What do we really know about K-12 Distance Education?

In this March 2025 AADES webinar, Prof. Michael K. Barbour (Director of Faculty Development and Professor of Instructional Design at Touro University California, and Fellow for the Center for Innovative Learning and Teaching, Touro University Systems) provided insights into maximising online and synchronous learning.

Michael emphasised viewing online learning as a distinct medium, highlighting notable differences between traditional classroom interactions and online discussions, especially regarding response times and depth of student reflection.

The session discussed examples of pre-pandemic synchronous online teaching, including Newfoundland’s Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation (CDLI) and New Zealand’s Virtual Learning Network (VLN). Michael also noted the limited pre-pandemic literature in this field, recommending the valuable work of Keryn Pratt, Niki Davis, Rachel Whalley, and Derek Wenmoth.

Participants were encouraged to explore freely available online resources and to contact Michael directly for further guidance and support to enhance their synchronous and distance learning practices.

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