Why International School Systems Were More Digitally Prepared

Celebrating the leaders and experts that are powering education into the future, host JW Marshall sets out to ask the “right questions” in EdTech to understand the changes in policy and technology that will power our universities, tradeschools, and companies – and drive growth in upskilling certifications.

 

JW Marshall, the host of Voices of eLearning, spoke with Michael Spencer, Founder, and CEO of Global Expansion Strategies, an international investment and strategic growth consulting firm that helps early and mid-size education technology companies expand internationally.

“We’ve been advising customers to shift the blended learning model to go fully virtual, it allows the schools to sprinkle in brick-and-mortar, face-to-face learning when needed.” – Michael Spencer

Marshall and Spencer started their conversation about the worldwide education system over the past year. The learning model for private institutions has been a blend of hybrid learning, with some being in-person and the rest being online.

“When we last spoke, the going model was a combination of blended and hybrid learning,” Spencer said. He noted that many countries where they have clients have struggled to continue to provide education. “We’ve been advising customers to shift the blended learning model to go fully virtual,” he said. “It allows the schools to sprinkle in brick-and-mortar, face-to-face learning when needed.”

A lot of the operators are starting to see the cost benefits of virtual learning. Schools have experimented with these models, which has given them the chance to explore these options. They’ve found that it’s not only cheaper, but in some instances, it even works better than in-person learning. Schools are not adding resources to online knowledge, which is helping to improve the online system.

“It’s because these schools have been able to transition to blended learning,” he said. “They’ve been able to iron a lot of the issues they had.”

They ended the show with a story of success. Spencer talked about a project that’s midway through, where the school operators have seen better student outcomes for students that they have put the resources into localizing the content, making it available for the public school system.

Listen to Previous Episodes of Voices of eLearning Right Here!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Career Development for Global Pediatric Nurses
Career Development for Global Pediatric Nurses
December 18, 2025

The Care Anywhere podcast is spotlighting a new global partnership designed to strengthen pediatric nursing education and recognition worldwide. In this episode, host Lea Sims sits down with leaders from TruMerit and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) to unpack a new pediatric nursing micro-credential pathway launching in 2026, and why it…

Read More
dementia
Caregiver Engagement Is the Missing Link in Dementia Care: Why Empowering Families Drives Better Outcomes and Lower Costs
December 17, 2025

Dementia is becoming one of healthcare’s most difficult problems to ignore. As the population ages, more families are finding themselves responsible for loved ones who can no longer manage their own care, communicate symptoms clearly, or navigate the healthcare system. Research shows that people living with dementia are hospitalized far more often than those without it—even…

Read More
military
Just Thinking… About Applying Military Discipline and Decision-Making to Entrepreneurial Growth with Kris Groves
December 17, 2025

Career transitions rarely follow a straight line—especially for people coming out of the military. For many veterans, the challenge isn’t discipline or work ethic, but figuring out how deeply technical, high-stakes experience translates into civilian industries that speak a very different language. As more service members step into entrepreneurship, the real question becomes less about…

Read More
Hiring
Hiring Rewired: Human Intelligence in the AI-Driven Job Market
December 16, 2025

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape recruiting—from resume screening and job descriptions to candidate sourcing and interview workflows—the hiring process has become faster, more automated, and increasingly complex. According to the World Economic Forum, approximately 88% of companies now use some form of AI to filter or rank job applications, signaling how deeply embedded automation…

Read More