In this episode, hosts Kelvin and Tom note the student success benefits of learning analytics initiatives and consider thoughtfully the appropriate roles for human decision-making in such initiatives. Students, faculty, advisors, and administrators are just some of the humans who can be empowered by analytics.

Managing change is part of the business of leading innovation in online/digital learning. Sometimes we make mistakes. In this episode of TOPcast, hosts Thomas Cavanagh and Kelvin Thompson share lessons learned from a recent controversial case study in change management at UCF’s College of Business.

Conventional wisdom has it that small is good, but is this true? Can institutions of higher education be both big and good? In this episode, hosts Tom and Kelvin revisit the “iron triangle” construct as they explore the tensions inherent in pursuing both scale and quality.

The following audio recording is raw footage of an interview Dr. Kelvin Thompson conducted with Dr. Norm Vaughan for TOPcast: The Teaching Online Podcast. An earlier interview is featured in TOPcast episode 29. (A phone buzz re-directs the flow of this follow-up conversation, but the dialogue is still rich with content and will be interesting …

About Episode 27: Humanizing online learning is arguably more important than ever as new technologies enable greater scale, efficiency, and personalization. Tom and Kelvin are joined by Dr. Bonni Stachowiak in thoughtfully exploring the human element in online teaching and learning. Download Transcript [PDF, RTF] Episode 27 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete …

About Episode 26: For online education to remain relevant and viable, we must give attention to the voices of our students. In this episode, Kelvin and Tom are joined by UCF student Alex deCurnou who shares his story of being an online student at three different institutions. Download Transcript [PDF, RTF] Episode 26 Show Notes: …

About Episode 22: Kelvin and Tom are joined by guests Ke’Anna Skipwith and Lamont Eddins from EDUCAUSE’s Diversity in IT Constituent Group to discuss diversity and inclusivity within online education, specifically among students, faculty, and instructional designers. Download Transcript [PDF, RTF] Episode 22 Show Notes: Episode Synopsis via Twitter View complete list of episode highlights …

Perceptions of quality (high and low) are a perennial problem in online education. What is quality? Who decides? What if others disagree? Should majority rule? What about expert knowledge? Join Tom and Kelvin in wrestling with these questions and more in this on-location episode.