| | OCTOBER - 20228IN MY OPINION A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE OF ONLINE EDUCATION By Roger Wen, Sr. Dir. of the Online Campus, California State University - East BayOver the years, plenty of researchers have done enough reviews and studies on the history and students learning with regards to the distance and online learning. Some of us might still be able to picture the pony express where a mailman on the horseback gets mail from a little kid waiting on the gravel road. Some folks might have the image of a little kid learning on the Star Trek Enterprise. The purpose and advantage of distance and online learning over time haven't changed at all; it is really about trying to accommodate the fact that anyone can take the advantages of the modalities where people can access the information anywhere, anytime, whatever information they want. The majority of the distance learning students in the past and today are still the same, juggling around their adult life with their family, jobs, or taking the information to enhance their personal and professional life. So, the concepts and advantages and purpose haven't changed much;, what might be few areas that really enhance and take the distance, remote, and online learning to the next level?From the operational standpoint, looking at the teaching and learning from the system theory and technology used in today's learning infrastructure; it was until 2019 when COVID hits that's where a lot of people started to realize more work needs to be done in the areas of instructional continuity and realize the value of distance and online education. A well designed distance and online learning operation should not make any difference just because of the COVID. If one keeps the same concept about the flexibility of access anywhere anytime, then such a system should be sustainable and scalable. Some traditional institutions that do not have strong online learning presences might just start to realize more work needs to be done in that area after COVID. Which is exciting for people who have been promoting online learning for the last 20 years. Some might have thought that the hardware infrastructure or Learning Management System are the most important to distance and online Roger Wen
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