Vision and Strategy for Developing a Successful Online Degree Program on a Shoestring Budget

Abstract

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) are rich in history, culture, resources, and opportunities. This case study explains the thought processes of administrators and faculty at one HBCU as they respond to an institutional initiative to increase student enrollments during an economic downturn. Although online learning opportunities offer potential for increasing student enrollments and university income, this approach generates a series of complex questions within the College of Education where resources are limited. Questions relate to the need for, and potential impact of, online learning; related pressures and paradigms in higher education; technology and management concerns; and faculty perspectives and preparation. This chapter considers how to overcome barriers to revive and implement an online degree program with these issues in mind.

Conversion of a Face-to-Face Short Course to a Blended Distance Education Program Available for Industrial Scientists Worldwide

“…The emerging learners today, or 'digital natives' (Prensky, 2012) are being conditioned to learn through new media (Montrieux, Vangestel, Raes, and Matthys, 2015). This changing population has resulted in the rapid increase of online learning within for-credit programs and are now considered the most common method of delivery (Babson, 2016, Allen andSeaman, 2013;McClinton and Estes, 2013). While the field is changing, research is exploring the ubiquitous teaching methodologies found between each delivery modality (Diaz and Entonado, 2009).…”