Creating Online Converts: Winning over faculty & students through

optimizing your development processP R E S E N T E D B Y :

Jonathon NicholsDirector, Online Programs

University of Utah

Gillian KingManager, Online Programs

University of Utah

Who we are

• 10+ years in higher education

• 6 years with online course development

• Executive MBA Alumnus

Director, Online Programs

Jonathon Nichols

• 8+ years in project management

• MBA Online Alumnus

Manager, Online Programs

Gillian King

A brief history of Utah’s MBA Online program

J a n u a r y 2 0 1 4Dean announces on local news

we will launch an online MBA

(first in Utah) beginning this fall.

No courses have been

developed.

S e p t e m b e r2 0 1 3

Internal decision to launch

online MBA program is

announced and administrative

team hired

A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 J u l y 2 0 1 6First online cohort begins with

21 students

First graduating class of MBA

Online students.

F a l l2 0 1 9

#11 ranked online MBA program

(Princeton Review). 130+ current

student enrollment.

The Eccles School online strategy

Online Programs

Undergraduate (2014: 868, 2018: 4320)

Graduate (2014: 290, 2018: 2960)

MBA Online

MBA OnlineProgram Office

Recruiting and AdmissionsProgram & Faculty Support

MBA OnlineProfessional MBA

Flex Track Option

MBA OnlineProfessional MBA

MBA OnlineProfessional MBA

Hybrid MBA(?)Flex Track Option

The Eccles School online strategy

Here are the top five ways we failed.

1. We were slow to hire and we misunderstood instructional

designers.

1. We allowed faculty to drive development.

2. We were slow to hire and misunderstood instructional

designers.

3. We made video the star.

4. We outsourced post-production.

5. We custom-developed online tools.

Changing Course:Key Takeaways

• You can be the best instructional technologist,

but if you don’t practice great customer

service, you won’t get buy-in

• Anticipate faculty needs

• Be proactive, not reactive

• Music, lighting, equipment

• Schedule flexibility: Be available on their time

Key takeaways: Customer service culture

“Dianna knows what I need

before I know what I need.”

Don Wardell, OIS Faculty

• Instructional designer leads the process

• Create standardized development process

and timeline

• Partner on setting deliverable dates

• Strict timelines set by designer are not

successful

• Objective driven modules with short video

segments (7 - 15 minute videos)

Key takeaways: Instructional designer and faculty partnership

Key takeaways: Online program ownership

Course Development & Design

• Online Programs • Instructional Design• Video Production• Canvas Course Build

Delivery of Online Course

• Degree Program• Frontline Student Support• Faculty Webinars• General Faculty Support

On-going Technical Support & Training

Buy-in from Degree Program

• Lack of support leads to low quality courses

resulting in low enrollment

• “I will never take an online course again”

• If you don’t understand your product, how

can you support and sell it?

Key takeaways: Online program ownership

“It really needs to be a team

effort between the faculty

and the staff, maybe more

than on-campus programs.”

Bob Allen, Acctg Faculty

• In-house the right skills

• Avoid exorbitant costs by utilizing cost-

effective (student) labor

• You don’t need a film school to find talent

• Students from business, arts, video

games, and word of mouth

• Be willing to invest in the right equipment

and technology

• “Please don’t develop your own software”Key takeaways: Be strategic with your resources

• Teaching online improved face-to-face teaching

• More self-sufficient with technology

• Teaching online doesn’t save time, but I have

more freedom with my time

• No more class interruptions for football games

and campus required trips

• The quality of students and learning is higher

than I initially anticipatedWhat our faculty are saying: The benefits

“I didn’t believe online courses

could be a great learning

experience for students, but I have

found it can be just as good, if not

better, than on-campus.”

• It is harder to build relationships with online

students, especially as class sizes increase

• Virtual proctoring systems are still not perfect

• Continuous upgrades to webinar technology

would be helpful

• A more permanent solution for TA’s would cut

down on training time

What our faculty are saying: The opportunities

• The accessibility and flexibility of the material

• No commute to campus for classes or exams

• Using online resources to re-review concepts

as needed

• The care shown by program staff and faculty

• Community of students

What our students are saying: The benefits

“Some of my best friends,

closest mentors and

strongest professional

contacts I met through the

MBA Online program.”

• Limited opportunity/interaction to build

relationships with cohort, burden is on the

student to create opportunities

• You can tell when professors don't like the

online format

• Need more electives

• Concepts that did not come easy took much

longer to grasp due to the self-study

mentality/approachWhat our students are saying: The opportunities

Faculty and development Q&A panel

• 2019 MBA Online Faculty Award Winner

• 4 years teaching in online programs

• Tenured, active researcher

• Ph.D., Accounting, University of Oregon

Associate Professor, Accounting

• 15+ years in higher education space

• Former Canvas Trainer at Instructure

• M.Ed., Instructional Design and Technology

Sr. Instructional Designer

Brian Cadman

Dianna Lee

• 8+ years in video production industry

• B.S., Film & Video

Manager, Video ProductionLucas Seibel