1. Online Learning Then and Now
How did online learning change the business of our institutions?
QM Regional Conference, March 2018
Diana Zilberman

2. Short Historical Perspective… Late 1990s and Early 2000s
Course websites
THE LMS!
Typically IT-generated
Typically IT-managed
Online… a fad?

3. The Early Adopters Pioneer faculty Emergence of online courses
Little to no distinction between online and correspondence courses
Online courses = Distance learning courses (equal to TV, or video courses)
Outcry from traditional faculty: “Can online courses be as good as f2f courses?”

4. Emergence of the Course Design Concept
Why “course design?” (Because we can…it’s there.)
QM makes its first appearance.
Along with “course design” a new job appeared, that of “instructional designer” (or technologist, or architect, or content developer.)
Many self-proclaimed “luddites.”

5. A Transformational Change Triggered by Technology
At course level
Distinction between course design and delivery
Observable course structure
Observable student learning outcomes
Generation of data
At program and institutional level
Observable outcomes at all units

6. Online Courses Become Mission-Critical Circa…2007
Flexibility + Availability = ACCESS
Myths still abound:
The either/or approach (“Soon we’ll be taught by robots!”)
“How do I know…if I don’t see the student?”
Emergence of research supporting online learning
“No Significant Difference between Traditional and Distance Learning Courses.”
QM gets more traction.

7. Online Learning Today A Second Generation
“Distance learning” is replaced by “eLearning” – proof of the ubiquitous presence of technology in teaching and learning
Fewer self-proclaimed “Luddites”
Smart phones! LMS apps
Gradual transition of the eLearning unit from IT to academic areas
eLearning becomes less marginalized and more main stream.
Full integration of courses on the LMS
Various statistics and metrics available through the LMS, including outcomes.

8. Questions Institutional Leadership Grapple with…

9. What practices to follow?
How do institutions ensure quality of online course/program design and delivery?
What procedures are best practices?
Do institutions offer orientations for online students?
Are modality options available for student and academic services? Is there a virtual campus?
What policies encourage smart integration of technology into teaching and learning?
Are all faculty expected/required to use the LMS for f2f courses?
Can faculty teach their entire load online?
Are start/ending times of a course flexible?