Planning New Professional Education Programs: A Look at Key Considerations
Developing new professional and continuing education (CE) programs requires careful planning and thoughtful consideration of various factors. This post explores some of the key elements you might encounter when reviewing a spreadsheet outlining potential CE program offerings, drawing from the sample data provided (though it’s important to note that specific details will vary depending on your institution and program).
1. Program Options and Considerations
- Program Length: The spreadsheet might show you a range of options for program lengths, from shorter online courses to full-fledged certificate programs.
- Course Formats: The data might include various delivery formats like fully online, blended (online with in-person elements), or on-campus intensives.
- Break-Even Analysis: This analysis would show the minimum number of students required to cover […]
The Data-Driven Blueprint for Successful Online Programs
Launching and sustaining a successful online program takes more than just a great idea. It requires careful planning, a solid understanding of the numbers, and a clear vision for the student experience. Three essential tools – the pro forma, enrollment cascades, and course sequence cascades – offer institutions a multi-faceted lens through which to plan, analyze, and make data-powered decisions when establishing and scaling online programs.
1. The Pro Forma: Your Financial Roadmap
Think of a pro forma as the financial blueprint for your online program. It’s a model that projects your expected multi-year revenue, expenses, and profitability. A well-crafted pro forma helps answer these critical questions:
- Feasibility: Can this program sustain itself financially? When will it break even?
- […]
Inside the World of a Chief Online Learning Officer: 3 Days of Innovation, Collaboration, and Strategic Leadership
Over the past 30+ years, online learning leadership has been growing and evolving. But what does it look like to serve a large, entrepreneurial institution as the Chief Online Learning Officer (COLO)? What does life actually look like on the ground for this role? To offer a transparent, behind-the-scenes glimpse, this post draws from three days in the life of a university’s COLO. While some elements may be specific to this institution, the overarching themes reflect the fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and strategic nature of effectively leading online learning initiatives.
Day 1: Balancing Pricing Strategy, Professional Development, and Cross-University Collaboration
The first day highlights a blend of high-level strategic thinking and hands-on problem-solving. These were/are all things worked on during one actual day […]
Flipped Community: Decentralizing Online Learning
Several years ago, I was working on a draft paper that discusses decentralizing online learning by flipping our concept of a learning community. The notes below summarize the draft paper, which, at the moment, remains still incomplete and unfinished.
The concept of “flipping” is popular in education. It implies a change for the better, whether in course design (“flipped classroom”) or, as proposed in this article, the underlying concept of “learning community.”
Flipping Community: A New Approach
The authors argue that the traditional notion of “learning community” in higher education is problematic for several reasons:
- Lack of Theoretical Grounding: They critique the field for its fragmented approach and lack of a unifying theory of learning community and social presence […]
Building a Culture of Instructional Innovation: Opportunities and Challenges (Presentation)
In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, fostering a culture of continuous innovation – embracing new ways to enhance the learning experience – is a top priority for many institutions. However, motivating faculty to explore and implement new teaching approaches can be a significant challenge. In 2017, while at William & Mary, I presented at the Online Learning Consortium (OLC). My presentation titled “Building a Culture of Instructional Innovation: Opportunities and Challenges” aimed to ignite a conversation on how institutions can best support and inspire faculty to embrace innovation in their teaching.
Presentation Summary
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The Context of Innovation: My presentation explored the interplay between an institution’s mission focused on high-quality teaching and a broader culture embracing innovation. It highlighted […]
Student Perspectives on Online Instructional Strategies
Convenience is often a major draw for online learning, but are students truly satisfied with the way their online courses are designed? Understanding how students perceive different instructional strategies is key to improving the quality of online education. At the Lilly Teaching Conference in Anaheim, I presented research aimed at uncovering online students’ perspectives and offering faculty and instructional designers actionable insights.
Presentation Summary: What Do Students Really Think?
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The Central Question: My presentation explored whether online students are satisfied with online courses simply because of the flexibility, or whether they are genuinely satisfied with the instructional strategies used within them.
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Background and Data: The research involved undergraduate online courses with primarily traditional-aged students (19-21). While […]
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