Spotlight on Online Education: Meeting the Modern Learner Where They Are
This week on The Bulldog Mindset, I sat down with two of Gardner-Webb University’s most dedicated faculty leaders, Dr. Erin Cook and Dr. Angie Smith, to explore the realities, challenges, and opportunities of online learning in higher education. The conversation couldn’t have come at a better time.
The week of November 3–7 marks National Distance Education Week, a time to recognize how far online education has come and the pivotal role it now plays in expanding access, flexibility, and opportunity for learners of all kinds. At Gardner-Webb, that evolution is visible every day, in how faculty teach, how students connect, and how entire programs are designed around the lives people actually live.
The New Face of the Online Learner
The online student of 2025 looks different from even five years ago. As Dr. Smith noted, “the online learner now can be an 18-year-old starting their degree for the first time — or a parent working full-time and balancing a family.” What was once labeled “nontraditional” has become the new normal.
Dr. Cook added that the post-COVID landscape blurred the old boundaries between on-campus and online students. “Change is inevitable, but growth is optional,” she said — a phrase that’s become a kind of mantra for both faculty and students navigating higher education’s ongoing transformation.
The truth is, online learning is no longer just a convenience. It’s a lifeline, one that allows people to pursue their education without uprooting their lives. It also calls on universities to design programs that are not only flexible but deeply human.
Teaching with Presence — From a Distance
One of the most encouraging themes in our conversation was how online faculty at Gardner-Webb create genuine relationships with students they may never meet in person until graduation day.
Dr. Smith recalled the moment she met one of her long-time online students for the first time — at commencement. “Sometimes it’s their first time meeting their professor after years of classes,” she said. “But the relationship is already there.”
Dr. Cook described similar moments: “You really are getting to know people. You know their families. You’ve prayed for them, celebrated their milestones, and sometimes walked with them through hardship. Meeting them in person is joyful and surreal all at once.”
These aren’t the kinds of stories people used to associate with online education. Yet they’re becoming the hallmark of what quality, mission-driven online programs look like today, rooted in care, community, and connection.
Quality, Rigor, and Growth
Both Cook and Smith emphasized that online courses at Gardner-Webb aren’t an afterthought — they’re intentionally designed and continuously improved. Through frameworks like Quality Matters and collaboration with the Center for Teaching and Learning, faculty keep refining course design, engagement, and assessment.
Online doesn’t mean easier. In fact, as Dr. Cook pointed out, “I hear students say online classes are harder — because you need time management, self-discipline, and strong communication skills.” The reward, though, is that these same skills prepare students for life beyond the classroom — professionally and personally.
Looking Ahead: Flexibility, AI, and the Future of Learning
As the conversation turned toward the future, both guests shared optimism about what’s next. Gardner-Webb recently shifted its undergraduate online programs to an eight-week term structure, creating more entry points throughout the year. Dr. Smith expressed curiosity about how AI tools could eventually help personalize instruction and support student learning in new ways.
But at the heart of it all was a shared belief that technology alone isn’t the story, people are. What matters most is how we design online education around relationships, relevance, and resilience.
The Takeaway
Online learning at its best doesn’t replace the human experience of education, it reimagines it. It’s about meeting students where they are, honoring the complexity of their lives, and helping them move forward with purpose.
As I closed the episode, I found myself returning to Dr. Cook’s reminder:
“Change is inevitable, but growth is optional.”
In a world that continues to change faster than most institutions can adapt, that message applies to all of us — educators, students, and leaders alike. Growth isn’t automatic. It’s a choice we make, one course, one student, and one conversation at a time.
Learn more about Gardner-Webb University’s online programs at gardner-webb.edu.