Distance Learning Insights
The Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration (OJDLA) is a peer-reviewed electronic journal offered free each quarter. The journal welcomes manuscripts based on the original work of practitioners and researchers with specific focus or implications for the management of distance education programs.
From the Editor
It’s been five years almost to the day.
On a sunny Friday afternoon in mid March, we learned that our campuses were closing indefinitely due to what would soon become a pandemic.
As we began working 100 percent remotely, we were busier than ever before trying to support faculty in getting all classes online immediately. For those who had never taught online, the results weren’t always ideal at the time.
But reflecting back, what did we learn as administrators?
The good news is that hybrid learning has finally taken center stage. As we may have all suspected, an ideal environment in many cases is to combine the flexibility of online learning with at least some opportunities for the connection of face-to-face interaction.
This also applies to the work environment. While there’s some recent chatter about filling up real estate, we know that our teams perform best with the same flexibility that we afford our students. There’s little place for artificial barriers in the modern workforce, particularly in fields where face to face interaction with clients doesn’t happen anyway.
We’ve learned to adapt but to not react. In a world of uncertainty, we must pivot quickly to find student-centered solutions, but we don’t create new problems by fixing things that aren’t broken. In any given situation, the pendulum will always swing again. When we overreact, the swings can become too wide.
A critical bonus of the pandemic is that the mental health of students is now a true priority. No longer are services provided to online students as an accreditation checkbox, but support is increasingly integrated into the entire online experience. Granted, I think we still have a long way to go.
Finally, we’ve learned that seasoned distance learning administrators are a resilient bunch. We’ve always been on the fringe, sometimes the target of the unenlightened, but allowed to experiment in ways that break the norms and rules. We survived and will continue to do so if we don’t allow ourselves to get into the proverbial box and keep putting students first.
Peace to all,
Melanie N. Clay, Ph.D.
OJDLA Editor-in-Chief
March 14, 2025