Book excerpt: Research shows that online education, when designed and facilitated well, is as effective as traditional campus-based instruction. Despite the evidence, many faculty perceive online education as inferior to traditional instruction—and are often quite vocal in their skepticism. Simultaneously, however, more and more students are seeking online courses and degree programs.Thrive Online: A New Approach to Building Expertise and Confidence as an Online Educator is an invitation for the rising tide of online educators who are relatively new to teaching online, and also for those more experienced instructors who are increasingly frustrated by the dominant bias against online education.Readers will find:• An approach that empowers online educators to thrive professionally using a set of specific agentic behaviors• Strategies for approaching conversations about online learning in new ways that inform the skeptics and critics• Strategies that celebrate the additional skills and proficiencies developed by successful online educators• Guidance for educators who want to feel natural and fluent in the online learning environment• Guidance for enhancing the user-centered nature of online spaces to create student-centered learning environments• Encouragement for online educators to pursue leadership opportunitiesThe internet is changing how people communicate and learn. Thrive Online: A New Approach to Building Expertise and Confidence as an Online Educator offers guidance, inspiration and strategies required to adapt and lead higher education through this change. This book is for higher education instructors who are seeking community, a sense of belonging, and the professional respect they deserve. Thriving is not a reaction to our environment, but rather a state of being we can create intentionally for ourselves.The time has come to change the conversation about online education. Add your voice – join the community and #ThriveOnline.