November 2022: A Note from the Hosts of the Distance Learning Roundtable — Pat Cassella, executive director of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA),and Dean Hoke, managing partner of the international organization Edu Alliance.
Hello and welcome to the November episode of our monthly podcast and video show starring Elliott Masie, the founder of MASIE Innovations. Based in Saratoga Springs, NY, Elliott focused on how organizations can support learning and knowledge within the workforce. He leads the Learning COLLABORATIVE, which members include Amazon, Zoom, Bank of America, Subway, The Hartford, and others. He is a regular columnist and author of 12 books, including the ASTD/MASIE Center’s Big Learning Data, “Learning Pivots,” and “Empathy.” Elliott’s professional focus has been on corporate learning, organizational performance, and emerging technology. He has developed models for accelerating the spread of knowledge, learning, and collaboration throughout organizations. Elliott is an advisor to a wide range of government, education, and non-profit groups. including the Department of Defense, served on the White House Advisory Council on Expanding Learning Opportunities, and as a CIA University Board of Visitors member. Elliott is also a Tony Nominated Broadway Producer.
Today, we ask Elliott:
- In a recent interview, Peter Wells, Chief for higher education for UNESCO said that “the pandemic changed attitudes about online learning in the education community worldwide. During these two years, we took a leap forward of 10 years where teaching and learning online is publicly accepted.” Would you agree with that view and give us your thoughts?
- Expectations have changed since the pandemic, both for the learner and the instructor. Can you first discuss how the learner has changed and what the challenges there are for the instructor?
- Many Educational Ministries outside the West have been reluctant about distance learning and integrating it into the future. What would you say to these government leaders about why they should fully embrace eLearning into their educational curriculum?
- USDLA has known you for many years, and you have been considered one of the great advocates and leaders in the field of eLearning since the beginning. What has surprised you about how it has evolved, or did it go according to plan? Also, what do you think will be the next big thing?
- You have been actively involved in Broadway plays and musicals for several years. What attracted you to the theatre, and are there things you learned in your work in the theatre that you can apply to the trainers, content producers, and managers who work in the field of education?
- In preparation for the show, we listened to several of your interviews. In particular, one question struck me. The question was, what advice would you give to your 21-year-old self? Can you speak to that question for our audience?