Trends in Online Learning
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What’s holding you back from growing your online presence? Based on research with hundreds of your peer institutions, this session will explore how the use of collaboration tools, mobility, and more will be changed by shifts in student demands and the fight to attract and retain students. During this session at BbWorld14 on July 16, 2014 led by a panel of academic technologists, learn how leading schools are thinking about online learning in the future and what you should be thinking about as part of your long term strategy. (This is based on a webinar held in April of 2014 that was very popular, archive available at http://www.jasonrhode.com/trends-in-online-learning-april-2014)
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Trends in Online Learning
- 1. TRENDS IN ONLINE LEARNING Welcome
- 2. INTRODUCTIONS Melissa Stange, Ph.D. System Application Administrator, Shenandoah University Jason Rhode, Ph.D. Director of Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center at Northern Illinois University Karen Yoshino, Ph.D. Principal Strategist, Blackboard Enterprise Consulting
- 3. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. Student Expectations About our Presenters Review Trends in Online Learning Report What’s Next More Info? AGENDA
- 4. WE NEED TO RETHINK HOW WE THINK ABOUT STUDENTS
- 5. Select an Institution Enroll in Courses Change Degree Take More Courses Build a Resume Graduate Job Search Graduate SchoolChoose Degree THE OLD STUDENT JOURNEY High School Students College Students
- 6. Jobs & Careers Select an Institution Enroll in Courses Build a Profile Connect to Employers Job Search Enroll in Courses Skills Required Competencies & Skills Acquire Skills Multiple Institutions Choose Degree Graduate School TODAY’S NEW JOURNEY: “SWIRLING STUDENTS” High School Students Adult LearnersCollege Students 6
- 7. Consumers of Data / Info Engage with Apps Pursue skills & Competencies Follow Employers Listen to Peers THE POST-TRADITIONAL LEARNER Attend Multiple Institutions
- 8. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. • Methodist affiliated private university in Virginia, 75 miles west of D.C. • FTE: ~4,100 • ~58% Undergraduate Students • ~42% Graduate Students • Primarily residential • One fully online degree program – TESOL • Finalizing an RN to BSN degree seeking program • Several Hybrid/Blended Course Offerings • Has LMS faculty minimum usage requirements for all courses ABOUT SHENANDOAH UNIVERSITY
- 9. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. ABOUT NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY • Main campus in DeKalb, IL located 65 miles West of Chicago • Total enrollment: 21,234 (Fall ’13) • 1,185 instructional faculty • Student to faculty ratio: 18:1 • 39 academic departments; 57 undergraduate majors; 80 graduate programs • 95% of undergrads and 79% of grad students are from Illinois • 685 international students from 116 countries • Blackboard Usage at NIU (as of Fall 2013) • 95% of students • 82% of instructional Faculty/Staff/TAs • 67% of course sections • 4 course sections per student on Blackboard
- 10. Learning Technology Adoption + Online & Blended Programs + E-Learning + Learner Lifecycle + Competency-Based Learning + Accreditation & Assessment + Leveraging Data for Improvement + Student Experience + Learner Success + Educational Technology Ecosystem + Mobile Strategy + Faculty & Learner Support + Learner-Centric Service Design + Learning Technology Master Planning + Retention + Educational Content & Learning Objects + many other areas… Blackboard Enterprise Consulting assists with client issues that affect education, learning and teaching. ENTERPRISE CONSULTING connects vision with execution. is focused on education. is technology neutral. is experienced. is flexible.
- 12. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. In February 2014 Gatepoint Research invited selected leaders from universities to participate in two surveys themed Usage Trends in Learning Management Systems and Online Learning and Engagement Strategies. 200 candidates involved in online learning, e-learning, distance learning, academic technology, remote learning strategy, and web conferencing were invited via email to participate in the study. Survey participants were senior education professionals who are advocates for the use of technology in the classroom. 100% of responders participated voluntarily; no one was engaged using telemarketing. PROGRAM OVERVIEW
- 13. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. 6% 6% 18% 70% No plans to put our courses online Plan to begin putting courses online in 2014 New to having our courses online Long had our courses online WHERE ARE YOU TODAY WITH OFFERING YOUR COURSES ONLINE? 88% of surveyed responders have courses online. Of those who do not already, half intend have courses online in 2014.
- 14. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. 3% 12% 34% 27% 15% 7% 3rd Qtr 25-49% Blended Model 50-74% Blended Model <75% Blended Model HOW MANY COURSES CURRENTLY USE A BLENDED LEARNING MODEL? Half the institutions surveyed are using a blended model for at least 25% of their courses. 22% offer more than half their courses in-class and online. 3% 12% 34% 49% None Unable to Determine <25% Blended Model 25-49% Blended Model
- 15. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. < 10% growth 10 - 25% growth 26 - 50% growth > 50% growth 24% 59% 15% 2%WHAT ANNUAL GROWTH IN ONLINE PROGRAMS DO YOU FORECAST? Most responders expect growth in their online learning programs.
- 16. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. WHAT GOALS DRIVE INVESTMENT IN ONLINE PROGRAMS? Increasing and diversifying the student body is the main driver behind investment in online programs. Revenue potential (67%) and retention (62%) are also major drivers. 17% 57% 60% 62% 67% 79% Other Improve learning outcomes Better engage students Improve retention Increase revenue potential Attract new/different students (e.g. part-time, adult learners, international)
- 17. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. 7% 8% 15% 28% 31% 33% 35% Fast growth is creating chaos Some technology problems Don't have the right talent/… Lack the funds to support a robust offering Faculty resistant to putting courses online Lack a coherent online strategy Nothing holds us back: It's our future WHAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK FROM GROWING YOUR ONLINE PROGRAMS? Growth of online programs will depend on improved online strategies and faculty support of putting courses online. Nothing is holding us back: It’s our future Lack a coherent online strategy Faculty resistant to putting courses online Lack the funds to support a robust offering Don’t have talent/resources to manage online programs Some technology problems Fast growth is creating chaos
- 18. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU FACING REGARDING ONLINE LEARNING? Faculty skepticism is a top challenge in online learning. 19% 39% 39% 39% 41% 44% 51% 52% Not viewed as budget priority Assessing active and collaborative learning results Lack of resources Developing benchmarks for success Measuring student-faculty interaction Ensuring level of academic challenge Faculty skepticism Gauging impact on retention and engagement
- 19. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. WHAT TRENDS DO YOU SEE IN HOW YOUR FACULTY IS PUTTING THEIR COURSE CONTENT ONLINE? Increased faculty content development is driving growth. 5% 19% 26% 34% 43% 84% Other Contract with a 3rd party vendor License commercial content Use open content Use captured lectures Develop their own content
- 20. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. HOW DO YOU THINK MOST OF YOUR FACULTY ARE USING YOUR ORGANIZATION’S LMS? 94% of responding organizations use their LMS to post course content and as a document repository. 74% use it for grading. 3% 24% 60% 67% 74% 94% Other Reviewing course or student analytics Assessing students with native assignments and quizzes Engaging students with interactive tools Grading Posting course content / document repository WHAT FEATURES IN AN LMS SYSTEM ARE MOST SOUGHT OR VALUED BY USERS? LMS functionalities with the highest value: ease of posting (80%) and grading workflow ease of use (67%). 1% 29% 41% 55% 55% 67% 80% Other Social tools embedded in the system Analytics tools embedded in the system Integration with other systems Having mobile access to the system Efficient and easy to use grading workflows Ease of posting content
- 21. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. WHAT COLLABORATION AND/OR COMMUNICATION TOOLS ARE YOU CURRENTLY UTILIZING IN THE CLASSROOM? Educators use a wide variety of collaboration and communications tools. Virtually all use email (90%) and most use an LMS (81%). Over half use Lecture Capture (57%), Social Media (55%), and Video Conferencing (52%). 16% 20% 31% 40% 45% 52% 55% 57% 81% 90% Other Instant Messaging Texting Web conferencing Mobile apps Video conferencing (e.g. Skype) Social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) Lecture Capture Learning Management System (LMS) Email
- 22. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. HOW DO YOU FOSTER A SENSE OF CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY ACROSS THE STUDENT POPULATION? Responders use a wide variety of tools to foster connection and community in their student population, led by newsletters (52%), targeted Facebook pages (46%), and webcasts (39%). 21% 21% 31% 32% 36% 39% 46% 52% Utilizing Wikis Organizing off- campus activities Frequent surveys/polls Mixed media forums (e.g. Google Hangouts) Live online Q&A sessions Webcasts of events (e.g. sporting events, lectures) Developing targeted Facebook pages Electronic newsletters
- 23. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. 6% 12% 14% 30% 34% 1 unimportant 2 3 4 5 critical HOW IMPORTANT ARE STRONG ONLINE PROGRAMS TO ATTRACTING/RETAINING STUDENTS? (Rate on a scale of 1-5, 1 = not very important, 5 = critically important) Survey responders see strong online programs as absolutely central to attracting and retaining students.
- 24. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. WHAT WOULD BE THE PRIMARY ADVANTAGE TO YOUR COLLEGE HAVING MORE ROBUST ONLINE OFFERINGS? (Both courses and programs for students, like financial aid linkage) “Attracting non-traditional students” and “expanding geographical presence” are the top cited advantages of increasing robustness of online programs. 2% 19% 28% 36% 42% 62% 71% Other We’d realize greater communication across departments The costs for offering strong courses would decrease Academic quality or learning outcomes would improve We’d do a better job of student retention It would expand our geographical presence We’d attract more non-traditional students
- 25. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. • Add more hybrid courses to meet student needs, increase revenue and improve retention. • Continuation of articulation agreements • Develop & deliver online courses in specific fields to meet National recommendations • Focus on online & hybrid course quality • Faculty training & support • Investment in infrastructure • Community Buy In ONLINE LEARNING FORECAST AT SHENANDOAH UNIVERSITY
- 26. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. Growth in online learning plateau • New niche programs to meet student demand, targeted at students in region • Online programs to attract new students, increase revenue, and improve retention • Coherent online strategy and financial model is critical for buy-in from institutional leaders • Investment in central support infrastructure needed to scale current offerings ONLINE LEARNING FORECAST AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
- 27. SUMMARY RESULTS APRIL 2014 Copyright © 2014 Gatepoint Research. All rights reserved. The information contained in this report is the sole property of Gatepoint Research and may not be used, reproduced, redistributed in any form including, but not limited to, print and digital form without the express written consent of Gatepoint Research. • Focus on student career success • Articulation agreements with other institutions • Mix of online and blended/hybrid programs • Accelerated courses (8-week terms) • Faculty continue to develop own content for individual courses, instructional designers to assist with online course development in programs • Ongoing faculty training and support is essential for success ONLINE LEARNING FORECAST AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
- 28. BLACKBOARD OFFERS… GROWING ONLINE PROGRAMS STUDENT RETENTION MEASURING OUTCOMES FACULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT STUDENT ENGAGEMENT & OUTCOMES Live Collaboration Mobile Access Social Learning Analytics Blended Learning Digital Content Expertise/ Consulting Services TO MEET YOUR CHALLENGES: A COMPREHENSIVE SUITE OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES…
- 29. FINAL SLIDE Speaker Name: Karen Yoshino Jason Rhode Melissa Stange Speaker Organization: Blackboard Northern Illinois University Shenandoah University Speaker Contact Info: Karen.yoshino@blackboard.com jrhode@niu.edu mstange94@su.edu 29 Please provide feedback for this session: 1) Select “Schedule” icon in BbWorld14 Mobile App 2) Find Trends in Online Learning 3) Click “Tap here to take a survey.”
Notes de l'éditeur
- Thank you so much for joining us today for our Trends in Online Learning presentation.
- My name is Karen Yoshino, principal strategist for Blackboard Enterprise consulting and I will be our moderator today. I am joined by Melissa Stange of Shenandoah University and Jason Rhode of Northern Illinois University. They will be sharing their insights and experiences at their universities as it relates to our survey findings.
- And here is a brief overview of the flow you can expect for the next hour. I will open up the discussion and share a little bit about changing student expectations. Then Jason and Melissa will provide a brief overview of their universities so you can get an understanding of where they are coming from. I will lead the discussion of the Trends in Online Learning Report, with help and perspectives from Jason and Melissa and finally, Jason and Melissa will share what’s next for them, in terms of online learning, at their universities. We will close with where you can go to find more info.
- First – I posit that we need to rethink how we think about students “Non-traditional” isn’t non-traditional. They are 85% of the learners in the US. The walls are coming down. We started demarcating non-traditional because they required different things from us: anytime/ anywhere access; flexible modalities; etc. Now ALMOST ALL learners want this. The differentiation is a disservice. And we need to move away from these two categories of learners because it doesn’t leave room for emerging categories of learners – non-degree seekers, etc. We need to rethink how we think about students “Non-traditional” isn’t non-traditional. They are 85% of the learners in the US. The walls are coming down. We started demarcating non-traditional because they required different things from us: anytime/ anywhere access; flexible modalities; etc. Now ALMOST ALL learners want this. The differentiation is a disservice. Especially because it doesn’t leave room for emerging categories of learners – non-degree seekers, etc.
- And we know that students today are different than students of yesterday. And one of the biggest differences is in their educational journeys. …The old pathway …students didn’t have a choice
- Pathways have changed/ swirling students Data points: 1/3 of students today transfer 25% of them cross state lines to do it The average graduate has credits from 2.3 institutions by the time they get their degree
- So what do we know about this post-traditional learner? They attend multiple institutions They are more interested than ever before in peer-to-peer interactions They don’t like websites and having to find services – they like to interact with services through apps They want data about themselves – they are active participants in their education process And there’s a reason – their goal, more than ever, is job placement. So they are also thinking about skills and competencies – and how they can translate to their desired employment status This is our average learner today. And he looks a lot different than the person that was okay with our linear pathway. Which leads into much of the research conclusions we will discuss here…that many institutions are looking to further their online programs to attract different types of learners, as well as to create a better experience for their existing ones.
- Melissa Start Melissa and Jason to give a 30-45 second “does this match” their school. **JASON** “Offering courses online” is broad and can involve many different approaches, varying from offering select courses online to putting entire certificate or degree programs. For NIU, our interest in offering courses on line varies from select fully-online programs to what we refer to as blended or hybrid programs that may consist of online courses as well as face-to-face experiences at either our main campus in DeKalb or regional centers in the Chicago region.
- Jason to start How much of this was brought on as a result of student expectations? Jason: Talk about blended learning in general (from faculty perspective) pull in student perspective Melissa: Speak to what doing at her university **JASON** We’re seeing at NIU the blended delivery models as among the most desirable right now from both our faculty and students. “Blended Learning” can come in two flavors – blended courses and blended programs. Blended courses involve mixing online and face-to-face activities in the same course, while blended programs consist of fully-online courses combined with face-to-face meetings. I teach in one such award-winning online blended program at NIU, our M.S. in Instructional Technology with a K-12 Technology Specialist endorsement, which this past year was ranked the #1 graduate online program by US News & World Report. This program is blended, with online coursework coupled with 1-2 pre-scheduled face-to-face meeting each term. It’s a cohort, accelerated program and students have repeatedly commented not only in my end-of-course evaluations but also in various program evaluations how the prefer the mix of online with face-to-face over one modality entirely. Blended certainly isn’t for all students, as some can not attend f2f. And, I think you can indeed have just as rigorous and quality learning experience fully online. But, my experience has been that many students do prefer the blended modality. We’re also seeing a continued rise in blended learning at the K-12 setting (see the report “The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning: Profiles of Emerging Models” put out by Innosight Institute: http://www.innosightinstitute.org/innosight/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/The-Rise-of-K-12-Blended-Learning.pdf) Blended learning is taking over in schools http://www.eschoolnews.com/2013/11/13/blended-learning-schools-224 See the “Keeping Pace” with K-12 Online & Blended Learning Report at http://www.pearsonlearningsolutions.com/blog/channels/online-blended-learning/keeping-pace-with-k-12-online-blended-learning 2010 DOE meta-analysis ”Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning” of over 1,000 empirical studies of online learning, points to value of online and blended learning
- Start with Jason How do you plan to achieve this growth? Jason- starting to see flattening (from Sloan Report), unrealistic to expect to see this at this rate. Up to institutions to find their niche, competitive advantage in where to grow. Also look at expertise you have internally in order to determine this. Melissa- Also starting to focus in on key things to offer online. **JASON** For 10 years now, the Sloan Consortium in partnership with the Babson Survey Group and the College Board has been surveying over 2,500 academic leaders across the U.S. to get a pulse on the growth and trends of online learning. The findings yearly have showed rapid and steady growth in numbers of students enrolling in online programs over the past decade, with 32% of university students taking at least 1 online course. Interestingly through, this last year, we’re beginning to now see a flattening in the growth in online enrollments. As Jeff Seaman, one of the principal investigators of this annual study has shared, it’s unrealistic to expect this continued growth to persist indefinitely. The expectations of administrators shown on this slide align with these trends, with modest growth expected. As we’re seeing the online educational market become extremely competitive, it’s key for institutions to find their niche and competitive advantage in where they want to grow. It’s also crucial to look at the faculty expertise you have internally to help determine institutional programmatic strengths. At NIU we’re currently in the midst of identifying some of our existing f2f programs that we feel would be a good fit and have a strong market in our region to move online.
- Melissa to start **JASON** At NIU, we are seeing these same prominent goals driving our online program offerings. Attracting new students, especially adult learners within our region who otherwise would not be able to earn an NIU degree, is a driving factor for offering programs online. Increasing revenue is an obvious benefit of growing the student body. As we move courses and programs online, we also provide flexible degree completion options for those students who for one reason or another may need to stop out of a program or perhaps want to study abroad or take advantage of an extended internship experience. These students can remain connected to the institution and continue their progress through their academic program without needing to reside on campus. We are committed institutionally to making sure that the online learning experiences we offer are of the highest quality. To do so, there must be investments in both faculty training and support as well as course development assistance, not to mention the needed corresponding student support services.
- Jason to start Also, which institutional pressures will have the greatest impact on online learning? **JASON** While the sentiment “Nothing holds us back: It’s our future” is admirable, there are always constricting factors that institutional leaders face. In my experience, the lack of a coherent online strategy is indeed the primary restriction that institutions face. It often takes time to get all institutional leaders on board with a single, clear vision for why and how online should become part of the fabric of the educational experience at the institution. It’s easy for a department chair, dean, or Provost to be interested in moving programs online, but until the institution has an articulated online strategy for how it will provide the necessary infrastructure to support the needs of developing and maintaining online programs, it’s difficult to achieve significant momentum. Institutions that are developing online programs at scale do indeed have a coherent online strategy and have also taken the step of centralizing certain support services. While there are facets of program development that should remain controlled at the department level, there are others that may be better suited for the institution to centrally support. Institutions that are succeeding online at scale have identified the right mix for their institution of the centralized and distributed infrastructure. I would also say that the perceived faculty resistance to putting courses online is a very real factor. With faculty seemingly continually being asked to do more with less and tenure and promotion expectations often focused on scholarship and service that doesn’t include online educational innovation, there often isn’t the incentive for faculty to be involved in moving courses online. If faculty are resistant, it will be extremely difficult for any measure of success to be reached in moving online.
- Melissa to start **JASON** It’s interesting to see that once again faculty skepticism was reported here by institutional leaders as being a top challenge in online learning and I think it speaks to the significant challenge and opportunity that institutions have to change the perceptions among some faculty that online learning is either just a fad or can’t be of the same quality as face-to-face. Even though there has been plenty of research published showing that well-designed online learning can be just as effective and engaging as well-designed face-to-face instruction, there are still those who will be skeptics, largely due to the fact that they themselves have yet to experience for themselves an online learning experience. Part of the reason that I myself am passionate about high quality online learning today is because I personally benefited from the access to furthering my education at the graduate level online. At the time when I was looking to return to graduate school, the nearest brick and mortar graduate school was a nearly 2 hour drive one-way. Online was the only delivery mode that would work for my situation at that time and it turned out to be an absolutely fantastic experience in which I saw first-hand the high level engagement and interaction that’s possible in a well-designed online program. Many of our faculty who are being asked to consider teaching online haven’t had such an experience, having only known the traditional f2f classroom experience. It’s only logical that faculty who’ve never personally experienced high quality online learning would have some reservations. To alleviate any faculty skepticism, institutions need to listen to the concerns that faculty may have and then pursue opportunities to address the felt concerns. Providing high-touch faculty professional development and training support along with instructional design and course development assistance where needed are important, along with recognizing the value of faculty participation in online teaching as part of the tenure and promotion process. I think it’s key that faculty have the opportunity to experience a well-designed online learning experience themselves to see first-hand the potential for both the technology and online pedagogy available today. Our institution has offered a wide variety of such experiences over the years for faculty and we continue to experiment with new models that provide faculty with a taste of the online learning environment and what is possible.
- Jason to start **JASON** We are seeing at NIU that faculty often prefer to develop their own content in large part I think because the technology necessary for doing so is so accessible and easy-to-use today. With the ever-growing access to shared and available open educational resources today for faculty to incorporate, there increasingly are many pre-existing content options for faculty to choose from. The “Do It Yourself” model is certainly popular. Especially when moving an individual course from face-to-face to a blended or online delivery modality, institutions often incentivize the faculty to develop the content and build the online course themselves. This requires training faculty now only on the LMS and other required technology tools needed but also often involves providing release time to the faculty and/or an additional stipend for their course development efforts. The benefit to having faculty develop their own content is that this approach mirrors what faculty are already doing in their f2f courses and allows them to maintain complete control. Often what happens is that faculty who teach f2f become interested in incorporating technology into their teaching, in which their course unknowingly morphs into a web-enhanced course. This natural progression then often moves toward faculty then increasing the online components to the point where the course could be offered in a fully online format. For institutions that allow their online development to happen more organically at the grassroots level, this trend toward faculty putting their own course content online is what results. However, there are some notable concerns when faculty are expected to be the sole developers of their courses, including inconsistencies among courses in a program. Also, faculty often don’t have the time (or frankly the desire) to become experts in the nuances of the available technology and rely on assistance from other support staff who are highly skilled in the available technology. The institutions that are developing online programs at scale often have a centralized online course development team comprised of instructional designers, graphic designers, media specialists, etc. who can partner with the faculty serving as subject matter experts. In many circumstances, faculty working together with a centralized course development team can yield the highest quality and most well orchestrated online experience. Also, when a course designer works with a faculty member, it is more likely that the course will be designed in a more instructor-agnostic way in which another faculty member could teach that same course if needed. Institutions usually support both approaches, providing training and support for faculty who develop their own content for individual online courses as well as centralized course development and production support for online programs.
- Melissa to start **JASON** Recently, our Blackboard Administrator was able to run some home-grown reports on how the various tools are being used within each of our courses. While my team hasn’t had the chance yet to analyze this data yet, at quick glance I’d say that our faculty are using the tools in much the same fashion responding organizations reported.
- Jason to start **JASON** Email is by and large still the predominant communication tool that our faculty are using, but many do email students directly from the LMS. While the LMS continues to often be the primary communication tool, web conferencing is becoming increasingly important as faculty seek to incorporate synchronous collaboration into their online courses. The LMS is far more than just a “digital filing cabinet” but has become a mission-critical platform for faculty and students to engage in meaningful and transformative collaborative learning experiences in the 21st century.
- Melissa to start
- Jason to start **JASON** I think many institutional leaders will readily admit the importance of strong online programs in attracting and retaining students. Especially for institutions who are seeking to grow their nontraditional programs or those geared for adults, online programs (whether fully online or some sort of blended or hybrid format like I described earlier) provide flexible participation options that can free students from having to travel to/from campus or reside on campus in order to achieve their academic and career goals. There are certainly many reasons why students may want to take one or more online courses, not the least of which is the fact that a growing number of students graduating from high school have taken blended or online courses and may prefer that modality in some instances. Currently the states of Alabama, Michigan, and Florida have state laws on the books requiring every graduating high school senior to have completed at least one online course. Other school districts and states are considering similar mandates. As such, students are experiencing online and blended learning at the high school level and likely will be expecting the same types of learning options and modes at the postsecondary level. Online programs offered in conjunction with f2f programs provide a diversified and comprehensive set of offerings for students to choose from. Especially at the graduate level. given the affinity that alumni from an institution will have to that institution, they are an obvious market of prospective students. With online offerings, alumni who no longer reside in the geographic region still have the option complete a graduate-level program at a distance.
- Jason to start **JASON** As we’ve already discussed, the value proposition to both institutions and non-traditional students for robust online offerings is significant. I think it’s interesting here to note that only 28% of institutional leaders felt that the costs for offering strong courses would decrease. I think administrators by and large are realizing that in order to offer high quality learning online, significant investments in institutional infrastructure in support of online teaching and student support are needed similarly to the level of support needed for face-to-face instruction. The costs are real, but the potential market is much larger online, hence much of the interest as the geographical presence can be expanded.
- Melissa
- Here are a few of the key trends I see continuing within our online learning offerings at NIU: Growth in online learning plateau – It’s unrealistic to expect the exponential growth that we’ve seen over the past decade in students taking online courses to continue indefinitely. Rather, I believe we are going to begin seeing a plateau and stabilization in the growth of online learning in the coming years as online modes of learning become commonplace and are no longer perceived as “new” but are rather just part of the fabric of higher education. I anticipate that we’ll see our institution develop new niche programs to meet student demand as well as market demand, targeted at students in our region. With the majority of our current online students currently within the Northern Illinois region and trends toward students preferring to enroll in online programs from institutions within a 100 radius, I envision that new programs that we develop will be tailored to students in our Midwest area. Online programs will be one means for attracting new students, increasing revenue, and improving retention. Given the heavy competition in the online learning space, institutions will be well-served to identify their competitive advantages and clearly communicate these advantages to prospective and current students. I see some fantastic opportunities for institutions to leverage emerging learning analytics and outcomes data combined with new models of student support services online to see retention rates among online programs be equal to or even superior to traditional face-to-face retention rates. In conversations that I’ve had with chief online learning officers and leaders at institutions that have vibrant online programs, it’s clear to me that a coherent institutional online strategy and financial model is critical for gaining buy-in from institutional leaders. Our institution is currently in the midst of a significant internal budgeting overhaul as we look to maximize our available resources to make academically responsive and fiscally responsible budgeting decisions. For any institution, as a clear strategy is articulated for online learning that provides financial incentives to colleges and departments to reward innovation and entrepreneurism, momentum will then build. As Joel Hartman, Vice Provost for Information Technologies and Resources and the University of Central Florida admonishes, ”Revenue should flow to the source of the costs”. I envision this will be true at NIU as other institutions have demonstrated this same financial models. As we look to scale our current offerings, investment in centralized support infrastructure is needed. Our institution has taken a very decentralized approach to this point and left majority of development and support of online programs to individual colleges and departments. While this has provided a great deal of autonomy, duplication of efforts and inconsistency often results when each separate college or department tries to build their own infrastructure. For many aspects of online program development and support, we can be more efficient institutionally and offer a better online learning experience to our students by centralizing many aspects of the online program infrastructure to maximize expertise and resources. What specific support is centralized varies by institution.
- With our current institutional keystone goal of Student Career Success, we are aligning all our resources and efforts in focusing on this goal of ensuring that students leave NIU prepared to make and impact and be successful in their career. I forsee online learning as being one avenue by which we are able to make available to students high quality, engaging, and flexible learning opportunities that fit their busy lives. Especially for adult learners who have families, jobs, etc. and are seeking to improve their career or perhaps change careers, I see online programs as being a key component of our fully complement of program offerings. We are continuing to focus on developing articulation agreements with other institutions that bring added value to the NIU education. An example of such an agreement is a recent reverse transfer pact that NIU signed with a local community college that was hailed by Illinois Lt. Governor Sheila Simon as, “a student-centered reform that should be implemented at campuses across the state.” Basically, this agreement allows eligible NIU students who transferred from nearby Kishwaukee Community College without associate’s degrees to earn the two-year degree using credit from NIU courses. If for any reason a student then must stop-out for a period of time while finishing their undergraduate degree, they will have an associates degree credential. Students want a hassle-free transfer process and to receive credit for the work they do. Agreements like this and others will make it even easier for students to incorporate educational opportunities from multiple institutions. (details at http://www.niutoday.info/2014/01/24/niu-kish-sign-innovative-reverse-transfer-pact/) I see a mix of fully-online as well as blended/hybrid programs to be offered in the future at NIU, where the benefits of a synchronous, face-to-face experience can be coupled with the flexibility of online delivery. An example is a new interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Health Sciences we recently had approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education and will be preparing to launch in 2015. This program will be a hybrid program, consisting of fully-online courses with several on-campus face-to-face intensives each year. This blended/hybrid approach provides many benefits for faculty as well as students. I also envision growth in the number of accelerated online courses (those of different lengths then the traditional 16-week semester). From market research that we’ve done, many fully-online programs geared toward adult learners have taken an accelerated course model with students taking fewer courses at a time of shorter duration. For example, instead of a part-time student of taking 2 courses each lasting 16 weeks, students take 2 8-week courses back-to-back, focusing solely one 1 course at a time. There are some obvious benefits as well as challenges when moving to an accelerated course model, but studies are beginning to be published reporting student learning outcomes in accelerated courses as comparable, and in some cases superior, to the semester-long course. We will continue to see the lines blurring between online courses and those web-enhanced and blended courses where faculty are utilizing online technologies in the delivery of their courses. In many cases faculty at NIU will continue to development their own content for individual online courses, but I see instructional designers skilled in advanced technical and development skills as assisting with online course development for online courses that are part of a cohesive online program. Finally, ongoing faculty training and support will continue to be essential for successful online program offerings. No matter whether faculty are developing the content and building courses themselves or if instructional designers are building courses, faculty still need to be trained not only on pedagogical best practices for teaching online, but also need to keep current in their technology skills. LMS features change rapidly as do the software and technical processes that institutions employ in their online offerings.