This is the story of a higher education leader who is making an impact on the world, helping to alleviate poverty, and promoting gender equity through accessible and affordable online education. Today, Maria talks with Kristin Palmer, Director of Online Learning Programs at the University of Virginia, where she manages their online site, which showcases diverse courses, certificates, and degrees across the University of Virginia (UVA). Kristin oversees 52 courses and 7 specializations on Coursera, serving over 4 million students and administers LinkedIn Learning and Coursera for UVA students, faculty and staff. Maria and Kristin unpack the design of online learning and distance education programs offered across UVA. They also discuss the community of inquiry framework and best practices for cognitive, teaching and social presence. They conclude their conversation with a deep dive into the African Scholarship Cohort, the flagship program of the nonprofit organization Distance Education for Africa. Kristin shares her experience running the African Scholarship cohort program that offers free monthly entrepreneurship courses through a collaboration between UVA and Coursera.

How can students explore multiple career paths before they decide on their first job out of college? How can hiring managers work with several interns before they decide who to hire? Today, Maria talks with Jeffrey Moss, Founder and CEO of Parker Dewey, a mission-oriented organization that helps connect great talent with great companies. Parker Dewey has the largest network of highly motivated college students and recent graduates excited to complete short-term, professional assignments, known as micro-internships. During these micro-internships, they can demonstrate their grit and exceed expectations as they seek the right full-time role or internship. Micro-Internships also help companies identify and evaluate prospective job candidates for when hiring needs arise. As a result, organizations improve hiring effectiveness, enhance diversity, and drive retention. This episode provides students and recent graduates with guidance to help them get their foot in the door of potential employers while they get paid for completing professional assignments. It also offers them actionable insights on working on a range of projects for companies of different sizes to help them decide what work they want to do and who they want to work for through real-life professional experiences.

How can parents and teachers use their experience with distance learning and working from home to create a better new normal? Maria invited back her friend and positive psychologist, Robert Zeitlin, to share his experience guiding and supporting parents, teachers, and families to get back on track amid the pandemic. Robert is the author of “Laugh More, Yell Less: A Guide to Raising Kick-Ass Kids” and “But I’m Not a Teacher! A Parent’s Guide to Learning Under Lockdown”. During their conversation, Robert and Maria dive into the learning superpowers from positive psychology that can help parents identify their children’s character’s strengths to prepare them for better livelihoods. They also discuss the tension between parents and teachers during distance learning and provide guidance and insights to help them rebuild trust as they return to the new norm at home and in the classroom. Using their shared experience in the mastermind group they co-created, they explore learning in relationships and unpack the role of time, space and emotions, in learning. Enjoy this very special episode between two friends and lifelong learners.

Can Flipped Learning transform the future of learning and teaching in higher education? Today, Maria talks with Robert Talbert, author of the book Flipped Learning: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty. After teaching with flipped learning since 2009 and writing on his blog about it, he decided to write this book to guide other educators on their flipped learning journey and help them avoid the mistakes he made along the way. Maria and Robert discuss who uses flipped learning and why and how to design a flipped learning environment online or as a hybrid course. They also unpack the support faculty need to adopt flipped learning and guide students to build self-teaching skills. Robert is a professor of Mathematics at Grand Valley State University, where he teaches a wide range of mathematics courses and conducts research in undergraduate mathematics education, with a focus on flipped learning and technology-enabled active learning. He is a frequent workshop facilitator and keynote speaker on teaching and learning in the US and abroad and writes about flipped learning, math, technology, education, and productivity on his personal blog.

This episode is for teachers, administrators, and parents who want to learn about a free and holistic approach that helps underrepresented students prepare for the SAT and ACT tests used for admission to US colleges. It discusses how to build confidence in underserved youth, especially those about to become first-generation college students. Today, Maria talks with Yoon Choi, the CEO of CollegeSpring, a national nonprofit that helps schools provide free SAT and ACT preparation to students from low-income backgrounds by equipping teachers with the resources and specialized training needed to close the testing and college opportunity gaps. Yoon has over a decade of leadership, management, and fundraising experience, primarily with organizations serving underrepresented youth. Her published articles about testing and college access can be found in leading publications such as Inside Higher Ed, The Hechinger Report, and EdSource. Tune in to learn from an inspirational leader in the nonprofit education sector who believes deeply in the power of education to transform lives and communities. Every day, she works to expand educational opportunities so that all young people - no matter their background - are equipped to learn, explore, and achieve their full potential.

This episode is for students, parents and educators who want to learn how to design live virtual experiences for social and emotional learning. Today, Maria talks with Seth Fleischauer, president and founder at Banyan Global Learning, an organization that since 2008 has been using video conferencing to connect daily with learners in classrooms in Asia. Seth’s work is at the intersection of technology, language, culture and social and emotional learning. By connecting students to people, places and ideas to whom they would never otherwise have access, he believes that live video conferencing is an underutilized force of revolutionary change in education. While watching his daughter struggle in the early days of the pandemic, Seth decided to help students and parents develop social and emotional skills that are the foundation of learning. Through their virtual programs, learners practice empathy, consider the relationship between their thoughts, feelings and actions and apply social and emotional skills to real-world homework assignments. Tune in to learn from a leader in education who wants to inspire people to start to unpack the defences they put up over the years and build a greater emotional intelligence.

Today, Sonia Tiwari interviews Maria! Together, they unpack Maria’s learning journey, education and memorable life experiences in Greece. Sonia facilitates an engaging conservation and provides wonderful insights as Maria talks about her childhood growing up in Athens and spending her summers in the Greek countryside. Maria shares her accidental homeschooling experience, her interest in speaking local dialects and her curiosity to explore different cultural norms and lifestyles. She talks about her love for chemistry and physics and remembers her teacher, who affirmed her career path when she was only 17! Maria reflects on her mother’s stories and guidance that motivated her to build a better life through education and hard work. As Sonia puts it, Maria found her purpose in life through crisis and insights. Enjoy listening to this insightful conversation filled with childhood memories and deep reflections.

Can play be the answer to our most complex social challenges of the 21st century? Play is when we are most open to taking risks when we feel our most capable and confident. In these moments, we are in a state of self-discovery and expression. We are learning, reaching, and attaining new experiences and skills. Immersed in creative change, we are adapting and developing resilience. Today, Maria talks with Brandi Heather, Chief Knowledge Officer at AMPED2PLAY and author of the book Return To Play: Rebuilding Resilience, Risk and Reconnection. Brandi is an award-winning Disability and Inclusion Educator and Therapeutic Play Specialist with over 25 years of experience who has been building solutions that meet the physical, cognitive and social and emotional needs of every person. She utilizes the power of play to navigate diversity, inclusion, change management, self-care, and mental and physical health. She reveals how play is the catalyst to igniting and developing innovation and productivity and the foundation of moving from diversity to belonging. Tune in for a lively conversation between two women passionate about playing and learning!

Today, Maria is a guest co-host on Anette on Education. Together they take the opportunity to unpack education with Seth Godin. This episode is for teachers, principals, parents, and everyone who seeks to create change in education including those responsible for education policy. Seth has been outspoken about Education in his manifesto Stop Stealing Dreams, his TED Talk. Seth asks the BIG question - What Is School For - and explains the difference between education and learning. He also interrogates the role of teachers and parents and prompts them to take responsibility and lead change in their schools. Seth is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, speaker, and teacher. In addition to launching one of the most popular blogs in the world, he has written 20 best-selling books, including The Dip, Linchpin, Purple Cow, Tribes, What To Do When It's Your Turn (And It's Always Your Turn), and This Is Marketing. His newest book is The Practice, Shipping Creative Work. Seth also founded two companies, Squidoo and Yoyodyne (acquired by Yahoo!). The original conversation was published on Anette on Education.

Today, Maria talks with Trevor Soponis, Founder and Chief Learning Officer at The Sustainable Learning Programs. This episode is for students, teachers, and parents interested in transforming our schools to become places where students learn by working on projects that contribute to solving the biggest issues facing our planet. Trevor shares how he partners with teachers, schools, and districts to design innovative project-based learning experiences that allow students to make a meaningful impact on people, communities and society. We dive into two Sustainable Projects - Project Ocean Harvest and Project Student Voice - and together, we unpack how through collaboration, connection and contribution, students learn, build skills, solve real-life problems, and create impactful work. We also talk about how project-based learning experiences enable teachers to become the coaches, facilitators and supporters that we want them to be so they can create the next generation of lifelong learners. Tune in to learn from a leader who wants to change the fundamental learning experience for every learner in the world where each one of them has the authority and autonomy to direct their learning journey.