In these challenging COVID-19 times, presidents and provosts look to their chief online education officer (COEO) more than ever to provide leadership and assure quality in the administration of online and remote programmatic efforts. Join this session to discuss how higher-ed senior leadership can best empower and support their COEO.
Outcomes:
- Discuss the pre- and post-pandemic role the chief online education officer (COEO) plays at your particular institution.
- Describe how your institution's COEO is directly involved in addressing some of the most unprecedented post-pandemic challenges in terms of online and remote teaching and learning.
- Identify key realistic ways in which the COEO needs authority and resources from your institution in order to lead online and remote efforts with the utmost quality.
Extended Abstract:
The chief online education officer (COEO) umbrella term encompasses a variety of job titles, such as [coordinator, director, dean, vice president, provost, or chief officer] of [online education, eLearning, or distance learning]. The year 2020 marks a decade since most higher-education institutions in the United States adopted this role. Sadly, it also marks the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unprecedented year when all institutions scrambled to switch face-to-face programming to an emergency remote-delivery format. The longer the pandemic lasts, the more dilemmas arise, particularly in the administration of remote instruction. Now more than ever, presidents and provosts look to their COEO to provide institutional leadership. But what do COEOs need in order to be successful during the pandemic and beyond? And how can presidents and provosts best empower their COEO? A recent research study shed light on how senior leadership can best calibrate the COEO’s authority such as to maximize this professional’s ability to influence quality in the administration of online programs. Join this session for an exclusive look at the study and to discuss its relevance and application in various institutional contexts. Most importantly, you are invited to take this opportunity to engage in exploratory dialog with fellow administrators about how best to support the COEO professional in your organization during these uncertain COVID-19 times.