Launching Online Education: Outsource and Customize

Congrats to Louisville, KY (my hometown) based Learning House on the acquisition by Weld North. Yet another verification of the potential of online education. Also great to see so many colleges and universities embracing an outsourced model. Can’t tell you how often I’ve come across schools who try to do things in-house, only to later realize some things (particularly technology) are more efficient when outsourced. LH appears to provide a model where schools can leverage their resources, while customizing offerings specific to their goals.

What’s so compelling about Learning House is the breadth of offerings it provides to educational institutions, especially to independent small and medium sized colleges and universities that may not have the infrastructure or resources to build a comprehensive online offering. We are confident that the market share winner in this currently fragmented industry will be the business that can offer institutions a full suite of services, from curriculum development, to faculty training, to marketing services aimed at attracting and retaining online students

 

The Disruption is Near for Higher Ed

… the only variable is time. The model is broken. Many of the same issues being raised here were brought up in other industries. The challenges will be met and online technology will unleash a flurry of innovation in higher education.

The traditional university, in his view, serves a fortunate few, inefficiently, with a business model built on exclusivity. “I’m not at all against the on-campus experience,” he said. “I love it. It’s great. It has a lot of things which cannot be replaced by anything online. But it’s also insanely uneconomical.”

Thrun acknowledges that there are still serious quality-control problems to be licked. How do you keep an invisible student from cheating? How do you even know who is sitting at that remote keyboard? Will the education really be as compelling — and will it last? Thrun believes there are technological answers to all of these questions, some of the being worked out already by other online frontiersmen.

“If we can solve this,” he said, “I think it will disrupt all of higher education.”

 

Intel’s university “bet” has better odds

Most major technology companies finance collaborative research with universities. But Intel’s distributed approach seems to stand out. The new approach, Justin Rattner, Intel’s chief technology officer, explained “allows us to include more institutions, get broader coverage and get more money to university researchers.”
– Intel Spreads Its University Research Bets, New York Times (1/28/11)

I’m not a scientist (far from it) but two things I like about Intel’s approach. First, ensuring more funds get to the researchers for whom it was intended (duh!). This in turn creates more ROI, which yields more “real world” benefits and begets more university partnerships. Second, it fosters collaboration in an environment that sometimes encourages that the secrets be kept behind the ivory walls. Let’s hope future corporate/university partnerships follow this model.

 

LA Schools Decide to Seek Corporate Sponsors

In a one-page summary pitch to potential sponsors, the district mentions the possibility of arranging school visits to pass out samples of approved food products or placing the donors’ logos in school cafeterias…. “The implications of us doing this are really disconcerting and really bothers me to my core,” said an LA School Board Member.

It was perhaps inevitable, even outside of a tough economy, that high schools adopt corporate funding models used by many universities. You don’t have to sell your soul, LA School Board. Long-term, however, a “your logo here” model won’t work. Some universities still think they can get a blank check for such a token gesture. That may still happen but is the exception not the norm. Schools should understand the core mission of a business and develop mutually beneficial programs to provide maximum ROI for both parties. Embrace the new reality, LA. Set a high standard. We’ll be watching.

 

WSJ College Football Halftime Ad Review

>At halftime, after watching student athletes bang into each other for 30 minutes, TV viewers are treated to a far more genteel scene: Researchers scurry about in lab coats and safety goggles, cellists saw away in concert halls, graduates toss their caps in the air and impeccably diverse groups of students do purposeful things while smiling.

… All while sitting under shady tree on a sunny day of course! While there are some challenges to the halftime format of course (including creating a continuity of message with just a single ad), I think a little Marketing 101 should apply here: namely identify a target audience and hitting them with a simple, yet distinctive message. I would argue (without any data to back it up!) that the primary audience watching these games are alumni, with a very small percentage being prospective students. Therefore, the focus on a university’s societal impact with a clear example is the way to go. This can enhance both giving and corporate partnerships. The University of Minnesota and Georgia Tech are indeed good examples of this approach.

 

Foursquare for Universities: Success Metrics?

I’m a big fan of foursquare, as evidenced by my 857 “check ins” over 239 days as of this writing (http://foursquare.com/user/jptierney). While it has created a global community, it is really all about “who are” and “what is” around you at a given moment; thus creating a millions of “mini-communities.” Thus, Foursquare for Universities is a great idea.

The benefits listed on their website — such as promoting places or events and creating a greater sense of community and school pride — make sense. Properly “managing” any social media tool always takes more time than appears on the surface, so — as I would ask of any new product — how do I measure success?

Will this really generate more foot traffic to events? More sales at the bookstore or campus dining spots? How can we measure the communal benefits? Just as measurement tools have evolved for Twitter, I’m guessing the same will happen for foursquare. In the meantime, I still suggest schools “check in” to this new service.

 

Done right, online Degrees will enhance reputation of “elites”

I’ve taught online for nearly 10 years and to broadly tie the medium with the quality of education is a bit myopic in my view. The technology is still in its’ infancy and a university with the appropriate focus on quality and delivery can create an online degree just as “valid” as an on campus one. Ultimately the UC Berkeley brand will be enhanced by this endeavor.

If University of California offers online degrees, can it keep its rep?

(Edley) also seems to believe a future in which UC offers online bachelor’s degrees is inevitable, and that the university should take steps toward doing so with all practical speed. “Eventually, there will be online credit-bearing courses and B.A. degrees in the so-called quality sector…UC should be first, as soon as possible, and our ambitions should err on the side of boldness.”