Moving to Anywhere, Anytime Learning - Institutional Strategies for Meeting the Online Education Needs of Lifelong Learners

Moving to Anywhere, Anytime Learning Institutional Strategies for Meeting the

Online Education Needs of Lifelong Learners

Dr. Andy DiPaolo

Executive Director

Stanford Center for Professional Development • 2

News Items

• UMass Online enrollments exceed 21,000 with revenue at $21M, a 29% increase in one year. March 2006

• For-profit University of Phoenix enrolls over 160,000 in online degree programs. Anticipate 500,000 students worldwide by 2010. June 2005


News Items

• UCLA’s OnlineLearning.net enrolls over 60,000 students annually in lifelong learning classes. March 2004

• After spending over $30M Columbia University closes Fathom, its money-losing online learning venture. January 2003


News Items

• More than 1.2M students in the U.S. – representing 7% of all students enrolled in degree-granting institutions – projected to earn their degree entirely online. Estimates indicate that by 2008 one out of every 10 students will be enrolled in an online degree program. May 2006


News Items

• Universitas 21, an international online education partnership of 16 research universities in 8 countries and Thomson Learning, falls short of student and financial forecasts. November 2004

• Scotland’s Interactive University claims it exceeds all targets and enrolls more than 60,000 online students in 20 countries in first 18 months. July 2004


News Items

• NextEd partners with 11 higher education institutions to deliver online graduate and professional education throughout Asia via the Global University Alliance. November 2003

• New York University shuts down its virtual university spin-off company, NYU Online. January 2003


News Items

• eARMYU’s $600M partnership with 29 institutions makes 146 degree programs available online. Mar 2005

• Australian universities launch aggressive advertising campaign with government support in a bid to maintain share of lucrative international online education market. May 2004


News Items

• Claiming more than 250,000 enrollments, the University Alliance Online – a private company – markets degree programs from 11 accredited U.S. universities. June 2005

• Ireland and UK sign higher education pact to create lifelong access to flexible and convenient e-learning programs. November 2005


News Items

• Barnes and Noble University – an “edumarketing” initiative from a book seller -- enrolls 200,000 online students. September 2005

• Stanford Center for Professional Development delivers 14,000 hours of online academic and professional education courses. Becomes major provider of online education for high potential engineers, scientists and technology managers. August 2005


News Items

• American Council on Education indicates online higher education is attractive to entrepreneurs and traditional universities likely to lose an increasing share of market to alternative providers. August 2005

• MIT’s Open Courseware initiative offers free online access to materials from 2000 courses. January 2005


News Items

• Donald Trump, U.S. billionaire, opens Trump U, an online university for business education. May 2005

• UK eUniversities Worldwide designed to provide global online degrees from UK’s best universities fails after spending $63M.

May 2004


News Items

• Intel and Microsoft work with institutions to develop company-specific online graduate degree programs. February 2005

• AllLearn - a nonprofit venture by Oxford, Stanford and Yale to provide online noncredit humanities courses - closes citing financial woes. March 2006


News Items

• Sloan Foundation contributes over $50M to 118 academic institutions to develop asynchronous learning networks. December 2004

• Over 200 colleges and universities join together to offer free online courses to support displaced students from Hurricane Katrina. Effort provides boost to acceptability of online higher education. October 2005


The Online Higher Education Market Continues to Churn…

• Successfully implemented but with mixed elements of hype and reality.

• Many providers ranging from traditional universities to collaborations to start-ups.

• Lifelong learners generally select online providers with a known brand and reputation, especially those most apt to aid in employability and career growth.


The Challenge What Do Lifelong Learners Want,

Need and Expect of Higher Education Providers?


• Assume responsibility for increasing personal market value. Busy yet anxious to learn.

• Access to learning anytime and anywhere. Time and availability is often more important than cost for mobile learners who want an on-the-go, 24/7 connection to education.

The Challenge


The Challenge

• Convenience and flexibility with a range of course and program delivery options and multiple avenues for learning.

• Wide range of online degree, certification and career-building programs – not just random online courses – with flexibility around when programs start and end. Push is for modular instruction versus courses.


• Well-designed, engaging, relevant and continuously updated programs which facilitate the transfer of learning to direct application. Rapid mastery of knowledge and skills – practice oriented education - is the goal.

• Emphasis on active, challenging scenario-based learning using real, vivid and familiar examples. Think games, simulations and shared virtual and immersive environments.

The Challenge


• Self-directed, demand-driven learning with control of the pace, sequence and mode of learning. Impatient with inefficient methods. Want to multi-task while learning.

• Choice of synchronous, asynchronous and blended learning options.

The Challenge


• Customized learning experiences based on assessment of knowledge gaps, personal learning styles and preferences. Shift from “just-in-case” to “just-in-time” to “just-for-me” learning. Strong interest in search/Google-like learning.

• Provisions for e-advising, e-coaching and e-mentoring.

The Challenge


• Participation in a “networked learning community” including interaction with instructors, tutors, peers and experts.

• Learn, refine and apply online group collaboration skills and knowledge management tools in learning situations including international interactions.

The Challenge


The Challenge

• Access to providers with a recognized brand and reputation. Will consider a mix of higher education, prof & trade associations, publishers, govt agencies, libraries, corporations, etc. but want formal “certification” for the effort.

• Preview of courses and review of evaluations before registering.


The Challenge

• World-wide access to electronic resources with instruction on how to evaluate and apply what is collected.

• Outstanding support services with a focus on “student as customer.” Elimination of delays and inefficient procedures regarded as essential.

• Competitive and variable pricing.


• Continuous, prompt, and meaningful forms of assessment and feedback.

• Use of delivery technology which is smaller, faster, brighter, cheaper and usable anywhere.

• Ongoing educational renewal over an entire career with commitment from their provider to support learning for a lifetime.

The Challenge


Institutional Strategies for Anywhere/Anytime Lifelong

Learning

Some Lessons Learned


Strategies

• Online initiative needs to be consistent with institution’s mission, values, strengths and areas of distinction. Build from tradition in new ways.

• Must begin with a clear, worthy strategic plan keeping it close to core faculty and using traditional academic structures to accelerate development.


Strategies

• Design online education initiative as a way to extend and enhance - not replace - academic programs. Develop a unique niche to meet a local, national or global market need.

• Aim for the “sweet spot” -- intersection of audience needs and wants, faculty interests, institutional strengths and what people will pay for.


Strategies

• Think course-to-certificate-to-degree progression. Online versions of existing courses are easier to start than new ones.

• Recruit best faculty by offering incentives and rewards supportive of change and performance. Address faculty concerns regarding ownership of intellectual property, increased demands and impact on workload.


Strategies

• Develop financial model that covers costs and investments with revenue distributed to participating departments and faculty. Point out non-revenue values of faculty participation.

• Start small: pilot with existing students, alumni and focus groups. Benchmark against competition. Experiment, adapt, improve and then scale and publicize with care.


Strategies

• If possible, create a unified institutional brand. Strong brands with weak programs will diminish the reputation of the institution. Use caution in developing collaborations and outside partnerships.

• Identify every possible student service interaction and try to make it positive and satisfying. Be fast, flexible and attentive.


Moving to Anywhere, Anytime Learning• Remember: it’s not about technology, it’s about

learning and innovation!

• Question everything like an entrepreneur. Think daringly, execute steadily.

• Capitalize on the unexpected and have the courage to stop doing.

• Appoint leaders with vision, passion and a willingness to take risks.


Moving to Anywhere, Anytime Learning

“The scarce resource today is not bandwidth, but people who can create and innovate in the knowledge age.”

- How Academic Leadership Works


Questions and Conversations

• Andy DiPaolo

[email protected]

• Stanford Center for Professional Development

http://scpd.stanford.edu


Slides at http://scpd.stanford.edu


Moving to Anywhere, Anytime Learning Institutional Strategies for Meeting the

Online Education Needs of Lifelong Learners

Dr. Andy DiPaolo

Executive Director