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 get from this episode

• A clear way to think about quality as a system, not a tool or a single role
• How standards-aligned self-assessment becomes useful instead of performative
• Practical guardrails for using AI to speed up improvement without distorting it
• A sustainable model for improving virtual programs year over year

Key moments

• 00:01–02:05 — Why the quality question matters now
• 02:20–07:30 — The Virtual Learning Accelerator: coaching, assessment, and PD as one system
• 09:46–14:45 — How the needs assessment works (14 standards, ~45–60 minutes, instant report)
• 15:45–18:45 — Why the AI launch was delayed: tightening rubrics and recommendations
• 21:03–26:40 — Turning scores into action: why coaching is the translation layer
• 28:30–36:10 — Supporting teachers at scale: micro-courses aligned to online teaching standards
• 37:00–40:10 — Revisiting “Why Distance Learning?”: the shift from access to quality

Links

• Virtual Learning Accelerator: digitallearningworks.org
• EmpowerED Research Institute: empoweredresearch.org
• National Standards for Quality Online Learning: nsqol.org

Host Links

1. Discover more virtual learning opportunities at CILC.org with hosts Tami Moehring and Allyson Mitchell.
2. Seth Fleischauer’s Banyan Global Learning combines live virtual field trips with international student collaborations for a unique K12 global learning experience. See https://banyangloballearning.com/global-learning-live/

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 education leadership, instructional design, and nonprofit systems change, Dr. Salas challenges the idea that digital learning is merely a delivery mode. Instead, she frames it as a connective infrastructure—one that can support access, belonging, wellness, and persistence when designed intentionally.

The conversation moves beyond emergency remote learning to examine how organizations evaluate readiness, why frameworks matter, and what leaders must confront if digital learning is going to meaningfully support students rather than strain them.

What This Episode Explores

• Why digital learning should be evaluated at the systems level—not course by course
• The difference between emergency remote teaching and sustainable digital learning
• How leadership, governance, policy, and student support services shape online success
• Why “online readiness” is about people and structures as much as platforms
• The role of reflection frameworks (Quality Matters, OLC, ISTE, and others) in continuous improvement
• How wellness, trauma-informed practices, and student belonging intersect with distance learning
• What teaching yoga online revealed about presence, connection, and learning in virtual spaces
• Why distance learning is better understood as connected, accessible, future-ready learning

Golden Moment

Dr. Salas shares an early career story from her time as an instructional designer—partnering with faculty to bring courses like anthropology, chemistry, and Arabic online before large-scale platforms made it commonplace. The moment highlights a recurring theme of the episode: trust, curiosity, and collaboration matter more than tools when innovation involves real change.

Why Distance Learning?

In Dr. Salas’s words, distance learning isn’t about distance at all. It’s about access, inclusion, and possibility—especially for learners in rural or underserved communities. When aligned with strong leadership and intentional systems, digital learning becomes a bridge rather than a substitute.

Mentioned Work & Resources

• Delmarva Digital Learning Association — https://delmarvadla.org
• United States Distance Learning Association - https://usdla.org/
• Bestemming Yoga — https://www.bestemmingyoga.com/meet-yt
• Numbers and Sense by Alexandra Salas
• Quality Matters, OLC, Blackboard, and ISTE digital learning frameworks (referenced conceptually)

Host Links

1. Discover more virtual learning opportunities at CILC.org with hosts Tami Moehring and Allyson Mitchell.
2. Seth Fleischauer’s Banyan Global Learning combines live virtual field trips with international student collaborations for a unique K12 global learning experience. See https://banyangloballearning.com/global-learning-live/

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 of experience connecting students across countries, languages, and disciplines, Hope explains why meaningful collaboration isn’t about content mastery alone, but about process, perspective, and growth.

Pain Point

Many educators believe that authentic global learning requires travel, study abroad programs, or well-funded international exchanges—opportunities that remain inaccessible to most students. Even when virtual connections exist, they are often superficial, short-lived, or focused on “learning about” others rather than learning with them.

Solution

SUNY COIL offers a project-based, faculty-driven model that embeds international collaboration directly into existing courses. Rather than one-off calls or presentations, students work in mixed international teams on shared problems—ranging from food insecurity and data visualization to journalism, astrophysics, and app design.

Throughout the conversation, Hope shares:

• What distinguishes COIL from “Mystery Skype”–style exchanges
• Why friction, miscommunication, and failure are essential parts of cross-cultural learning
• How COIL builds student maturity, humility, professional communication skills, and global awareness
• Why virtual exchange is a powerful tool for equity, access, and inclusion, especially for students historically excluded from international experiences
• How the UN Sustainable Development Goals provide a flexible, shared framework across disciplines

Action

Educators across K–12 and higher education can begin rethinking global learning by:

• Designing short, team-based international projects within existing courses
• Prioritizing process, collaboration, and reflection over perfect outcomes
• Allowing students to navigate real-world challenges like time zones, communication styles, and cultural differences—with guidance rather than rescue
• Viewing virtual exchange not as a backup to travel, but as a distinct and powerful pedagogy

Why Distance Learning?

For Hope, distance learning creates space for reflection, grace, and intentional response. By combining synchronous connection with asynchronous thinking time, virtual learning allows diverse voices, languages, and cultures to grow together—right now, not someday in the future.

Episode Links

• SUNY COIL: https://coil.suny.edu
• UN Sustainable Development Goals: http://sdgs.un.org/goals

Host Links

1. Discover global virtual learning opportunities and resources at CILC.org with Tami Moehring and Allyson Mitchell.
2. Seth Fleischauer’s Banyan Global Learning provides meaningful global learning experiences that prepare students worldwide for success in an interconnected world.