Learn from our story: faculty charged with converting graduate program to an online format in order to bolster enrollment with little support. Learn about strategies used to address the psychological and physical factors, campus politics, and limited resources involved in converting a traditional in-person programs to a fully online format.
Perhaps healthy budgets from enrollment and endowments were once the norm in American higher education (Brubacher & Willis, 2008), however, that is no longer the case. Especially small, private, liberal arts institutions, in particular, struggle with enrollment and funding (Rudgers & Peterson, 2017; Toner, 2015). Trends to bolster enrollment include starting new athletic teams (Cohen, 2012; Miller & Fennell, 2015; Smith, 2015), adding new academic programs (Atkins, 2017; Toner, 2015), and changing to online course delivery (Freidman, 2018; Smith, 2015).
In a perfect world, time would be devoted to strategic planning, funding would be limitless and experts would be in place to support all efforts. In reality, sometimes the environment calls for immediate responses to circumstances. The frame of reference for this session is of quickly implementing something new that leadership believes easy and relatively effortless to accomplish. This session will begin from the point where faculty were given the charge to usher several small, graduate programs to an online format in order to increase enrollment.
Within one academic department, three faculty were each given a separate charge to convert three individual, small, graduate programs to an online format in hopes of bolstering enrollment as a response to an institution-wide resource allocation process that resulted in cutting programs. Working through various limitations and obstacles, faculty collaborated to navigate the challenges and the unknown to develop and implement a plan to move forward to ultimately reach success. Participants’ learning outcomes will include understanding various strategies used to address the psychological factors (control, own convictions), campus politics (who makes decisions, faculty governance, enrollment), physical factors (technology available, what is possible) and limited resources (humans in IT, actual technology, adjunct faculty, funding for training) involved in converting a traditional in-person program to a fully online format.
We will ground the discussion within the development stage of the Administrative Support Matrix which includes the following items: “Online program policies, staff development program, faculty incentives, teamwork approach, faculty development program, faculty mentoring program, course management system, lecture capture or course online delivery system, and online test security” (Barefield and Meyers, 2013, Introduction table 1).
Our story includes an administrative mandate supported by declining enrollment at a tuition dependent institution; and, a faculty culture of seeking excellence with limited resources. Both seasoned and junior faculty presenters will share actions taken and lessons learned for each step of the process from each of their perspectives. Employee psychological factors as well as campus politics will be examined as they overlay all resource factors. Each presenter will address items to consider, obstacles or challenges, and training strategies that were implemented.
Online program policies: Barefield and Meyers (2013) :
How to order books;
How to address when course content is not appropriate for online;
Adjusting student evaluations/language (response rate & overall rating lower than in person);
Deciding how to accomplish peer evaluations of teaching;
Go through the curriculum committee to change format of programs;
Redefining office hours;
Develop the pieces that are outside of courses (orientation to institution and to program, PC presentation, advising, end of year traditions);
Ensure accreditation standards continue to be met;
Plan for collecting assessment data
Faculty incentives: Barefield and Meyers (2013):
No course releases or compensation was provided. Grant provided OLC courses for volunteer faculty who then earned a stipend for presenting what they learned to peers on campus.
A teamwork approach: Barefield and Meyers (2013)
Colleagues included new faculty immediately on a task force and in developing conference proposals. Developed and utilized relationships to share resources, new ideas and collaborate on strategies. Campus wide task force to address student evaluations.
A faculty development program: Barefield and Meyers (2013)
Faculty enrolled in several OLC courses funded by the remainder of a grant. New faculty attended on campus presentations from other faculty. Grant provided for OLC certification program for several faculty. Faculty quickly discovered new and persistent avenues to seek funding from administration to pay for their own training opportunities as well as for adjunct faculty training. Developed and implemented an adjunct training session.
Psychological Factors:
No structure to new schedule which presented new time management issues. When advising students, learning what they see vs what I see online, then being able to teach new students. Addressing current students’ dissatisfaction with new format as they did not choose an online program. Emotional factors played a role in being able to lead the development of a new delivery for the programs. Individual attitude, resistance, fear of unknown, fear of lowering quality, ability and willingness to change, and needs for control were reoccurring factors to be managed. Stages that we progressed through during the process included grieving, anger, resistance, accepting, attitude change, grateful to learn new skills, and excitement at possibilities.
Campus Politics:
Many emotions were involved with implementing a change that was being directed by administration. We had to figure out how to address courses that are not housed in our own department but that students can enroll that may not be online. Updating the student evaluations was technical and also involved relationships. Our many new needs directly impacted the IT staff people and we learned to work well with the different personalities.
Physical Factors:
We will address actual technology we have. We hosted an intern from our PhD program who designed a practicum host training session.
Limited resources:
There are only two humans working in our IT (academic computing) department and no instructional designers. Funding for training, recruitment and licenses for software and programs is scarce. On the topic of recruitment, we will discuss working with admissions and marketing, using social media and networks to advertise in absence of an advertising budget. We will share how we address the out of class parts of the program such as using Zoom to meet with students/interview.
Maintenance stage of matrix: Barefield and Meyers (2013)
Skill & training: once feel up to par, new technology will develop
Balance: i.e. away email/department culture of not 24/7
Developing an assessment plan
Our new center for teaching excellence possibly beginning to address online training
How to alter end of year traditions that created community and established identity
Broadening our institution circle for peer support and training
Take aways for participants:
1. Check list to convert to online with little support: How to do it
2. List of resources & tools we recommend
LMS training in house and Youtube
Community of Inquiry
Teaching and Learning innovations: Peer Review for online and blended courses: CI Quality online Learning and Teaching (QOLT) Rubric from CSU https://cal.sdsu.edu/resources/docs/QOLT%20Instrument.pdf
3. Resources for strategically planning a program change
University of Minnesota resource https://cei.umn.edu/online-learning/develop-and-administer-online-program/step-step-development-process-online-programs
Florida State University https://distance.fsu.edu/instructors/developing-and-managing-online-program
Barefield & Meyers Model of Administrative support http://library.ahima.org/doc?oid=301228#.Wvnv34oh3cs
Interactive ideas during session:
1. Pair and share groups of three people: 1 or 2 obstacles for which participants are seeking solutions to; 1 or 2 that are already solved. Text in – onto screen: something you already solved.
2. Vent/get it out in groups of three people: permission to complain for 1 minute. Process for 5 minutes. Recognize that change and loss of control are challenging. Recognize what you are being asked to do is not easy. You may not agree, not your vision, feel you will have to compromise quality, already good at what you do/don’t want to change, etc. Text in word cloud on screen: one word to represent how you are feeling about the task at hand. Close activity with positive list of words: energizing, hopeful, opportunity, leading, intrinsic reward for hard work, expanded skill, etc.
3. To close: what advice do you have to share regarding anything we did not consider in the larger group. Start off with “Don’t forget to…” or list other resources.
References
Atkins, B. (2017, September 15). A Cure for Declining Enrollment: Launching the Right New Program. GrayAssociates. https://www.grayassociates.com/blog/launching-the-right-new-academic-programs-in-higher-education
Barefield, A. & Meyer, J.D. (2013). "Leadership’s Role in Support of Online Academic Programs: Implementing an Administrative Support Matrix". Perspectives in Health Information Management (Winter, January 2013). The American Health Information Management Association. http://library.ahima.org/doc?oid=301228#.Wvnv34oh3cs
Brubacher, J.S. & Rudy, W. (2008). Higher education in transition: A History of American Colleges and Universities, 4th ed. NJ: Transition Press.
Cohen, A. (2012, January). Sports and Recreation Facilities Boost Small-College Enrollment. Athletic Business. https://www.athleticbusiness.com/Marketing/sports-and-recreation-facilities-boost-small-college-enrollment.html
Friedman, J. (2018, January 11). Study: More Students Are Enrolling in Online Courses. US News and World Report. https://www.usnews.com/higher-education/online-education/articles/2018-01-11/study-more-students-are-enrolling-in-online-courses
Miller, S.D. & Fennell, M. (2015, September 1). Adding Athletics to Boost Enrollment. College Planning and Management. https://webcpm.com/Articles/2015/09/01/Athletics.aspx