August 2008
A newsletter for higher education executives to ensure financial and strategic success in their online learning initiatives.
Dr. Gloria Pickar
Dr. Pickar is the President and Chief Academic Officer of Compass Knowledge Group. With over 35 years of higher education experience, Dr. Pickar is a former college dean and distinguished author of a bestselling textbook in nursing.
Article #1 of a twelve-part series.
Assessing the Overall Terrain
Online education is a different business model than face-to-face education. In some ways, the two seem to exhibit common characteristics, in that schools are licensed to provide a product that theoretically is exactly the same in either online or face-to-face (the degree), we have to have a place to deliver the components of that degree (classroom), we have to find a way to let students know that we have the degree (marketing), we have to actually close the deal and enroll them (recruiting, admissions, registration), and we have to hire someone to distribute the knowledge (faculty).
But beyond these extreme generalities, the actual practices and costs — differ considerably.
One reason why a different business model has developed in online education is because online education presented tremendous financial opportunities, but schools did not have the capacity or expertise to develop them. Secondarily, their markets and students were dispersed. An entirely new industry arose to help, an industry characterized by good or even best business practices. As a result, what we teach is still pretty similar. The way we teach it, the way we market it, the way we staff it, the way we present it, and the way we finance it are all new. It is a revolutionized supply chain, and it looks like this.
In the next article, I will start to pull apart this supply chain, describing exactly how to approach each function, and approximately what it will cost you to provide each function efficiently and effectively. This is now a competitive industry, and the efficiency with which your organization accomplishes these supply chain links will dictate your financial success. The effectiveness with which your organization accomplish each link in the chain will determine the strength of your online academics, how the market perceives your offerings, and many, many strategic issues that will benefit or not benefit your organization for years to come.
As this series unfolds, please do not hesitate to email me your thoughts, ask questions, or share experiences. My email address is gpickar@compassknowledge.edu
Dr. Fredrick R. Snow
Dr. Snow has served in academia as university President, Vice President, Dean, and Tenured Faculty. He was the Founding Dean of the Online Graduate Programs of Norwich University. These programs are often cited as industry examples of academic rigor, financial success, retention, and effective marketing.
Article #1 in a twelve-part series
More Than a Numbers Game
Like many other emerging industries, online learning brought its share of economic windfalls to organizations that had the foresight and nerve to be first adopters in that space. There were some big winners and losers — along the way, and there will continue to be. Economic opportunity will continue in online learning, but because of greatly increased competition, success will be relatively more elusive, and it will require solid academic, management, finance, and marketing fundamentals to pull off.
For good reason, we as academic administrators, especially presidents and provosts, have learned to frame our discussions and opinions of online education in economic terms. But to limit our perspectives of online education to financial ones is literally being penny wise and pound-foolish. It is akin to mistaking the moon, simply because of its prominence in the night sky, as being the most important body in the universe. There is just so much more to gain from online education than mere dollars. Frankly, just like the boundaries of space dwarf those of the moon, so do the strategic benefits of online learning dwarf the financial benefits. Here is the first of several reasons. In the next issue I will continue with the list.
Reason #1:
The exercise of developing online programs prepares your institution to be competitive in the future. Upcoming generations will have very different means of processing information. The tools, methods, and motivations they will employ sometimes stand in sharp contrast to ours. We are all aware of Robert Fulghum’s bestselling book called All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. If the tenets of that book are even partially accurate, we better learn how to communicate with and provide instruction for today’s kindergarteners. They assimilate the world and its vast store of information very differently than we did and do.
While it is safe to say that technology will continue to change these tools, methods, and motivations on an accelerating basis, we do have a means to bridge a good portion of the potential widening gap. That bridge is the technical and pedagogical capability that comes as part of the online learning culture. And it is a culture in its strictest definition. As you build out your programs, you start to change your culture. As your culture changes, so do your technological and pedagogical capabilities.
If you do not embrace it, it does not automatically mean you will be less competitive. It just means you have a greater chance of being less competitive. As a leader in your institution, your choice of the extent to build this culture into your institution has definite long-term implications for your probability of maintained or increased competitiveness.
Have some thoughts? Please share them with me at fsnow@compassknowledge.com.
Dr. Cynthia Wheatley
Dr. Wheatley is the Vice President for Academic Partnerships with Compass Knowledge Group. She has 15 years experience as both a faculty member and an organizational consultant. She has presided over 20 online program launches and has expertise in instructional design and change management.
- Theme #3 – Foundational and Organizational Issues in Implementing Successful Online Education Cynthia Wheatley, Ph.D.
Article #1 of a twelve-part series
Faculty’s Role Champions or Deterrents?
Developing an effective and efficient supply chain and adjusting your expectations of online learning are all well and good. But like traditional education, faculty are at the heart of the online learning experience. Bringing them on board is a critical component of the success of any distance learning endeavor. We have seen many projects scrubbed or seriously threatened because of faculty resistance, no matter how strong the business model. Faculty are gatekeepers. They have a responsibility to ensure academic quality. The process of them arriving at a positive conclusion for your online programs is an incredibly healthy one, although it nearly always takes time and patience. Our most successful academic partners are those whose faculty are squarely behind the initiative, and in fact are driving the initiative. These are your champions. So the rewards of time and patience are abundant. In this article, I will discuss the most common and most important faculty-related issue, that of ensuring the quality of the academic experience.
Probably the most common question I hear from faculty at the beginning of the development process is: How can I ensure the quality of the learning experience? Those faculty members who have never experienced an online course are often skeptical about delivering the same quality of education when they may never meet their students in person. When you get this question from members of your faculty, here are several effective ways to respond.
- Refer them to the Quality Matters website: www.qualitymatters.org. This is an inter-institutional quality assurance initiative sponsored by the organization MarylandOnline, Inc. Quality Matters has defined standards for ensuring quality in online learning and provides the opportunity for peer review. At the heart of Quality Matters is a rubric that consists of eight standards or categories each with specific elements identified as best practices. We recommend working with your own faculty to create a rubric for your institution with standards and practices that everyone can agree to. This will go a long way toward alleviating faculty concerns about quality and to ensuring consistency in delivering a quality learning experience across all online learning courses and programs.
- Send them to an online learning conference to learn from their fellow faculty who are teaching online. The conferences at the forefront of distance learning pedagogy are: the Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning, the Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University Continuing Education Association annual conference, and Educause. Faculty are highly collaborative and collegial. These conferences offer valuable opportunities to learn from their peers and see quality in action.
- Hold a distance learning symposium on campus to promote education and awareness of what quality online learning means. I have participated in such events as an expert presenter along with faculty from the institution who are involved in distance learning. Showcasing best practices in distance learning, answering faculty questions and concerns, and clarifying how online learning supports the mission of the institution will result in a higher percentage of faculty buying in and embracing online learning as a viable delivery format that does not jeopardize quality or student satisfaction.
Gaining faculty acceptance is like growing a garden. Do not wait too long to plant the seed. A seed never sewn never grows. Once it is planted, you have to give it some time to mature and bear fruit. Be patient.
In the next article I will address the faculty concern about expertise: I don’t know how to build an online course and I don’t have time to learn.
Do you have some thoughts to share with me? Email them to me at cwheatley@compassknowledge.com.