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TOPcast: The Teaching Online Podcast

Education Podcasts

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.

Location:

United States

Description:

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.

Twitter:

@topcastnow

Language:

English


Episodes

Episode 158: AI-Assistance Built-In: Less Obvious/More Useful

3/18/2024
Guest Nicolaas Matthijs joins hosts Tom and Kelvin to discuss the emergence of AI-assistance built into educational technology platforms and how this is a departure from past phases of artificial intelligence implementation.

Duration:00:32:42

Episode 157: Pending Changes to Inclusive Access Programs

3/4/2024
In this episode, hosts Tom and Kelvin summarize the current issues surrounding proposed changes to “inclusive access programs” for digital instructional materials and how this affects the affordability work of digital education professionals.

Duration:00:29:37

Episode 156: Reframing the Data That Tell the Stories About Online Students

2/19/2024
Guest Dr. Carmin Chan joins hosts Tom and Kelvin to consider how we might reframe the typical institutional data that might not present clearly the needs and progress of post-traditional learners served by online education.

Duration:00:31:32

Episode 155: High-Quality Online Discussions — Here’s How.

2/5/2024
In this episode, spring-boarding from one of the chapters in the new SAGE Handbook of Online Higher Education, hosts Kelvin and Tom advocate for high-quality online discussions and reflect upon research-based practices that lead to well-designed and successful discussion experiences.

Duration:00:22:25

Episode 154: Alternative Educational Programs and Digital Higher Ed

1/15/2024
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.

Duration:00:28:20

Episode 153: Better Serving Learners Through Transformed Business Models

1/1/2024
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.

Duration:00:30:50

Episode 152: Still “Be Prepared” for Disruption with Digital Learning

12/18/2023
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.

Duration:00:33:01

Episode 151: “What a Year [of Disruption] It Has Been! […But] 2024 is Upon Us!”

12/4/2023
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.

Duration:00:28:16

Episode 150: A Global, Holistic, 360 Degree Perspective on Online Higher Education

11/20/2023
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.

Duration:00:30:09

Episode 149: “Baking AI into the Process” of Digital Learning Over the Next Five Years

11/6/2023
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.

Duration:00:21:10

Episode 148: Fostering Digital Learning Innovation

10/16/2023
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.

Duration:00:31:02

Episode 147: “Faculty Preparation” and More QA Insights from CHLOE 8

10/2/2023
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.

Duration:00:31:14

Episode 146: Get Hands-On with AI

9/18/2023
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.

Duration:00:35:13

Episode 145: “More of the Human Element:” Dolly, Picard, Ray, Dede, and More

9/5/2023
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!

Duration:00:32:39

Episode 144: Helping with “Running the Business” for 100 years

8/21/2023
About Episode 144: In this episode, UPCEA CEO Dr. Bob Hansen joins hosts Kelvin and Tom to discuss the intertwined histories of professional/continuing education and online education and the importance of attending to the “business” of both. Podcast Recording UPCEA CEO Dr. Bob Hansen Download Transcript: PDF Episode 144 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links Decaf Cafe Carmelita Blend, Tony’s Coffee (Bellingham, WA) Decaf Humbucker Blend, Fundamental Coffee (Seattle, WA) “Super Coffee” Content Links Dr. Bob Hansen’s Online Profile UPCEA - University Professional & Continuing Education Association “The Wisconsin Idea” [Article in UWisconsin alumni magazine] “Who Needs Classrooms?” TOPcast Episode #133 “Professional Development Across Our Online Education Community” TOPcast Episode #126: “COLOs, Context, and Community” TOPcast Episode #36 “Finding Online Learning Leaders: ‘Fredericksen's List’” Extra Special Feature Video Version of this Episode!

Duration:00:33:39

Episode 143: “Speaking in Dollars and Cents” About Online Learning

8/7/2023
About Episode 143 Hosts Kelvin and Tom discuss how to talk about the value of online education in various ways that matter to different audiences, including speaking about return on investment (ROI), social mobility, quality of learning, and more. Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Episode 143 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links Lenore’s Light Roast (Single-Origin Honduran) from Pike House Coffee, Johnson City, TN About Pike House Coffee Content Links (From Ideas & Insights Blog) “Lifting Lives and Livelihoods - At Scale” “Kelvin’s Report Out from the First 90 Days and Beyond” (From Marketing Partners) “Guide to Strategic Message Framing and Reframing” (From Investopedia) “Value Proposition: How to Write It With Examples” TOPcast Episode #135 - “Different Institutions, Different Methods, Same Goals” TOPcast Episode #23 - “What Is Your Elevator Pitch? Talking to the Public about Online” Education TOPcast Episode #1 - “What is Online Learning? Definitions, Boundary Objects, and Baggage” Extra Special Feature Video Version of this Episode!

Duration:00:31:20

Episode 142: “Repurposing” – Working Smarter, Not Harder

7/17/2023
About Episode 142: Guest Dr. Kathy Gosser joins hosts Tom and Kelvin to discuss how faculty, instructional designers, and others can adopt habits of “repurposing” across the multifaceted work of online education and digital learning. Podcast Recording Download Transcript: PDF Episode 142 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights via Twitter Coffee Links Single-origin Honduras from Fante’s Coffee (Louisville, KY) Keurig’s Original Donut Shop Decaf Content Links Dr. Kathy Gosser’s Online Profile UofL’s Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence Yum! Brands Diagram: Reusability/Contextualization (“Modular Content Hierarchy”) based on work of Hodgins (Autodesk) Extra Special Feature Video Version of this Episode!

Duration:00:31:53

Episode 141: “It’s Star Spangled Learning, Baby!”

7/3/2023
In this episode coinciding with American Independence Day, hosts Kelvin and Tom invite a consideration of distinctly American contributions to the models of online higher education. These contributions continue to shape the evolution of online learning around the globe.

Duration:00:29:28

Episode 140: Maturing the Core Work of Online Education

6/19/2023
Guest Neil Mosley joins hosts Tom and Kelvin to discuss ways to gauge and foster maturity in the way institutions carry out learning design, the core work of online education.

Duration:00:29:42

Episode 139: Automating Digital Teaching — What Can Go Wrong?

6/5/2023
More options to scale efficiencies through automation are available now than ever before. Join hosts Tom and Kelvin for a consideration of how well-intentioned digital teaching automations can go horribly wrong.

Duration:00:30:50