Happy New Year to All!

I'm just a bit disappointed with most online universities, and traditional universities that offer online degrees. I'm disappointed with the fact that most online universities are not doing much to hire online learners.

What would I like to see? I would like see online universities develop job titles that are specifically related to the online environment. For example, a job title such as Admissions Coordinator can easily be change to online Admissions Coordinator by developing some sort of intranet capability that will allow the online Admissions Coordinator to submit information to the university. Most online learners never attend a physical campus so why can online universities employment recruitment reflect such. 

I think one of the problems is the lack of technological training, and strategic planning. I spoke with couple of University Administrators in the past, and their biggest problem was developing an online division. For one, they had no prior teaching experience and had no clue how to properly run the online division. So, what they did was to include the online division under the same budget as campus. In my opinion, that is where this problem of not recruiting online learners stems from. Think about it, online learners are spending the same amount as campus students and sometimes even more due to technology fees etc. Campus students on the other hand, have career services, internships, and online learners have nothing but we are paying the same amount for the same degree as campus students. Does that make sense?

I'm fully aware that online learning is geared towards the "working adults"; however, that image of "working adults" is changing because a lot people are starting to tune in to the flexibility of online learning.

What should online universities do? In my opinion, online universities should include in their strategic plans recruitment tactics for online learners. Do you agree?

Hmm, this is an interesting topic.  So, you believe that universities that offer online programs should always (or at least usually) cordon off those programs into an online campus that's managed separately and even has different titles for its staff and faculty?

You mention career services and the like, and I agree that's important and sometimes gets short shrift from schools that have online programs.  However, there are also schools that do a good job offering this to online students.  Perhaps it's simply something that should be added to a prospective student's checklist of things to ask about when evaluating different schools.

-=Steve=-

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B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress

Steve,

That is correct, online universities should include in their strategic plan a vision and budget to hire online learners. If this type of learning is suppose to be the new wave of the future, than University Administrators need to start thinking of ways to foster change in their hiring tactics of online learners.

"Cordon off those programs into an online campus that's managed separately and even has different titles for its staff and faculty?" the different titles will reflect that the instructor, staff, administration is online. The purpose of the different job titles is to let students know that everything is done online. The same services that are provided on campus should be provided online such as internship, career services, seminars, and graduation ceremony.

I do have aspiration to open my own online Institute in the near future. I will be a forward thinker when it comes to developing a vision for those students that will spend their time, money and energy to get an education. I will in return provide them with the option of online teaching or working for the online administration.

In my opinion, a lot of traditional and non traditional universities enjoy reaping the benefit ($$$$) that online learning provides but they fail to look deeper at the students needs.

Steve, I do agree with you regarding the "student's checklist", However, It is up to the school's administration to provide those services and not the students.

A potential downfall of doing this however is the segregation may cause concern amongst not only potential students, but other faculty and even employers if online students do not have the same access to the campus faculty as residential students have.  The colleges have gone to a lot of effort and trouble to get the best faculty on campus they can, to create an entirely seperate entity under the same banner, completely seperate of the campus faculty there could be concerns for rigor, uniformity, etc. 

 

In spirit however I understand and agree with you.  Teaching online is totally different than teaching in a classroom.

I'm not sure that universities, even those that offer online programs, should necessarily prefer employees who have been online students, I think they'd be better off simply looking for the right combination of experiences and credentials for each position, which may or may not include experience with online higher education.

As for having a separate online campus, I think that model works for some universities but not others.  Online learning isn't some monolithic thing.  It's an approach that can be applied at many different levels.  So I think that may be the best way for some places, but it shouldn't be expected.

-=Steve=-

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B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress

Steve,

I not asking for a seperate campus rather seperate budget.

I've always wondered at the "technology fees" schools often charge.  It's not as if online students use air conditioning, toilets, paper towels, water or take up desk space in classrooms.  Why the additional fees?

Cajun,

I think for equipment/software upgrade or staff training. Some universities charge between $50-250 per semester.

Cajun:

I've always wondered at the "technology fees" schools often charge.  It's not as if online students use air conditioning, toilets, paper towels, water or take up desk space in classrooms.  Why the additional fees?

I think it's simple -- they do it because students will pay.  And also it's related to what Marjie says about schools not budgeting their online programs separately.

-=Steve=-

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B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress

SteveFoerster:

Cajun:

I've always wondered at the "technology fees" schools often charge.  It's not as if online students use air conditioning, toilets, paper towels, water or take up desk space in classrooms.  Why the additional fees?

I think it's simple -- they do it because students will pay.  And also it's related to what Marjie says about schools not budgeting their online programs separately.

-=Steve=-

Unfortunately I think Steve is right, supply and demand.

 

Steve,

Exactly, a seperate budget will factor in the minor details and that will eliminate students paying additional fees.

I agree completely, what do you suggest they should do to make this work?

 

SamKrening:

I agree completely, what do you suggest they should do to make this work?

 

It looks like it's working fine for the schools already.

SamKrening:

I agree completely, what do you suggest they should do to make this work?

There's an answer, but it's probably politically infeasible: greatly reduce the maximum amount available through federally supported student loans.  A lot of schools have tuition rates that purposefully hover around that maximum.  It creates something of a price floor.

-=Steve=-

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B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress