{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Why Distance Learning?","title":"#74 Online Readiness Is a Leadership Problem with Dr. Alexandra Salas","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2161,"description":"Distance learning doesn’t fail because of tools—it falters when leadership, policy, and systems don’t align around student success. In this episode, Seth Fleischauer and Allyson Mitchell sit down with Dr. Alexandra Salas, founder and CEO of the Delmarva Digital Learning Association, to unpack what institutional readiness for digital learning actually requires.\nDrawing on her experience in higher education leadership, instructional design, and nonprofit systems change, Dr. Salas challenges the idea that digital learning is merely a delivery mode. Instead, she frames it as a connective infrastructure—one that can support access, belonging, wellness, and persistence when designed intentionally.\nThe conversation moves beyond emergency remote learning to examine how organizations evaluate readiness, why frameworks matter, and what leaders must confront if digital learning is going to meaningfully support students rather than strain them.\nWhat This Episode Explores\nWhy digital learning should be evaluated at the systems level—not course by course\nThe difference between emergency remote teaching and sustainable digital learning\nHow leadership, governance, policy, and student support services shape online success\nWhy “online readiness” is about people and structures as much as platforms\nThe role of reflection frameworks (Quality Matters, OLC, ISTE, and others) in continuous improvement\nHow wellness, trauma-informed practices, and student belonging intersect with distance learning\nWhat teaching yoga online revealed about presence, connection, and learning in virtual spaces\nWhy distance learning is better understood as connected, accessible, future-ready learning\nGolden Moment\nDr. Salas shares an early career story from her time as an instructional designer—partnering with faculty to bring courses like anthropology, chemistry, and Arabic online before large-scale platforms made it commonplace. The moment highlights a recurring theme of the episode: trust, curiosity, and...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/2eKPm8ob1eS5Ju0DBuhPXRKuQv7Vx4cWT0c4uWSYbCQ/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS82MmFh/MmQyYTc4NzdkNGJh/MzIzZWU5MmI3MzRk/MjQwYy5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}