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Newest Blog

Rae Mancilla’s Vision for Digital Learning: Expanding Access, Empowering Learners, and Growing Leaders

Published by: WCET | 10/29/2026

The 2026 Sally M. Johnstone Award recipient has spent her career building opportunities for online learners, strengthening digital learning at the University of Pittsburgh and investing in the people who make it possible. by Betsy Piland Rae Mancilla, Ed.D., is certain that, buried in a family photo album somewhere, her parents still have a picture […]

Tags: Digital Learning, Managing Digital Learning, Online Learning, WCET Awards

New on WCET Frontiers
Screen shot of InScribe's InCircle platform

Practice

Belonging is Just the Beginning: What’s Next for Online Student Connection?

Published by: WCET | 10/20/2026

by Katy Kappler Online communities can help students feel like they belong. But how will we help students build the networks they need to succeed? “I was homeless, and I’m back.” That is a real message posted by an Alamo Colleges District student shortly after its new online community launched. Neither this student’s instructors nor […]

Close-up image of person rolling up their shirt sleeves

Practice

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

Published by: WCET | 10/1/2026

It’s Time for a Bold Revisioning of Higher Education By Van L. Davis, Ph.D. Recently, a colleague forwarded to me Ian Bogost’s latest essay for The Atlantic, “College Is Coming Apart.” Bogost is a professor at an elite liberal arts college whose educational worldview is what you might expect: higher education is broken, is “incompatible […]

scrabble tiles spelling out RULES and a NEW stamp

PolicyPractice

New Distance Education Rules from the U.S. Dept. of Education: What Changes for Digital Learning?

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 […]

Two students working with equipment in the CNM Ingenuity lab for Quantum Boot Camp

Featured MemberPractice

From Boot Camp to Quantum Careers: Central New Mexico Community College Builds a Workforce for an Emerging Industry

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 […]

WCET 2025 Annual Conference attendee photo collage

EventPractice

So, You’re Interested In AI, Instructional Design, Policy & Compliance, Accessibility, and More? There’s a Session for That!  

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 […]

AI represented by a robot hand reaching out to a human hand

Practice

From Knowing to Being: Reclaiming the University’s Purpose in an AI Age

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 […]

Photo of the U.S. Capitol backed by a blue sky and thin white clouds

Policy

Accreditation Regulatory Reform Takes the Next Step: What’s Next for Digital Learning?

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 […]

WSU Global Campus Cougs and Cubs family outdoors doing a science experiment with soda

Featured MemberPractice

Removing Barriers, Building Belonging: How Family-Inclusive Engagement Supports Online Learner Success

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 […]

Wide shot of hundreds of WCET conference attendees watching the 2025 keynote speaker

EventPolicyPractice

5 Reasons to Attend the WCET 2026 Annual Conference

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 […]

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