demand-online-campus

Trend: Campuses moving from online to On-Demand


Management expert discusses why the future for college campuses is on-demand, not just online

demand-online-campus
Credit: 1000 Words/Shutterstock.com

IT experts are calling it a super storm of forces that’s changing the way a campus ecosystem operates.

First, the very foundation of student expectations is changing, with requirements for education delivery models that are more flexible and accessible than those of generations past.

Second, the higher-ed market—thanks to the economy and possibilities available via technology—is reshaping itself under new requirements for competition, delivery, funding, and outcomes.

And it’s this super storm, say experts, that’s creating the need for new business processes and strategies to better compete and retain students.

Say hello to the On Demand Model, which is based on the premise that institutions are going to require new technologies that provide “innovative capabilities for engagement and delivery” thanks to the super storm, explains Campus Management, a provider of enterprise software products and services for educational institutions and coiner of the super storm and On Demand Model phrases.

“This is going beyond online functionality,” said Connor Gray, chief strategy officer for Campus Management and a recent presenter at EDUCAUSE. “The On Demand Model is a much broader concept, including dynamic models of engagement and delivery. Engagement includes how to deliver the right message to the right person via the right channel. Delivery includes knowing the right place and right time; not just which courses delivered how, but access to student counselors, financial aid options, community groups, career and alumni services, and many others for helping with student retention and completion.”

“The On Demand Model is an ecosystem to support fully customized and personalized students needs,” he continued.

What also makes this model unique from other vendor-branded messaging is that it’s not focused on the technology first.

“This is about a business strategy that aligns with technology strategy—not the other way around,” emphasized Gray. “It’s about enabling a business model first. For example, a lot of people and tech companies are making a big deal out of a type of solution, say Software-as-a-Service; but that’s not what’s important! It’s really about how an institution implements a business strategy for growth and success and then aligning that strategy to a technology strategy.”

But before campus IT leaders can begin any kind of strategy, they must be aware of the four main factors of the super storm, says the company, and how a four-cornerstone approach can help provide a customizable blueprint for action.

(Next page: Understanding the super storm; 4 cornerstones to success)

With a client base of over 1,700 organizations in 26 countries, Campus Management says it’s leveraged client feedback and data to determine that institutions are facing these four components of a super storm in higher ed:

1. Delivery models are being disrupted. According to the company, student now demand very different delivery models, such as non-term, or non-standard models to accommodate newer lifestyle models. Also embedded within this are changes around competency-based models being promoted that force an issue relative to MOOCs and how they may play a role in future delivery models.

2. Competition is getting harder. There is a smaller pool of traditional inbound prospective students and more institutions competing for them, says Campus Management. Students have more choices, meaning more influencers impacting their decisions than in years past, and institutions need to access new segments previously underserved.

3. Funding has new budget constraints. “Shrinking our way to success” is a shortsighted mindset, said Gray, while “survive to thrive may be necessary.” Traditional financial aid programs also may not fit newer student engagement and academic delivery models.

4. Outcomes are increasingly becoming a driver. 13 states have enacted legislation tying funding to achievement of goals, and federal programs are also looking at measuring outcomes-based results.

Understanding these forces of change behind the super storm then led Campus Management to create solutions around the four cornerstones of a scalable blueprint for any campus:

1. Constituent engagement to orchestrate interactions: Institutions need to eliminate silos when it comes to communicating with their constituents, says the company. Campuses must design communications strategies that facilitate different types of engagement and provide for a comprehensive view of each student’s experience with the institution.

2. Flexible terms to power new types of delivery models: Institutions need the option to enable students to break free of standard terms and start courses when they are ready–both online and on-campus–and have the ability to manage their education at their own pace, Gray noted.

3. Associated financial aid to fuel the adoption of new delivery models: Institutions need to adopt a “robust and flexible” financial aid system that can package and adjust Federal and institutional aid based on the borrower’s academic schedule and progress, notes the company.

4. Agile DNA to allow for adaptation to solutions as the campus transforms: Institutions need to successfully implement an On Demand Model, and be ready, willing and able to embrace change, said Gray. “Just like in football, they have to develop playbooks; meaning that for every possible scenario, there should be a solution that can address the students’ needs and provide them with the learning environments they desire.”

For its part, Campus management says that it can help campus IT develop those playbooks for success.

“A great feature of our solutions is that they help make decisions ‘automagically’ happen,” explained Gray. “We develop solutions that stop you from having to monitor daily tasks and data and then make daily task-related decisions on what to do next. Our solutions analyze that data and make those decisions for you based on its playbooks. IT and campus leaders can then focus more on strategy and long-term planning.”

“Our mission at Campus Management is to be the provider of software, strategies and services which enable institutions of higher education to empower dynamic models of engagement & delivery,” Gray concluded. “The solutions will be economical, efficient, durable and flexible in order to allow institutions to thrive in a new on-demand era within higher education.”

For more information on Campus Management and their solutions, click here.

Infographic: The data behind the forces of the super storm

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