2020 UPCEA Annual Conference

Online Administration Network Track

Sponsored by

A Community Conversation on Mental Health Support for Online Learners *
Commonwealth AB | Track: Marketing, Enrollment, & Student Services
Level: Applied | Format: Presentation | Tag: Diversity & Inclusion
Increasingly faculty and student services providers working closely with online populations at our institutions have voiced concerns regarding: identifying and working with “students of concern” (SOC) in online populations; perceived increases in SOC in online populations without close or easy access to physical campuses; apparent gaps in university documentation, guidelines, and training related to SOC in online populations; and a lack of clarity in student and faculty facing materials and resources on the availability of mental health services to online populations. Mental health services and wellness programming are commonly offered to students on campuses, but what about online students? Join a participant-driven discussion on the challenges, limitations, and opportunities for designing mental health services for online learners. Participants will be encouraged to share their research, their models, their challenges, their differences of opinion, etc. With consent of the group, notes and other contributions to collaborative documents will serve as a takeaway item for participants as well as a basis for future conversations. This presentation on transferable strategies and tips and not a particular model or service.

• Mitchell Farmer, Indiana University
• Tiffany Peterson, University of Maine
• Andrea Carroll-Glover, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Moderator: Heather Chakiris, University of California, Los Angeles

Inside Out Design: Intentional Practices to Build Human Connection for Adult Learners
Grand Ballroom C | Track: Online Administration
Level: Foundational | Format: Presentation | Tag: Diversity & Inclusion
Adult learners need flexibility to complete their education but also want to connect with their classmates and instructors. They also may face a variety of barriers when engaging in the learning process. It is imperative to cultivate the best practices in intentional teaching practices and the use of technology to ensure the unique needs of adult learners are met. Join us as two universities share how they have applied strategies on the course and institutional level to help adult learners connect more effectively with their learning community.

• Sasha Crowley, Brandman University
• Jennifer Good, Brandman University
• Adrienne Phelps-Coco, Harvard University
• Christian Franco, Harvard University
• Christian Wisecarver, Harvard University

Moderator: Mogan Subramaniam, Fullstack Academy

Rebundling and Repurposing: Challenges Institutions Face When Transitioning For-Credit Online Courses to Non-Credit Learning Experiences
Grand Ballroom E | Track: Online Administration
Level: Applied | Format: Workshop | Tag: Noncredit/Alternative Credential
While it’s relatively common practice to reuse content from semester-to-semester in an online for-credit degree program, fewer institutions have implemented strategies that involve repurposing for-credit course content into non-credit learning experiences to meet a more diverse range of lifelong learning needs. In this session, online learning leaders from a variety of institutions will discuss the potential their institutions see in pursuing the development of varied online learning experiences by repurposing content to create both for-credit and non-credit offerings. Panelists will also discuss challenges their institutions have encountered in trying to implement a strategy that aims to rebundle content across these learning experiences. Participants will then have the chance to collaborate with other participants in defining the most important aspects of the model, as well as operational considerations that might pose challenges at their institutions, so that individuals can gain ideas from others as to what strategies might be helpful for gaining buy-in and mitigating barriers for adopting this type of strategy at a range of institutions.

• Sarah Dysart, University of Michigan
• Paul Huckett, Johns Hopkins University
• Asim Ali, Auburn University

Moderator: Mark Bernhard, North Carolina State University

When Strategy and Reality Collide
Grand Ballroom C | Track: Online Administration
Level: Strategic | Format: Presentation
Colleges and universities are increasingly turning to online education to solve their enrollment and revenue challenges. Strategic initiatives abound. Numerous obstacles are in play when attempting to execute strategies that will result in substantial enrollment growth through online education. The combined obstacles can bring initiatives to a stand-still. This session will feature facilitated and highly participatory table discussions to explore visible and hidden obstacles to strategic initiatives, their impact on successful implementation and tactics to work through or around them. Initiatives for discussion include rapidly and radically scaling online enrollments, developing U2B partnerships, attracting more adult learners, developing alternative credentials, increasing transfer numbers, programming for workforce development, major restructuring of online education, and shifting budget models. Each table will have a discussion facilitator for subset topics. Attendees will be invited to choose the topic(s) of greatest interest and join that table group. The conversations will provide opportunities for participants to share challenges and their ideas and efforts to address those challenges.

• Kim Siegenthaler, University of Missouri
• Susan Elkins, University of South Carolina
• Beth Laves, Western Kentucky University

Moderator: Dave Cillay, Washington State University

Building Community: A Holistic Approach to the Online Student-Alumni Cycle
Grand Ballroom C | Track: Online Administration
Level: Applied | Format: Presentation
Research shows that a sense of belonging is a key factor to student retention, as well as alumni giving and engagement. But how do you create community for distance learners? Come to this session to learn how to foster meaningful connections within your online student base, in order to build stronger programs and enthusiastic alumni advocates. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.

• David Schejbal, Marquette University
• Roxanne Sheils, Penn State University
• Kate Vogel, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Lori Kendall-Taylor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Moderator: Antonius Bittmann, Rutgers University

The “Integrated OPM” (IOPM): How Schools of Professional and Continuing Education Can Power Online Programming University-Wide *
Grand Ballroom D | Track: Business and Operations
Level: Strategic | Format: Presentation
Online higher education is exciting, dynamic, engaging—but often requires outside help to kickstart digital innovation. The integrated OPM (iOPM) explores the powerful middle ground between totally DIY and fully outsourced strategies. How can schools of Professional and Continuing Education leverage third-party partnerships to fuel their own internal capacity-growth and scale high-quality online programs? What tools and resources do they need to position their staff for success? Through my work producing and scaling online degree programs with dozens of top-tier universities over the last decade, I’ve identified some of the major challenges, pitfalls and successful strategies associated with excellent online higher education. This session will share how Schools of Professional and Continuing Education can leverage a combination of in-house teams and third-party resources to construct a thriving internal online ecosystem, in a model called iOPM.

• John Katzman, Noodle Partners
• Karen Sibley, Brown University

Ready, Set…Wait—Are They Ready? Helping students verify their prerequisite preparedness
Grand Ballroom C | Track: Online Administration
Level: Applied | Format: Presentation
One of the strengths of Harvard Division of Continuing Education (DCE) students is that they hail from all walks of life and locations in the world, sharing a classroom (physical or virtual), engaging together with  rigorous coursework, and learning from each other’s unique experiences and backgrounds. With those strengths come challenges: some may overestimate their preparedness for a particular course, and other may avoid a course because of a prerequisite listed in the syllabus, not knowing they could probably get up to speed over a weekend. Incomplete, overly broad, or ambiguous prerequisites make the situation even more challenging. In this session, presenters showcase strategies and practices that course designers, program directors, and administrators are implementing to help students feel prepared and makeinformed choices at the start of their courses. We will share some successful (and not-so-successful) approaches taken for working with faculty to clarifytheir prerequisites, create self-assessments that give students immediate feedback on their readiness for a course, nd recommend options to students based on the results.

• Kerry Foley, Harvard University
• Ethan Contini-Field, Harvard University
• Adeeb Syed, Harvard University

Moderator: Michele Long, University of Denver

Online Administration Network and the eDC Network Meeting Spotlight: Re-building the Plane While Flying
Grand Ballroom C
Level: Applied | Format: Newtork Meeting Spotlight
In this session, a maturing CBE program, University of Wisconsin Flexible Option, will share how we have approached fundamental changes to our model in order to scale and sustain our programs. UW Flexible Option has been in existence for more than six years, and has undergone (and will continue to undergo) critical changes that will enable our programs to thrive. We will describe the change management and communication strategies that we have used to drive change, highlighting areas where we have made considerable improvements, as well as preserve time for audience questions.

• Aaron Brower, University of Wisconsin-Extended Campus

• Laura Kite, University of Wisconsin-Extended Campus

Moderator: Asim Ali, Auburn University

 

Leveraging Technology for Online Student Engagement and Building Institutional Affinity: The OSSE Initiative
Grand Ballroom E | Track: Online Administration
Level: Foundational | Format: Case Study
In the 2004-2005 academic year, only 9% of our enrollments were virtual. Today, approximately 91% of our individual course registrations are in virtual modalities, accounting for over 79,000 individual course registrations on an annual basis.  The drastic change in our enrollments created a need for a transformation in the way we operate and provide support to our students and other stakeholders. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide views the solution to creating an immersive experience and a sense of belonging to be holistic in nature and no one technology initiative can occur in isolation and meet the multiple needs of our students. Therefore, we have implemented several technology-based solutions and enhanced support structure to address the needs of our students through a holistic virtual initiative. These immersive solutions include the incorporation of virtual labs into courses through a centralized virtual hub, a virtual new student orientation, a Student Resource Course, virtual new student on-boarding, and a virtual community.

• Jason Ruckert, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Brian Crose, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Moderator: Mary Niemiec, University of Nebraska

Building an Extended Campus:  Transforming Extended and Online Education for the Future of San Antonio *
Marina I | Track: Community and Economic Engagement
Level: Applied | Format: Case Study | Tag: Noncredit/Alternative Credential
The “Decade of Downtown,“ as proclaimed by former mayor Julian Castro in 2010, has positioned University of Texas at San Antonio at the heart of a rapidly increasing number of businesses and workers in San Antonio’s downtown, giving the university an opportunity to rebrand and provide unique programs and opportunities. This session will examine how UTSA is creating an extended campus in collaboration with colleges, schools, centers, and the San Antonio community at large to further impact the city by increasing the numberand range of programs to support workers to advance in their current jobs, or to enable those without a college degree to finish and successfully compete for better paying jobs or new careers.  The presentation and discussion will focus on the opportunities and challenges of rebranding and creating an enlivened new direction for building new programs in a competitive market.

• Melissa Vito, University of Texas at San Antonio
• Lisa Blazer, University of Texas at San Antonio
• Suzana Diaz-Rosencrans, University of Texas at San Antonio

Moderator: Elizabeth Stoner, Eastern Michigan University

Digital Dependency: Emerging from a Cyber Attack *
Grand Ballroom D | Track: Business and Operations
Level: Strategic | Format: Case Study | Tag: Policy
New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) experienced a cyber-attack on October 9, 2019.  The scale and impact was institution-wide; our entire technology environment was down, and we were not as prepared as we thought. Emergency planning is typically thought of in terms such as active shooter, natural disasters, fire, etc. Should the operations of your digital platforms be considered in that category? How dependent is your organization on technology? How would you respond if your digital presence were down for multiple days, maybe even weeks? This case study will explore NMHU’s response to cyber-attack and how the university and local communities, vendor partners, and higher education community pulled together to recover. The experience has resulted in NMHU reviewing their emergency response activities, communications protocols, establishment of priorities, preventative measures, and overall use of technology at NMHU moving forward.

• Roxanne Gonzales, New Mexico Highlands University
• Joe Gieri, New Mexico Highlands University

Moderator: Brad Hamel, Northern Michigan University

Evolving our Credentialing Ecosystems for the Future of Work *
Commonwealth C | Track: Marketing, Enrollment, & Student Services
Level: Strategic | Format: Presentation
While universities have made increasing numbers of credentials available to learners in recent years, the university credentialing ecosystem has evolved little over the last century while the world around us has evolved at an exponential pace. A leap forward in our alignment of credentials with modern societal needs is needed to verify learning, skills, and competencies. Adapting to the future of work demands evolved postsecondary credentialing ecosystems, built on responsiveness to change and learner-centricity. Employers are trying to address significant skills gaps, but learners are unable to communicate the value of their qualifications leading to under-employment and unemployment. This “Quiet Crisis,” requires universities to act now to develop and deliver learning opportunities that transparently lead to competencies and job skills that help learners achieve their career goals and advocate for a national strategy to support these learners. Fundamentally, credentialing ecosystems need to evolve to serve the needs of lifelong learners and employers. As the economy and labor market continue to evolve, the need for a unified credentialing ecosystem will only amplify. A paradigm shift is needed to ensure postsecondary institutions remain at the center of credentialing. And it’s the role of continuing and professional education leaders to drive this shift. This presentation will highlight the need for diversified, integrated, transparent credentials, including digital credentials. Recognizing the specific roles of government bodies, employers, and educational institutions, the presenters will highlight the work that’s already happening to create credential transparency and clarity, and share their insights on the work still to come in evolving our credentialing ecosystems.

• Amrit Ahluwalia, The EvoLLLution
• Tracey Taylor-O'Reilly, York University
• Jeanne Kitchens, Credential Engine

Moderator: Stephanie Platteter, University of Minnesota

Leveraging Strategic Partners and Market Research to Build your Enrollment Funnel *
Commonwealth AB | Track: Marketing, Enrollment, & Student Services
Level: Foundational | Format: Presentation
Through strategic partnerships learn how two institutions are building the needed support infrastructure and expanding their portfolios by working with the EAB and Blackboard Student Services respectively. Columbia University School of Professional Studies and Blackboard Student Services will discuss how they positioned for growth and developed a strategic plan to scale online programs in an increasingly competitive and demanding market. Muhlenberg College Division of Graduate and Continuing Education with the assistance of the EAB are applying market research findings of the future of graduate education to inform strategies to grow graduate programs in a highly competitive market. Topics addressed include actionable, innovative digital marketing and enrollment best practices for the online and continuing education space, as well as tactics to recruit students with highly personalized and data-driven marketing at scale.

• Debbie Lambert, Columbia University
• Jessica Sheehan, Student Services by Blackboard
• AJ Lemheney, Muhlenberg College
• Kevin Shriner, EAB

Moderator: Cynthia Perez, New York University

Managing OPMs and Third-Party Providers to Increase Capacity to Build Online Student Success
Grand Ballroom C | Track: Online Administration
Level: Strategic | Format: Presentation | Tag: Noncredit/Alternative Credential
Online Program Management (OPM) can be a dirty word in some circles in higher education. In a 2019 Inside Higher Education blog post, Joshua Kim and Eddie Maloney have argued for and against the phenomenon of hiring an outside firm to build courses, market them and manage enrollment. This interactive presentation will review best practices associated with managing relationships with OPMs and other third-party vendors, providing participants with several strategies that our institutions have employed, discussing pros and cons of those strategies. In addition, experiences with a pilot project engaging with a provider for course design services at a presenter institution will also be shared and will include conversation around the context that drives this relationship as well as its outcomes.

• S. Raj Chaudhury, University of South Alabama
• Joseph Thomas, Symbiosis Educational Consultants
• Becky Copper, Fitchburg State University

Moderator: Michael Frasciello, Syracuse University

UPCEA Trail Stops hosted during Networking Break

Taking its cue from Boston’s historical journey, a “Freedom Trail” presentation is an opportunity to host a thematic conversation at a metaphorical “stop.” Supported by each of the six UPCEA Networks—affinity groups for the areas of practice that make up professional, continuing, and online education, these informal conversations are hosted around a specific topic in the Exhibit Hall during one of the various 30-minute Networking Breaks during the conference, offering a chance for engaging, thoughtful conversation between attendees and presenters. This experimental format is particularly designed to provide opportunities for attendees to expand both their professional knowledge as well as their individual networks, in low-risk, engaging, and likely small group dialogues.

Expediting Online Program Growth on a Condensed Deadline
Galleria | Track: Online Administration
Level: Foundational | Format: Freedom Trail | Tag: Noncredit/Alternative Credential
In fall 2018, University of Kentucky challenged itself to increase access to its academic programs by fall 2019. Despite concerns that “it couldn’t be done,” the initiative inspired a series of events, partnerships, collaborations, and processes never before seen at the university, ultimately resulting in the launch of 20 new online programs for the fall of 2019 and six new online programs that are anticipated to launch the following year. Presenters will share challenges, strategies, successes, and lessons learned, as well as considerations of timelines and the relationships needed to undertake similar initiatives.

• Miranda Hines, University of Kentucky

• Patsy Carruthers, University of Kentucky

Moderator: Ray Schroeder, University of Illinois, Springfield + UPCEA

2020 Recipient of the UPCEA Philip E. Frandson Award for Literature: The Business of Innovating Online
Stone | Track: Online Administration
Level: Applied | Format: Presentation
The Business of Innovating Online responds to a critical need for concrete narratives of innovation success that can serve as a foundation for administrators and leaders who are in need of practical guidance as they scale and grow their online learning organizations. The Business of Innovating Online provides both novice and experienced online education administrators with a comprehensive overview of a range of online innovations, how they came to be created, the components that led to their success, and concrete steps that they can take to create a more innovative culture for their own e-learning organization.

• Katie Linder, Kansas State University
• Karen Pederson, Kansas State University
• Lisa Templeton, Oregon State University

Moderator: Andy Atzert, Adelphi University

Empowering Instructors for Success *
Marina III-IV | Track: Program Planning and Implementation
Level: Applied | Format: Presentation | Tag: Diversity & Inclusion
Come join us in this active, participatory session where you will explore two highly successful approaches to setting up instructors for success. We begin by sharing the tools and processes developed by the University of Washington for finding, selecting, and coaching instructors in PCE programs. Next, we discuss developing engaging and accessible student-learning experiences that align with course learning objectives and meet quality assurance standards (Quality Matters). These data-driven activities, developed by the instructional design team at the University of Iowa, received the OLC Effective Practice Award, 2019. This session will equip you with a toolkit of straightforward, simple best practices to make your instructors more effective and your students more successful.

• Peter Wallis, University of Washington
• Paul Del Piero, University of Washington
• Amy Oberfoelll, University of Iowa
• Isandra Martinez-Marrero, University of Iowa
• Dan Dao, University of Iowa
• Susan Bailey, University of Iowa

Moderator: Mary Loeffelholz, Northeastern University

The Online Student's Needs and Expectations: Are Students and Staff Aligned?
Commonwealth AB | Track: Online Administration
Level: Strategic | Format: Presentation
UPCEA and InsideTrack have surveyed nearly 6,000 students and 500 staff from 25 participating institutions. Staff and students were asked what support is most important, preferred communication, satisfaction, challenges they face or anticipate and demographics, including the program or area of study and credential they are seeking. The main objective of the study is to better understand whether institutions are in alignment with the needs of the online student and how wide or narrow some gaps might be. Some insights might be drawn based on the demographics of the student, but also on the type of institution or credential sought.

• Jim Fong, UPCEA
• Dave Jarrat, InsideTrack

Moderator: Robert Wagner, Utah State University

More or Less Centralized: Addressing Distance Education Compliance in University Systems
Grand Ballroom E | Track: Online Administration
Level: Applied | Format: Workshop | Tag: Policy
Who should be taking lead on this? When it comes to regulatory compliance for distance education, this question tends to come up a lot. Presenters for this session will share experiences working in compliance roles in two university systems that have taken different approaches to online education, guiding attendees thorugh a series of compliance response scenarios using ViewPoint^TM, a digital simulation tool. This simulation will send participants on an online program development journey where challenges relating to state authorization, licensure, accessibility, copyright, strategic partnerships, export controls, etc., are presented through engaging and authentic role-playing scenarios. The presenters will use this activity to spark meaningful discussion and reflection on the pros and cons of different compliance strategies, asking participants to consider which approaches would work best at their institutions.

• Richard LaFosse, University of Michigan
• Ilona Hajdu, Indiana University

Moderator: Claudia Farnandez, Appalachian State University

Achieving Global Outreach and Impact by Breaking the Barriers of Language and the Physical World Through Online & Blended Learning *
Marina II | Track: International
Level: Strategic | Format: Presentation | Tag: Diversity & Inclusion
By eliminating the barriers of language and the physical world via online blended learning in multiple languages, continuing education can expand its global outreach in the Spanish speaking world and transform societies socially--especially impacting women by lowering the STEM gap for the new emerging middle class in parts of Latin America. How are leaders in professional, continuing, and online education driving growth and innovation and creating deeper learning journey’s in our competitive global markets? What are the key opportunities, challenges, and strategies to realize the growth and social impact? This presentation will discuss the history of professional online learning at MIT Professional Education and describe the anatomy of its global learning strategy that builds upon its strengths and brand of mens et manus (mind and hand) learning by doing in order to impact the world for the better—mind/hand/heart.

• Clara Piloto, MIT

Moderator: Elizabeth Valencia-Borgert, St. Cloud State University

Changing with the Times: Can Traditional Non-Profit Universities Compete in the World of Mega-Universities *
Grand Ballroom D | Track: Business and Operations
Level: Foundational | Format: Presentation
This session examines the competitive pressures faced by traditional, campus-based online and professional education programs in a market dominated by large, private online education providers.  As the market for traditional 18 to 22-year-old students tightens, campuses look toward adult and lifelong learners as a new enrollment and revenue stream. However campus-based programs are not typically as agile and competitive as the online mega-universities, as they face challenges in marketing, recruitment, lead conversion along with competitive scheduling and compensation models. We will consider these challenges from both a public and private non-profit university perspective, and share strategies that have aided these institutions and programs to grow in a highly competitive environment. The presenters will solicit challenges from the audience and also share strategies adopted on their respective campuses to address these challenges.

• Steven Tello, University of Massachusetts Lowell
• Nancy Ludwig, University of Massachusetts Lowell
• John Wells, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Moderator: Eric Turner, Lasell University

Leveraging Internal Structures for Strategic and Sustainable Online Initiatives: Case Studies in Shifting Organization Models and Institutional Revenue Sharing
Grand Ballroom C | Track: Online Administration
Level: Strategic | Format: Presentation
This session will share two case studies, each highlighting a specific challenge and the strategies undertaken by administrators to align internal structures to support online learning development and delivery. The first case describes how leaders of the digital learning organization at Middlebury undertook a paradigmatic shift from a service to a partner model, with the goal of being positioned to provide leadership in support of the institution’s new strategic framework including an emphasis on developing new online programs. We will share specific examples of how the partner model was infused into faculty professional learning, project work, and instructional design processes, and invite participants to reflect on what their organization would need to drive a similar shift. The second case shares several different internal revenue sharing models used to support the design, development, and delivery of online education at West Virginia University and The Pennsylvania State University. We will explore the pros and cons of each model, while engaging participants in sharing ideas of what an “ideal” revenue sharing model might look like within various institutional contexts.

• Amy Collier, Middlebury College
• Sarah Lohnes Watulak, Middlebury College
• Ann Taylor, The Pennsylvania State University

Moderator: Barbara Macaulay, MCPHS University