning Communities: Participation is All About Perceived Value
Published By Brett Christie, PhD
on Jul 14, 2021
In an earlier webinar, O’Donnell Learn CEO, Carrie O’Donnell and I shared practical ideas and examples for building learning communities among faculty. These communities provide a rich opportunity for faculty to gather around a common goal, learning together and from each other while accomplishing a desired outcome. Faculty learning communities can provide the time, space and resources for mission-critical efforts related to teaching and learning. Teaching expertise is most often not part of the faculty background, nor is instructional design a common skill. Plus, faculty often develop courses in isolation. In contrast, gathering faculty around learning design can create vibrant exchanges of what’s working, what’s not, and problem-solving around how to make improvements.
Learning Trends for the Now Normal
Published By Brett Christie, PhD
on Jul 08, 2021
I recently co-hosted a webinar with Dr. Jim Julius, Faculty Director of Online Learning at Mira Costa College and previous panelist to the EDUCAUSE Horizon Report: Teaching and Learning Edition. This year's annual report, 2021 Educause Horizon Report, describes trends and developing sectors in the modern and rapidly changing education system. We led a group of educators through insights and analysis of trends in technology to advance higher education delineated in this year’s issue of the Report. For this discussion, we focused on the social, technological, and economic trends based on the Horizon Report research. Here are some key takeaways.
Empathy Mapping: Putting Learners at the Heart of All You Do
Published By Carrie O'Donnell
on Jun 29, 2021
Throughout 2020, we heard a call for empathy and connection. Learners wanted to know faculty understood the impact COVID-19 was having on their lives - and their learning. Not just what they were experiencing, but how they were feeling and why the rapid move to remote instruction was such a challenge. At the same time, isolation forced an urgent need for connection and community among their peers, especially in the online classroom. The good news: empathy in the classroom is directly related to creating connection and community. In fact, the most successful learning experiences are always designed with the learner in mind. The best course design process seeks to understand “Who are my learners?”
Closing Equity and Inclusion Gaps with Universal Design for Learning: An interview with Dr. Brett Christie
Published By Carrie O'Donnell
on Jun 18, 2021
Crises are often credited with being a catalyst for transformation and change. This is certainly true for higher education. When the pandemic forced campuses to shutter nationwide, huge gaps in equity and inclusion were widely exposed - and students paid the price. As a result, more consideration is surfacing for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and how this approach can help close those gaps. Of course, integrating UDL campus-wide presents its own set of challenges. I sat down with Dr. Brett Christie, Director of Learning Design at O’Donnell Learn - and our resident guru for all things UDL - for his take on how colleges and universities might begin this important task.