In this episode of Why Distance Learning, Seth turns the spotlight to co-hosts Tami Moehring and Allyson Mitchell to explore the work they lead at the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC). For more than 30 years—long before the digital pivot of 2020—CILC has been connecting classrooms and communities to museums, zoos, aquariums, and cultural institutions through live, interactive virtual programs. But as demand grew, so did a problem: users loved the programming but struggled to find the right experience in a catalog of over 2,600 virtual field trips.

To solve this, CILC redesigned everything around two clear pathways: Field Ed for PreK–12 classrooms and Rome From Home for adults and older adults. Each gives users a curated entry point rather than a maze of search results. And instead of forcing teachers or community coordinators to juggle logistics, CILC introduced bundles and fully hosted webinar series—options that reduce prep time to almost zero while improving the learner experience.

What problems CILC kept hearing

• Teachers overwhelmed by too many choices, not enough guidance
• Adults and senior-living communities needing moderated, accessible programs
• Content providers unsure how to adapt or refresh virtual programming
• School budgets going unused because scheduling felt too complex

What the redesigned model delivers

• Field Ed: A clean K–12 catalog aligned to curriculum, standards, and CTE
• Rome From Home: Cultural and wellness programming designed for older adults
• Bundles: Flexible funds teachers can use anytime, without losing budget
• Webinar Series: CILC handles hosting, registration, moderation, and tech
• Consulting: Support for museums and cultural institutions building or rebooting virtual programs

The episode also explores what makes a virtual field trip truly work. Tammy and Allyson break down pacing, interactivity every few minutes, accessible visuals, and the presenter “presence” that makes a screen feel like a shared space. For older adults, the structure shifts—more narrative, slower pacing, and extended Q&A—because live virtual learning often becomes a social anchor, not just a lesson.

Moments from the field bring it home: students from Nicaragua to Minnesota solving a physics challenge together in Field Ed Live, or the older adult who said, “I never thought I’d see the Smithsonian again—and I did, from my chair.” These are the access and opportunity stories that define why distance learning matters.

Why distance learning?

Because it brings the world to people who might never reach it—and brings it back to those who thought they’d lost it.

Episode Links

• CILC: Field Ed, Rome From Home, Consulting – https://CILC.org
• Schedule Banyan’s Bridges of Portland Virtual Field Trip via CILC