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

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Moving to Anywhere, Anytime Learning
Institutional Strategies for Meeting the Online
Education Needs of Lifelong Learners
Dr. Andy DiPaolo Executive Director
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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

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News Items

• UCLAs 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

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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

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

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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

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News Items

• eARMYUs 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

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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
• 
  

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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
  
• 
  
  

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

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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 UKs best universities
  fails after spending 63M. May 2004

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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

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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

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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.

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The Challenge What Do Lifelong Learners Want,
Need and Expect of Higher Education Providers?
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The Challenge

• 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.

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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.

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The Challenge

• 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The Challenge

• 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.

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Institutional Strategies for Anywhere/Anytime
Lifelong Learning Some Lessons Learned
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Strategies

• Online initiative needs to be consistent with
  institutions 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Moving to Anywhere, Anytime Learning

• Remember its not about technology, its 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.

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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

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Questions and Conversations

• Andy DiPaolo
• adp_at_stanford.edu
• Stanford Center for Professional
  Development
• http//scpd.stanford.edu

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Slides at http//scpd.stanford.edu
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Moving to Anywhere, Anytime Learning
Institutional Strategies for Meeting the Online
Education Needs of Lifelong Learners
Dr. Andy DiPaolo Executive Director