Why Distance Learning?

In this episode of Why Distance Learning, your hosts talk again with Michael Barbour — the most-cited researcher in K-12 online and distance learning — about what it would actually take to fix how teachers are prepared to teach online, and why thirty years of K-12 virtual learning hasn't produced that change yet. Drawing on his 2024 paper with Charles Hodges, Michael lays out six concrete steps —...

In this episode of Why Distance Learning, your hosts talk with Kristen DeBruler — Assistant Director of the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute — about what makes online learning work for K-12 students, and what quietly undermines it. Drawing on survey data from over a thousand virtual teachers and fresh findings on student and teacher AI perceptions, her work reveals where the convention...

In this episode of Why Distance Learning, your hosts continue their conversation with Jered Borup — professor at George Mason University and one of the most-cited researchers in K-12 online learning — about what AI in education is actually doing to relationships, what social presence requires when "build a video lecture" can be done by a chatbot, and why teacher burnout is the real bottleneck the...

In this episode of Why Distance Learning, your hosts talk with Jered Borup — professor at George Mason University, co-creator of the Academic Communities of Engagement framework, and one of the most-cited researchers in K-12 online learning — about why student engagement isn't a property of the student or a skill the teacher unlocks, and why most online programs are leaving the work undone. Borup'...

In this episode of Why Distance Learning, Seth and Allyson speak with Bobbie Sandberg — an educational researcher who recently completed her PhD in instructional psychology and technology at BYU — about what's actually happening in the household when a K-12 student learns online, and why most programs aren't designed for the answer. Bobbie's research, grounded in Jered Borup's Academic Communities...

In this episode of Why Distance Learning, your hosts talk with Dr. Helaine Marshall — retired professor of education at Long Island University Hudson and creator of SOFLA, the Synchronous Online Flipped Learning Approach — about the pedagogy most online courses never get around to designing, and what it costs when they don't. Drawing on five years of development work, Community of Inquiry theory,...

This is the second of a two-part conversation with Michael Barbour, one of the most cited researchers in K-12 distance and online learning. Michael is assistant dean for academic innovation and integration at Touro University California, and has spent nearly three decades studying the design, delivery, and support of K-12 distance, online, and blended learning — as well as the policy and governanc...

This is the first of a two-part conversation with Michael Barbour, one of the most cited researchers in K-12 distance and online learning. Michael is assistant dean for academic innovation and integration at Touro University California, and has spent nearly three decades studying the design, delivery, and support of K-12 distance, online, and blended learning — as well as the policy and governance...

About Our Guests Dr. Brandon Ferderer is Head of Programming at Shared Studios and honors faculty at Arizona State University. A writer, performer, storyteller, and expert facilitator, Brandon holds a doctorate in intercultural communications from Arizona State University. His work spans private, education, and nonprofit sectors, harnessing communication technology to bridge cultural divides throu...

After attending DLAC — the Digital Learning Annual Conference — founded by John Watson , one thing is clear: the digital learning community doesn’t retreat under constraints. It builds. Yet, for some, the question persists: Was distance learning just a pandemic stopgap? Or is it a durable part of education’s future? In this episode, John Watson joins us to unpack what the field actually learned fr...

Virtual learning didn’t start as a tech experiment. It started as a capacity and access solution. In this conversation, Julie Young traces the early design logic behind Florida Virtual School—what problems it was built to solve in the mid-1990s, and what that origin story still reveals about rigor, relationships, student identity, and how to design learning systems that scale. You’ll hear why the...

How do you know if your virtual program is actually high quality—without reducing it to a checklist? Dr. Chris Harrington returns to the podcast to share how he’s building the Virtual Learning Accelerator : a human-centered system that helps leaders assess program quality, translate results into priorities, and support teachers over time—without outsourcing professional judgment to AI. What you’ll...

Distance learning doesn’t fail because of tools—it falters when leadership, policy, and systems don’t align around student success. In this episode, Seth Fleischauer and Allyson Mitchell sit down with Dr. Alexandra Salas, founder and CEO of the Delmarva Digital Learning Association, to unpack what institutional readiness for digital learning actually requires. Drawing on her experience in higher e...

In this episode of Why Distance Learning , Seth Fleischauer, Allyson Mitchell, and Tami Moehring welcome Hope Windle , Director of SUNY COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning). Together they unpack what COIL actually is, how it works inside real courses, and why it gives all students —not just those who can study abroad—access to meaningful international collaboration. Drawing on years...

In this episode of Why Distance Learning , Seth turns the spotlight to co-hosts Tami Moehring and Allyson Mitchell to explore the work they lead at the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC). For more than 30 years—long before the digital pivot of 2020—CILC has been connecting classrooms and communities to museums, zoos, aquariums, and cultural institutions through live, interact...

In this special episode of Why Distance Learning , the tables turn— Seth Fleischauer steps into the guest seat as co-hosts Tami Moehring and Allyson Mitchell interview him about the purpose, design, and future of Global Learning Live , Banyan Global Learning’s next-generation experiential global learning program. They explore what authentic global learning really requires in today’s classrooms—and...

Educators often assume that clubs, activities, and school culture must happen in person—that building belonging in virtual learning is limited or even impossible. Many imagine distance learners as isolated kids behind screens, missing the social experiences that shape identity, leadership, and community. But what if that assumption is simply wrong? In this conversation, Cindy Carbajal , a 20-year...

In this episode of Why Distance Learning , hosts Seth Fleischauer , Tami Moehring , and Allyson Mitchell welcome Cassie Bride , Director of School Programs, and Lauren Yockel , School Programs Education Specialist at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) . Together, they explore how one of the nation’s most renowned cultural institutions is transforming museum education through live virtual progra...

In this episode of Why Distance Learning , hosts Seth Fleischauer, Allyson Mitchell and Tami Moehring welcome Pat Cassella—Executive Director of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), VP of Worldwide Sales at VDO360, and founder of ETC Video . Pat traces the evolution of video technology in education, healthcare, government, and corporate training—and offers bold predictions abou...

Many people think of distance learning as impersonal—a screen separating students from real connection. But at the Pro Football Hall of Fame , it’s doing the exact opposite. It’s bringing students face-to-face with legends, life lessons, and the values that make great teams—and great people. In this episode, Jerry Csaki , Senior Director of Youth, Education, and Leadership at the Pro Football Hall...

Many adults assume that kids only tolerate online learning—that it’s isolating, transactional, and never as “real” as learning in person. But what if students themselves told a different story? What if distance learning could be creative, inspiring, and a place to make authentic friendships? In this episode, we meet Maddie (11) and Ella (13), co-hosts of The Recess Rundown , a podcast created enti...

In this episode of the Why Distance Learning? Podcast , hosts Seth Fleischauer, Allyson Mitchell, and Tami Moehring revisit one of their most popular episodes as they welcome Mandy Perry, a virtual school principal and president of the Blended and Online Learning Discovery (BOLD) of Florida Executive Board. Mandy shares her timeless journey in virtual education, her leadership role in BOLD, and ho...

Many educators associate virtual learning with isolation, disengagement, and students passively staring at screens. But what if the opposite were possible? What if distance learning could be thrilling, social, even addictive —in all the right ways? In this episode, we meet Ben Somers, founder and CEO of Recess.gg , an online platform transforming virtual education into an e-sports-style, team-base...

Many educators (and parents) believe that teaching kindergarten online is impossible. Young children are assumed to lack the attention span, tech skills, or maturity to thrive in a virtual setting. During the pandemic, even seasoned teachers struggled to keep their youngest students engaged. In this episode, Nancy Grim, a veteran early childhood educator from Tucson Unified Virtual Academy, brings...

Too often, educational change is approached with a top-down, impersonal strategy—especially in virtual settings. Leaders are handed new tools, frameworks, and mandates but given little space for reflection, values alignment, or the flexibility needed to make change stick. The result? Burnout, survival mode, and disjointed systems that don’t serve students or educators. In this episode, Dr. Tovah S...