Despite recent advances in digital and asynchronous learning, many students in the US are located in “education deserts”, where the lack of accessible higher educational institutions poses challenges. Bridging these accessibility gaps in underserved areas is essential to ensure equitable opportunities for all students.

Our two-part recorded Times Higher Education in partnership with Noodle webinar brings together the following panel of experts to address how universities can help overcome this strategic challenge.

• Stevara Haley Clark, interim associate dean for academic and student affairs, director of online education & associate professor in teaching, School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Laurie Cochenour, executive director of online learning, Office of Online Learning, University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

• Kathy Wasilewski, vice-president, university engagement & field placement, Noodle

• Julie Leventhal, senior managing director, student support & engagement, Noodle

Despite recent advances in digital and asynchronous learning, many students in the US are located in “education deserts”, where the lack of accessible higher educational institutions poses challenges. Bridging these accessibility gaps in underserved areas is essential to ensure equitable opportunities for all students.

Our two-part recorded Times Higher Education in partnership with Noodle webinar brings together the following panel of experts to address how universities can help overcome this strategic challenge.

• Stevara Haley Clark, interim associate dean for academic and student affairs, director of online education & associate professor in teaching, School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Laurie Cochenour, executive director of online learning, Office of Online Learning, University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

• Kathy Wasilewski, vice-president, university engagement & field placement, Noodle

• Julie Leventhal, senior managing director, student support & engagement, Noodle

In this Noodle podcast episode, we sit down with Brandon Martinez, VP of University Partnerships at Noodle, to explore the future of learning design and the transformative role of digital and blended learning. Drawing from his rich experience in academia and his successful collaborations with universities across disciplines, Martinez offers thought-provoking perspectives on inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility in learning design. We also delve into the potential impact of AI on education. Be sure not to miss his talk at the OCLC Accelerate conference, where he further discusses cultivating collaborations in modern learning environments.

In this Noodle podcast episode, our guest is Alan Mlynek, Chief of Technology Solutions here at Noodle. As we gear up to physically attend both the 2023 EDUCAUSE and Leadership in Higher Education conferences, our conversation centers on the future of tech in education. We dive into leveraging AI to foster dynamic learning communities and talk about the challenge of engaging 'degree-completion' students, highlighting the need for a more tailored and inclusive approach. 

In this episode, our guest is Noodle CEO and founder John Katzman. We focus on the upcoming September 27-29, 2023 P3-EDU event in Denver, Colorado, delving into the intersection of technology and education, and discussing the role of data in shaping academic outcomes. We talk about the potential misuse of data in education and the need for data in ushering good careers rather than just credentials. We also explore the future of tech in education and the importance of public-private partnerships.

On this episode we welcome Natasha Warikoo, the Lenore Stern Professor in the Social Sciences, Department of Sociology at Tufts University. Natasha shares her path to studying affirmative action, starting with an early interest in teaching math and how different curriculums worked. She tells Lee about working in New York City public schools and their difficult middle school selection process. Natasha then explains what affirmative action is, what the term meritocracy really means, and how we should be thinking about each in regard to college admissions. The two discuss her most recent book, and how she argues that we should be moving away from the idea of fairness in college admissions and thinking more about how admissions align with institutional missions. Natasha and Lee then have a wide-ranging discussion that touches on colleges making progress on equity in admissions, possible solutions, the effect of donations on equity, and the implications of test-optional admission practices. 

Warikoo’s most recent book is, Is Affirmative Action Fair? The Myth of Equity in College Admissions (Polity Press, 2022), which argues that considering college mission makes clear the need for affirmative action. The book walks readers through the empirical evidence related to arguments about affirmative action.

On this episode we welcome Dr. Brad Cox, a professor at Florida State University and the Founder and Executive Director of the College Autism Network (CAN). Brad begins by explaining what CAN is and what they do, specifically why the transmission of information from academic journals to those in position to make change is important. He explains some ways in which a college environment may make for new challenges for individuals on the Autism spectrum, and how the legal support systems through K-12 drop away when they reach college. Lee and Brad discuss how much of the growth in this area begins when leaders or donors in higher education have a personal connection to someone with Autism and want to make their institution a better atmosphere for them to succeed. Brad tells Lee his origin story of involvement, when his son was diagnosed with Autism, and he set out to make colleges better equipped. The two discuss how the conversation around college students with Autism has changed over the last twenty years and what new goals they are setting for student success in college and finding jobs in which they can thrive.

Lee and Brad discuss the company Speciaalisterne and their strategy to help individuals with Autism find careers in which they can be an asset.

For this episode we welcomed UC-Irvine’s Associate Chancellor for Sustainability, Wendell Brase to the show. Wendell tells Lee about his parents and how their values led him to a role in sustainability, then of his path through higher education. Wendell explains how the best bosses he has had valued experimentation and why it makes for good leadership. Lee and Wendell then discuss his role at Irvine, including the institutions innovation and research concerning sustainability and climate solutions. This includes goals from the UC system of carbon neutrality, building and completing energy efficiency goals that garnered praise from President Obama, and creating a smarter campus to keep energy usage down.

We are pleased to have on another member of the Noodle Advisory Board, the Dean of the School of Education and a Distinguished Professor at American University, Dr. Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy. Cheryl tells Lee about the AU School of Education separating from the school of Arts & Sciences and what benefits that brings them, as well as some of their new initiatives like the Teacher Pipeline Project. Lee asks Cheryl for her thoughts on the apprenticeship model and how she has seen that utilized within education and training teachers. The two discuss how early childhood and K-12 teachers are severely underpaid and where changes need to be made to begin fixing this. Cheryl also shares how she got into the education field in the first place, what her experience has been like in higher education as a woman of color, and how we can improve equity and inclusivity in University culture.

This week's guest is the current Dean of Yale Nursing and the upcoming President of the New York Academy of Medicine, Ann Kurth. Ann tells Lee about growing up with parents in the medical profession and how that led to her roles in and out of higher education within the medical field. Ann shares some intriguing ideas about the advantages that higher education has over other industries, and how we can best utilize it for everyone’s benefit. The two also discuss some of Ann’s other roles in prevention task forces, consortiums and institutions trying to better global health. Ann leaves us with some thoughts on global warming, its effects on global health, and what we can do to change things.