Challenges & Opportunities in
Adopting Online Learning Platforms
UC Berkeley-Harvard-MIT-Stanford Online Learning Summit
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Ellen Junn, Provost & VPAA
CSU Dominguez Hills, ejunn@csudh.edu
Why are you here?
Online learning at your institution?
New
Development?
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1950s: CBS-NYU Sunrise Semester (Comparative Lit at 6 am, 177=credit, 120,00=NC)
1960s: U. IL--PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations)
1969: DOD commissions ARPANET or the Internet
1989: University of Phoenix (est. 1976), private, for-profit; now ~300,000
online students; $1.3 B=2011; 16% grad rate (vs. 55% nationally); in 2012
closed over 50% or 115 campuses
1991: World Wide Web created
1995+: LMS available (e.g. WebCT, BlackBoard, Norway ’87)
1998: Western Gov. Univ. (WGI), competency, 35,000 stds, 50 degrees, $5,800
2002: MIT OpenCourseWare & Carnegie Mellon Online Learning
Initiative
2011: Declines in student enrollment for many for-profit online degree
companies (Apollo, DeVry, Capella, Corninthian, Kaplan)
e.g., K.C. Green, http://agb.org/trustees/2013/1/mission-moocs-money
Online Education Today?
Sloan Consortium Report 2011
•  Over 6.7 million students in US were taking at least one
online course during the fall 2011 term, an increase of
570,000 students over the previous year (before MOOCs).
•  32% higher education students now take at least one
course online.
Perceived Benefits of
Online/Hybrid Learning
Among AASCU Instit. CAOs
(1) 87% = Increased student access
(2) 77% = Attracted students from outside the traditional service area
(3) 58% = Provided pedagogical improvements
(4) 57% = Increased enrollment
(4) 57% = Increased revenue => “Iron Triangle” of access, cost, quality
(5) 50% = Grown continuing and/or professional education
(6) 47% = Enhanced value of college/university brand
(7) 45% = Shifted enrollment from on ground to online
(8) 33% = Increased rate of degree completion
(9) 29% = Strengthened academic continuity in case of disaster
(10) 26% = Increased strategic partnerships with other institutions
(11) 25% = Increased the diversity of student body
(12) 21% = Optimized physical plant utilization
(12) 21% = Improved student retention
(13) 18% = Improved enrollment management responsiveness
(14) 15% = Reduced or contained costs
(15) 10% = Increased faculty recruitment and retention
(16) 8% = Enhanced alumni and donor outreach
(2013)
Higher Education 2011 Presidential Survey (956 US campuses)
-- 78% agreed/strongly agreed that launching and expanding online courses and
programs provides a way to serve more learners
-- 69% agreed/strongly agreed that online programs can increase revenues.
-- findings highest among Presidents at community colleges, then public institutions,
then independent colleges.
Sloan-C Report 2013
Percentage of academic leaders who view the learning outcomes for online
instruction as the same of better than face-to-face instruction:
2003 = 57%
2012 = 77%
2013 = 74%
The proportion of academic leaders who believe the learning outcomes for online
education are inferior to those of face-to-face instruction went from 23% last year to
26% this year.
Academic leaders at institutions with online offerings remain positive about the
relative learning outcomes for online courses; all of the decrease can be attributed
to leaders at institutions without online offerings becoming more negative.
Top 15 Online Degree Programs
Source: Online College Students 2013
Business Administration/Management
Accounting
Information Technology
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement
Business: Finance
Psychology: General
Graphic Design
Healthcare Administration
Nursing
Computer Science
Education: Early Childhood Education
Medical Coding/Billing/Administration
Computer and Information Systems Security
Law/Paralegal Studies
Human Resources
Business Information Systems
Education: Leadership and Administration
Education: Other
Psychology: Clinical
Theology/Religious Studies
Social Work
Business: International
Undergraduate
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
7
9
10
11
11
13
14
15
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Graduate
1
3
2
-4
13
-6
9
10
----10
10
7
5
14
7
14
14
Grade Change: Tracking Online Education in the US
Babson Research Survey Group, Jan 2014 *
When this report series began in 2002,
ž  Carnegie classified BA institutions were the most negative and
had less online offerings; AA institutions were the most positive
and had the largest proportion of online offerings.
ž  Institutions reporting online education is not critical to their longterm strategy has dropped to a new low of 9.7%.
ž  The number of HE students taking at least one online course
increased by over 411,000 to a new total of 7.1 million (33.5%) or
5.5 M (Dept of Ed). But the online enrollment growth rate of 6.1%
is the lowest recorded in this report series.
ž  The proportion of higher education students taking at least one
online course is at an all-time high of 33.5%.
* Data collected from Babson and the College Board of 4,726 institutions; a total of
2,831 responses were included in the analysis, representing 59.9% of the sample
universe, or 81.0% of higher education enrollments.
http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/gradechange.pdf
Online Institutions. . .
Just When You Least Expect It
...
2012 . . .
Harvard
1636
MIT
1861
Stanford
1885
The term, MOOC allegedly first
appeared in Inside Higher Ed in
December 2011, in reference to a
course offered by a Stanford
University professor. The New York
Times declared 2012 to be “the Year of
the MOOC”.
MOOCs:
edX: Harvard-MIT (Anant Agrawal), $60M, Dec 2011
+18 partners, over +24 courses, +2 M students
https://www.edx.org/
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/mit-harvard-edx-announcement-050212.html
Udacity: Former Stanford (Sebastian Thrun), Feb
2012
https://www.udacity.com/
$15.3 M, +20 courses
1 M students
Coursera: Stanford (Daphne Koller, Andrew Ng)
April 2012, +33 universities, +423 courses, +4.6 M student
from 196 countries
https://www.coursera.org/
TESTING MOOCs with real
students at a state university. . .
San José State University
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Oldest public university in West – over 150 yrs
30,448 students (Fall 2012: African Amer=3%, Asian
Amer=33%, Hispanic=21%, Native Amer=0.1%,
White=26%, International=7%)
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154 degrees (83=undergrad,70=MA,1=doctorate)
Ranks 8th in West for Master’s, USN&WR
Ranks 2nd top College of Engineering, USN&WR
SJSU Case Study Lessons
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Launched the 1st university MOOC pilot, 2012
Coupled with a grand vision
Sought national press coverage
Disseminated data
Coped with intense media interpretation
Next steps?
(1) SJSU & MIT edX Collaboration
FALL 2012
BLENDED Electrical Engineering 98: Circuits and Electronics Course
(6 online components = short videos, quizzes, virtual lab, tutorials, textbook, virtual
office hours)
Anant Agrawl, President edX
Lt. Governor Gavin Newsome
President Mo Qayoumi
Results (in red)
Mean=50%, STD=23% N=50
Traditional courses:
59% passed
Blended edX course:"
!91% passed"
Mean=62%, STD=20%N=78
NEW:
§  SJSU-edX Center for Excellence
in Adaptive and Online Learning
§  12 other CSUs July 2013
§  Expand to other edX courses
§  Publish/disseminate data
Mean=45%, STD=19%
N=75
(2) SJSU & Udacity Collaboration
Inquiry-based, problem-solving, active learning ONLINE pedagogy
Spring 2013:
1.  Remedial Math
2.  Introduction to Algebra
3.  Introduction to Statistics
Summer 2013 (added 2 new courses):
4. Introduction to Psychology
5. Introduction to Computer Programming
Governor Gavin Jerry Brown
President Mo Qayoumi
With support from:
Gates Foundation &
National Science Foundation
President Qayoumi, Provost Junn, Marc Andreessen, Sebastian Thrun
SJSU Plus with Udacity
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College credit MOOC pilot
- Remedial Math
- College Algebra
- Intro Statistics
- Summer 2013: + Intro Psych; +Intro Comp Sci
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Assess student/faculty outcomes
(NSF funding); n=100= 50 SJSU +50 non-SJSU
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Underserved student focus
Human contact enhancements
Affordable cost ($150/course)
Abundant Media Attention:
NYT, Chronicle, WSJ, CNN Films, etc
MEDIA FRENZY!!
“Major Players in the MOOC Universe”
Chronicle of Higher Education
April 29, 2013
04/29/2013
Leaked SJSU+ Outcomes & Caveats
Results: Table below represents students who earned a C or better.
Spring Pilot 2013
SJSU On-Campus
(based on past 6 semesters)
Entry Level Math
23.8%
45.5%
College Algebra
25.4%
64.7%
Elementary Statistics
50.5%
76.3%
CAVEAT: The Spring 2013 pilot intentionally sought out
disadvantaged student groups (e.g., remedial, econ. disadv. high
school students).
NSF-Funded Report
http://www.sjsu.edu/chemistry/People/Faculty/Collins_Research_Page/index.html
More Media Frenzy
Outcomes & Caveats
Results: Table below represents students who earned a C or better.
Spring Pilot
2013
Summer Pilot
2013
SJSU On-Campus
(based on past 6
semesters)
Elementary
Statistics
50.5%
83.0%
76.3%
College Algebra
25.4%
72.6%
64.7%
Entry Level Math
23.8%
29.8%
45.5%
General
Psychology
not offered
67.3%
83.0%
Intro to
Programming
not offered
70.4%
67.6%
§  2.6% = MOOC; 9.4%=planning
§  Acad leaders unconvinced that
MOOCs are sustainable
§  77% CAOs rate online learning as
same or superior to those in face-toface.
§  Only 30.2% CAOs believe their
faculty accept the value and
legitimacy of online education (lower
than 2004).
§  69.1% CAOs say that online learning
is critical to their long-term strategy is
at a new high.
Getting Back to
Student Learning
Evolution of Skills ...
From writing, to typing, to
word processing, ask
yourself, what technology
skills should all
undergraduates possess in
today’s world?
Today’s Student Technology Skills??
Some US states are now mandating at
least one online course in HIGH
SCHOOL: Alabama, Florida, Michigan,
Virginia; discussions in Georgia, Idaho,
others.
What Does This Mean
for Your Institution?
Purpose & Overall Considerations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Fundamental focus regarding the
purpose in aligning with institutional
mission (undergrad, grad, alumni).
Continuum à F2F, blended, online,
Focus on student learning and
assessment of evidence of learning.
Critical importance of stakeholder buy-in
especially faculty support.
Clarity on the business plan and many
infrastructure details.
Business Plan
Financial sustainability considerations
2.  Extended Education vs. state-side
3.  Legal issues
•  Accessibility and 508 compliance
•  FERPA regulations
3.  Intellectual property (IP)
•  Faculty created= faculty owned
•  Jointly created= joint owned/
determined
Technical Issues
1.  LMS integration/ registration/ payment
1.
Faculty Considerations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Faculty good will & interest in innovation!!
Robust training and compensation of
faculty (i.e., stipends, professional
development funds, assigned time for
creating and teaching online/hybrid).
Clear process for regular campus/faculty
communication, consultation, approvals.
Careful identification of courses and/or
degrees, certificates, badges.
Process for equitable identification and
selection of faculty and training.
Key Considerations
Assessment and Evaluation
1.  Apriori assessment and evaluation—both
internal and external.
2.  Seek external funding for assessment
validation.
3.  Focus on LMS intensive student learning
analytics and dashboards.
4.  Collect quantitative and qualitative data
(learning outcomes, satisfaction,
experiences).
5.  Collect data from students and faculty.
Key Considerations
Marketing, Communications & Media
1.  Proactive campus communications plan
•  Faculty, Dept, College, Senate, unions
•  Involve campus M&C division asap
2.  Robust marketing plan (matriculated and
non-matriculated students)
3.  Managing press conferences and media
relations
Gartner’s Emerging Technologies
Hype Cycle (2014)
What is Learning?
“Learning is much more than accessing
content. In the 21st century, learning is a
complex blend of skills, competencies, and
the will to continue learning throughout life.
These skills and competencies include the
ability to think critically and solve complex
problems, work collaboratively, communicate
effectively, and pursue self-directed learning
or metacognition.”
Diana Oblinger, Educause
MORAL:
Human learning is a
complex social enterprise
ž  Motivation
for knowledge acquisition
ž  Creation of knowledge
ž  Dissemination of knowledge
ž  Application of knowledge
ž  Replete with meaning
The Good News . . .
ž  Irony:
“Ivy virtual classroom” legitimized a focus
on teaching and learning, across all sectors
of higher education (elite, public, private, forprofit).
ž  Opened new avenues to consider the value
and utility of online learning environments for
professional development, alumni and life-long
learning.
ž  Promotes healthy innovation and alternative
new possibilities for higher education.
Online learning today…
…this is not your father’s
oldsmobile
Students as “naïve” digital natives.
ž  Powerful next generation online tools and applications
(e.g., “high-touch” interactive synchronous/asynchronous
video streaming), adaptive learning, data analytics.
ž  Ample research on effective teaching and evidence of
enhanced student learning using technology (SLOAN-C,
QM, AACU LO rubrics).
ž  Putting the power and innovation of research on human
learning in the hands of faculty and others. INVEST in
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT, instructional design and
assessment.
ž
Final Words of Advice . . .
Thank You!
Ellen Junn
Provost & Vice President, Academic Affairs
California State University, Dominguez Hills
ejunn@csudh.edu