In recent days I have spoken with two institutions who are hoping to ramp up small but existing online programs. In fact, one of those schools, from my home state of Virginia, came to Liberty’s campus for a face to face to find out what has made Liberty’s Distance Learning Program so successful.
What I found interesting is that there is a growing appreciation for online delivery. And that’s all good. At the same time, there is still apprehension and opposition among the ranks of some traditional academicians. As a result, these two institutions are focusing most of their attention and time on the academic side of things. And that’s not so good.
Now let me clarify what I mean because I am a staunch believer and proponent of proper pedagogy and academic protocol, faculty development and support, measured learning outcomes and the list goes on. However, if an institution is looking to launch into the online world or increase enrollment in an existing online program, as much time and attention needs to be allocated to operational infrastructure as is being spent on academics . I know I just shook things up for some of you but get this — I told the one institution, in fact a very respected school, that they would not be successful unless they separated their online operations from the resident. I also shared with them that they had to build reporting mechanisms that would allow them to drill down into each facet of their operations.
For some of you in online higher ed, this might be a tough pill to swallow, but if taken, could revolutionize your efforts.