EP 30 - Dr. Omid Fotuhi and the Sense of Belonging in Online Learning

In this episode, John and Jason talk with Dr. Omid Fotuhi, a research associate at the University of Pittsburgh and the Director of Learning Innovation at WGU Labs, about the notion of belonging in the evolving landscape of online learning. They discuss the WGU model and how it breaks traditional barriers through competency-based, self-paced education, the critical role of fostering a sense of belonging for student success, the need for institutions to move beyond temporary interventions to address deeper structural issues, and the future of education where learning becomes more independent. See complete notes and transcripts at www.onlinelearningpodcast.com   Join Our LinkedIn Group - Online Learning Podcast (Also feel free to connect with John and Jason at LinkedIn too)   Links and Resources:

• Inscribe - Community-based educational software application
• "Where and with whom does a brief social-belonging intervention promote progress in college?”
  • Article https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade4420
• Dr. Omid Fotuhi Contact Information
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omidfotuhi/

  Theme Music: Pumped by RoccoW is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial License. Transcript We use a combination of computer-generated transcriptions and human editing. Please check with the recorded file before quoting anything. Please check with us if you have any questions or can help with any corrections!       [00:00:00] Omid Fotuhi: The notion and the assumption that learning happens best, as measured by seat time, the number of hours you spend.   <Phone goes off>   [00:00:07] Omid Fotuhi: Ha.   [00:00:08] John Nash: So   [00:00:09] Jason Johnston: rookie mistake, John. Come on. We haven't quite been at this a year yet, Omid. so…   [00:00:15] John Nash: My phone is off, but my Macintosh rang   [00:00:18] Omid Fotuhi: Yeah. Okay. Yeah.   <Theme Music>   [00:00:21] John Nash: I'm John Nash here with Jason Johnston.   [00:00:25] Jason Johnston: Hey, John. Hey everyone. And this is online learning in the second half, the online learning podcast.   [00:00:31] John Nash: Yeah, we're doing this podcast to let you in on a conversation we've been having for the last two years about online education. Look, online learning has had its chance to be great and some of it is, but still, a lot of it really isn't. And so Jason, how are we going to get to the next stage?   [00:00:47] Jason Johnston: That's a great question, John. How about we do a podcast and talk about it?   [00:00:51] John Nash: I think that's a great idea. What do you want to talk about today?   [00:00:55] Jason Johnston: Today we are joined by Dr. Omid Fatouhi. Omid, welcome to the podcast.   [00:01:01] Omid Fotuhi: Thank you. It's great to be here.   [00:01:03] Jason Johnston: Can we call you Omid?   [00:01:05] Omid Fotuhi: That sounds great.   [00:01:06] Jason Johnston: Okay. Omid is a research associate at the University of Pittsburgh and director of learning innovation at WGU labs. So great to have you here to talk with us today.   [00:01:17] Omid Fotuhi: I look forward to