IU Online Speaker Series
OPMs: A Guide to a Dynamic, Controversial Corner of Online Higher Education
Richard Garrett, Chief Research Officer, Eduventures
March 2, 1-2pm
Online Program Management (OPM) companies partner with a growing array of colleges and universities to run online degrees and other programs. OPMs are big business: some 40 companies manage thousands of programs. These include some IU peers. OPMs have become a major feature of the US online higher education landscape. But these firms have detractors as well as fans. Advocates view OPMs as providing cash-strapped institutions with valuable funding, capacity, and expertise, boosting online student numbers in a challenging enrollment environment. Critics fret that OPMs inflate prices, siphon off public funds, and stymie institutions’ in-house online development. Both sides are prone to sweeping claims, and good-quality data on OPMs is hard to find. The stakes are high. In January 2022, three US senators, citing critics' concerns, sent leading OPMs a letter requesting reams of information about students, marketing, and business models. Some interests would like to see OPMs held more accountable through stricter regulation.
The OPM category today encompasses not only classic, revenue share-bundled services companies, such as 2U and Academic Partnerships, but also the likes of Coursera and edX (now owned by 2U), and one-time for-profit schools sold to pubic flagships where the for-profit is retained as an OPM (e.g., Purdue Global and University of Arizona Global Campus).
This presentation, based on a unique OPM partnership database maintained by Eduventures and LISTedTECh, offers IU an independent take on the nature and significance of OPMs. The presentation will cover:
- Definitions
- OPM numbers and types
- Adoption trends and forecasts
- Which schools do and do not work with OPMs
- Credential and field of study patterns
- Regulatory issues
Are OPMs good or bad for higher education? The answer depends on your point of view and what evidence you consider. To judge the success (or otherwise) of OPM partnerships requires weighing many factors, including enrollment, quality, scope and scale, innovation, and student outcomes. This presentation will weigh the arguments. Institutional case studies will add perspective.
Exploring the Hybrid Future of Higher Education with Deloitte
Megan Cluver, Senior Manager, Higher Education Practice, Deloitte
Amy Wittmayer, Specialist Leader, Higher Education Practice, Deloitte
April 7, noon to 2pm ET
Join us to hear Deloitte’s Higher Education consulting leaders Megan Cluver and Amy Wittmayer talk about the broad landscape for hybrid education. Wittmayer will provide an overview of Deloitte’s whitepaper, The Hybrid Campus, which outlines three major post-COVID challenges that universities must manage in order to adequately serve the emerging hybrid student.
Cluver will share her first-hand experience as a higher ed consulting leader and as vice chair of the board for the Vermont State Colleges System. Cluver is leading the transformation of the system’s four-year institutions to a student-centric and hybrid-centric delivery model with the July 2023 launch of Vermont State University. VSU is the merger of five institutions across the system and is envisioned as the first state-wide hybrid institution in the nation, delivering on the promise to students that VSU is their campus, with programs that span the state and benefit students and families, communities, the workforce, the economy, and the state's future.
Blueprint for Growth: Building a Graduate and Adult Education Portfolio in a Competitive Market
Vashae Dixon, Associate Director, Research, EAB
May 9, 1–3pm ET
Blueprint for Growth is EAB’s signature, multi-year research initiative on the future of enrollment. This research goes beyond market sizing alone to uncover hidden risks and opportunities and the changing dynamics of competition. During this presentation we will cover changes in the adult learner landscape, shifts in the graduate market, and how the alternative credential space is evolving.
Topic to Be Announced
Andrea Deau, Senior Director for Higher Education Partnerships, IMS Global Learning Consortium
Kelly Hoyland, Higher Education Program Manager, IMS Global Learning Consortium
June 2, 10am–noon ET