{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Signals","title":"From Classroom to Clicks: Teaching Adult Learners and Navigating AI in Online Higher Ed","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2068,"description":"In this episode, host Kelsey Peterson sits down with Bethany Becknell, Director of Online Learning and Student Success at Oklahoma Christian University, to explore what it really looks like to move from K12 teaching into leading online programs in higher education. Bethany shares her journey from 9th-10th grade English teacher to doctoral student to online learning leader and how being an adult learner herself fundamentally shaped the way she now designs for working adults.\nFrom unpacking the core differences between teaching adolescents and adults, to rethinking what actually works in an online course. Bethany reflects on structure, flexibility, and the power of lived experience in adult learning. She also gets candid about AI: her concerns, her excitement, and the very real ethical questions she’s asking as both an educator and a parent.\nBethany walks through how her team moved from a restrictive “no AI” stance to a cautious, permissive policy that treats AI as a learning partner rather than a shortcut. She shares practical examples, including using generative AI to simulate high-stakes parent-teacher conferences and to give future educators safe spaces to practice, reflect, and build confidence before they’re in the room with real families.\n\nKey Moments\n\n00:03 From High School English to Online Higher Ed\n03:16 Kids vs. Adults: How Learning Really Differs\n07:23 Why Copy-Paste Lectures Fail Online\n11:18 Flipped Learning & On-the-Job Application\n17:48 When Your Teen Uses AI for Homework\n21:25 Shifting from “No AI” to Cautious Use\n28:54 Practicing Parent–Teacher Conferences with AI\n31:53 Will AI Be Everywhere in 5 Years?\nWhy You’ll Love This Episode:\n\nIf you’re working at the intersection of online learning, adult education, and AI, this conversation gives you both language and tactics for what comes next. A grounded, honest look at the emotional side of adult learners (“Am I smart enough?”) and how course design can either amplify or reduce that anxiety.Concrete...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/ZQBLNu5bL6QDsMZngU8O-GefGMV_EVDwumeP7DuoUGE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS82ZGUy/MzhiODgyYTdhYWJm/MjI1MGZkY2Y2OGQ5/YTMxYy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}