Let's Stop With the Pearl-Clutching and Roll Up Our Sleeves

PolicyPractice

Published by: WCET | 9/24/2026

By Cheryl Dowd and Kathryn Kerensky The wait is over. Two new federal regulatory provisions addressing distance education are now in effect. The U.S. Department of Education finalized a package of distance education regulations in January 2025 and became effective July 1, 2026. Why the 18-month gap? It comes down to the Higher Education Act’s […]

Featured MemberPractice

Published by: WCET | 9/22/2026

By Betsy Piland What do a birth doula, vet tech, jeweler, firefighter, and food truck owner have in common? They’re all students preparing for careers in quantum technology through a new program at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), a WCET member institution. Through CNM Ingenuity, the nonprofit workforce development arm of the college, learners […]

EventPractice

Published by: WCET | 9/10/2026

Welcome to Your WCET 2026 Annual Conference Preview By Betsy Piland An underrated reason to gather with your higher education digital learning community? You get to stop explaining your job to people for just a few days. Phew! All jokes aside, WCET spends months planning an Annual Conference that addresses the most critical issues the digital learning community is facing. We can’t wait to see all […]

Practice

Published by: WCET | 9/4/2026

“The university’s purpose is not to compete with the machine at its own game—speed, scale, calculation, and data recollection—but to transcend it by dedicating itself fully to what the machine can never replicate: wisdom, judgment, and the capacity for love, empathy, and meaning.” — Paul LeBlanc, Tanya Gamby & George Siemens, from Reclaiming Purpose: The […]

Policy

Published by: WCET | 8/27/2026

By Cheryl Dowd In our June Frontiers post, we examined the consensus draft language developed through the U.S. Department of Education’s Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization negotiated rulemaking committee and what accreditation reform could mean for digital learning. The Department has now released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) with proposed regulations that largely reflect that […]

Featured MemberPractice

Published by: WCET |

By Aunjelique Andersen When we think about learner engagement in online education, one question continues to guide our work: What barriers are we unintentionally creating for the students we most want to support? Global Connections, Washington State University Global Campus’ student involvement program, observed a common situation many online students find themselves in: They are balancing coursework while […]

EventPolicyPractice

Published by: WCET | 8/21/2026

By Betsy Piland Schedules are busy. Budgets are tight. Getting approval to attend a conference can take some serious hoop-jumping! But we’re here to make it worthwhile. If you work in higher ed digital learning, here are five reasons to register now for WCET 2026 in Minneapolis, Oct. 14-16. 1. Connect With Your Community IRL […]

Practice

Published by: WCET | 8/13/2026

By Rachel Tasky One of the most persistent public perceptions surrounding online learning is that online courses are inherently less rigorous or lower quality than courses taught in person. The concern surfaces regularly in conversations among prospective students, families, employers, and even faculty who may still associate online learning with earlier generations of digital education […]

Practice

Published by: WCET | 8/11/2026

By Megan Raymond and Susan Haught Key Takeaways As the deadline for new accessibility requirements approaches, many education leaders are asking the same question: Where do we even begin? The answer, according to institutions that have been working through the process together, is reassuring: You don’t have to start from scratch, and you don’t have […]