This session focuses on how program administrators can entice academic departments to offer new online programs and add innovation to existing programs. Learn how cross-departmental collaboration was the key to expanding innovative online learning at an R1 university.

Covid-19 and its aftermath made colleges and universities take online learning seriously. Beyond the campus closures and social distancing requirements, Covid-19 also accelerated the decline in traditional aged college admissions at many institutions. While online learning was not new in 2020, many institutions of higher education regarded it as a secondary experience that merely supplemented face-to-face instruction. The pandemic and the shrinking pool of high school graduates are forcing institutions of all sizes to pursue online programs as a pathway to financial stability and resiliency.   Simply having a catalogue of online academic programs, however, is not enough to remain a competitive institution within the online higher education space. To deliver high-quality and engaging online courses, academic and support programs must work together to ensure that institutions are actively developing innovative solutions to current and emerging problems. Importantly, this collaboration must also yield tangible solutions that teaching faculty can deploy with little to no assistance.   This presentation will share insights from two administrators from a large public R1 university who have grown a portfolio of online academic programs that is one of the largest in its state and has been recognized for innovation in several publications as well as among peer institutions. More specifically, we will examine the three phases on online program growth within our institution, detail how collaboration across campus fosters a community of change and innovation, and how that change, and innovation is made manifest across the curriculum.  Adoption (Early 2000s - ~2015) The focus of university administration was on enticing departments to begin developing online asynchronous courses and programs. Development funds and additional fees were included to compensate departments for their investment of time and resources. Furthermore, support in the form of an instructional design and technology team was implemented to provide support and ensure compliance with institutional policies for any course receiving development funds. Normalization (2015-2020) At this point, the catalogue of online courses grew to include most general education courses and the number of fully online programs grew to over 100 active programs. Notable developments during this phase were (1) the pulling back of development funds since most departments were offering at least one online program and (2) the creation of a centralized, branded online unit to oversee student acquisition, retention, and graduation. During this phase, the online unit also began several corporate partnerships, strengthening ties between academic pathways and workforce outcomes. This period is principally defined by the Covid-19 pandemic, which not only provided many challenges to our institution, but also enabled many possibilities. Covid-19 provided the need and the funding to provide effective online teaching and learning training to all faculty, and all faculty then had to apply what they learned immediately to teach classes online while our campus was closed. This dramatically raised the floor for online teaching and learning competencies among faculty, and it prepared our faculty to be receptive for new and more innovative approaches to online learning.   Innovation (2020 – Present) With a solid foundation supported by both depth and breadth of academic programming, the focus can now shift to innovation through cross departmental collaboration. Examples of this that will be discussed in detail include creating laboratories of innovation through our growing corporate partnerships; introducing new tools and technology like virtual reality; redeveloping faculty professional development to create a culture of change rather than focusing on technical mastery; and reducing administrative barriers to innovative solutions to institutional needs. The bulk of the presentation will focus on the innovation phase and why these areas of innovation were chose given our institution's history with online learning, challenges that have arisen since Covid-19 that forced us to innovate, and how two distinct units who support different populations (students vs. faculty) collaborated to find innovative yet sustainable solutions to these challenges.   During the presentation, attendees will have several ways to participate and immediately apply what they learn. Attendees will be provided with a digital worksheet that aligns with the presentation and will help them start the change process to increasing and improving online academic programs at their institutions. This worksheet will help them identify the phase of online program development their institution is currently at, areas of need, stakeholders needed for change, policies or individuals that may stand in the way of change, and examples of innovation that could be replicated at their institutions. Attendees are also encouraged to ask questions and provide feedback throughout the presentation and after during a Q&A.  After this session, attendees will be able to identify the phase of online learning their institution is at; identify techniques and policies that foster a culture of innovation in online learning; and apply the presenters’ lessons learned to innovate their institution’s online programs.