Wednesday Wisdom Spotlight: Dr. Rebecca Wiehe

Each week, American College of Education is sharing #WednesdayWisdom from the sages on our staff, faculty, student and alumni rolls. This week’s wisdom comes courtesy of Dr. Rebecca Wiehe, the Department of Teaching and Leadership’s academic program coordinator.

Attitudes about online learning are beginning to evolve, and Dr. Rebecca Wiehe is one of the voices leading that enlightenment. 

A Leona Glenn Award winner for outstanding world language educator, Dr. Wiehe brings the same vigor and vigilance she exhibits in her physical classrooms to her virtual ones–and she expects that same accountability from her students. According to the Ohio teacher and ACE mainstay, there’s no way around it in a virtual classroom, which is why she maintains an online education is just as, if not more, rigorous as traditional learning environments.

“Some students can hide in a traditional classroom, but online you have to have a presence,” she says. “You have to be participating. You can’t easily just hide and skate your way through. You’re held a little bit more accountable.”

“To me, it’s equivalent to, if not in some ways better than, your old traditional college campus, especially for people who can’t do that,” she continues. “You know, a lot of our teachers are working parents, so it offers an amazing experience but they can still do it in their home.”