When I served as our campus’ dean of WebCollege, I was able to enshrine a set of “Standards for Teaching Online”. Honestly, it was edgy for the time. And the proposal met with headwinds from those that wanted as limited set of expectations as possible. Nonetheless, the Online Standards were adopted and have provided a baseline of quality for the past several years.
Fast-forward to this semester, and the WebCollege Committee – now a standing committee of the Faculty Senate – has been developing a set of updates and timely improvements to the original document. I had the opportunity to review their draft – and was very pleased to see how they had further strengthened – and expanded the document. It still has to go before the Faculty Senate for approval, but keeping my fingers crossed.
In my view, this is a very timely development. Our online programs dealt with a myriad of challenges during the pandemic. So many faculty without proper training or even interest in online teaching, had no choice but to use the online format. Given the circumstances, it was necessary to “overlook” problems with class setup and design as well as the overall quality of the learning experience.
However, we are now several years removed from the pandemic. It is past the time to raise the bar on our expectations for our online classes. The overall design must improve and as of April 26, 2026, we must ensure our courses are fully compliant regarding accessibility. Our faculty must be properly trained on the setup and administration of their online learning environment. We must know that our faculty are actively engaging their online students. We need to improve the quality and consistency of the online learning experience. We need to recognize that a more standardized learning environment will greatly reduce student frustration with the current “whack-a-mole” approach to course and syllabus design. Students should not have to play “Where’s Waldo” when trying to find faculty contact information or availability. And yet, our current situation is checkerboard at best; and the uneven nature of our online classes is a growing liability. Inconsistent design and quality, confusion, nonexistent faculty engagement, and unengaging content are now holding us back from moving online learning forward. Both full-time and part-time faculty must understand the importance of more comprehensive and required training necessary to improve the quality and effectiveness of our online learning options. We also collectively face the challenges of AI -how we teach online has to be reinvented – many of our current methods are outdated, mechanical and not engaging. We need to rise to the challenge of teaching differently and completely rethink how we assess our students’ work.
Oddly, most of our campuses have not learned anything from the pandemic. There has been a tendency to fall back into old habits rather than addressing the shortcomings experienced during the pandemic – which would ensure we do better job of PD training, course design, course support and course quality (learning, student engagement and student success). And since we will likely experience similar shutdowns and disruptions going forward, we must address the problems we know we have. Creating a new Standards document OR revising an existing Standards document, is a great place to start the transformation of our online programs. Time’s a-wasting!
Recommended Reading
The Best Defense Against AI Cheating, Inside Higher Ed
Students generally don’t cheat because they lack moral fiber; they cheat because they are navigating a system of incentives that prioritizes efficiency over learning.
Report: AI Will Reshape Work More Than Replace It But Global Impact Is Uneven, Campus Technology
AI will reshape work more than replace it. Most jobs aren't disappearing, but the tasks within them are changing — especially in white-collar and cognitive roles where generative AI is most effective.
What Do Employers Mean By “AI Skills”, Anyway, Inside Higher Ed
A major survey shows students are anxious about career readiness in the face of AI—pointing to the need for more employer guidance.
How Higher Ed And Lifelong Learning Can Shape A Future-Proof Workforce, eCampus News
A survey of more than 1,200 U.S. workers finds that the majority of workers feel unprepared to succeed, yet most are eager to learn and adapt amid rapid change
Weak Tech Could Push Students, Faculty To Other Institutions, eCampus News
Today’s students and faculty expect seamless technology experiences on and off campus–and a new study reveals that poor technology can prompt students and educators to think about changing institutions.
Colleges Ramp Up Offerings To Teach Students To Be Ethicists, Education Dive
… employees must learn how AI works, where it is biased, when it might threaten privacy and how to recognize when an AI agent’s output is just plain wrong.
Video Of The Week
Did You Know 2026, YouTube
Note: This video is normally updated once a year – and has current data regarding the scale of many aspects of technology – from Internet usage to social media and AI. We encourage you to share this with your leadership team and colleagues. It can be the basis for a conversation – is your institution preparing for a rapidly changing world and rapidly evolving technologies – are your programs well-aligned to prepare your students to be relevant and perhaps even technology leaders?
