INTRODUCTION: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
The Online Consortium of Independent Colleges and Universities (OCICU) was launched in January 2005 after several years of successful classroom-based partnerships, a failed attempt at a previous online collaboration effort, and extensive market research.
Beginning in 1990, New Ventures of Regis University formed partnerships with independent, not-for-profit (NFP) colleges across the country. These partnerships focused on helping colleges develop and implement classroom-based, accelerated degree programs for working adults based on the experiences of the Regis adult education programs which had been established in 1979 (Husson & Kennedy, 2003). In all, New Ventures assisted over thirty colleges to launch or improve their adult education programs.
By 1999, many of these partner colleges were requesting assistance to develop the delivery of online courses for their adult learners. In response, New Ventures and fifteen colleges worked for two years to develop online collaboration whereby students would be given the opportunity to transfer online courses among the members of Partners in Accelerated Global Education (PAGE). All fifteen colleges hoped to be part of the management of this initiative. This venture, based on transfer credit and a multi-management structure, never got “off the ground” as a virtual enterprise. However, the seeds were planted for future online collaborative endeavors.
In 2004, New Ventures conducted a two-year market study with over 75 schools to determine their levels of existing resources and capabilities in establishing and developing online academic programs. Just as the 2005 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation sponsored study results demonstrated, these schools, given their limited resources, could not implement online programs on their own (Allen & Seaman, 2005). A consortium, whereby these schools could share resources, emerged as a cost-effective solution, as well as a way for the schools to compete with better-resourced institutions.
Shaped by the ultimate user, OCICU represents a marriage between an accepted academic collaborative model with current education trends. It has created an opportunity for the smaller independent colleges and universities to offer online courses as part of their repertoire.
BACKGROUND
There are many examples of academic consortia in higher education, most of which are classroom-based.A consortium may be defined as formal collaboration that offers members the opportunity to leverage and pool their institutions’ respective resources to other members toward mutually-beneficial goals (Baus & Ramsbot-tom, 1999). Such an arrangement enables students to register, pay tuition, and gain academic credit at their school while technically attending classes at a member institution. OCICU is founded on the same principle. However, the colleges may be located anywhere within or outside the United States since geographic boundaries are non-existent. There is also an inherent benefit of consortium courses over transfer credit. Transfer credit does not generate any tuition for the member while OCICU courses provide tuition revenue. Opportunities for financial aid also exist at the member institution. Overall, OCICU helps to retain members’ students because of the flexibility provided.
By 2007, the OCICU, a totally online “virtual” consortium with no degree-granting authority, was comprised of 64 member colleges and managed by New Ventures of Regis University. The glue that holds the consortium together lies in the nature of the member institutions. Like-minded, philosophically similar colleges form a bond by the very essence of their respective missions, usually having to do with their emphasis on the personal approach to their students (Ekman & Kennedy, 2007). A large majority of the institutions are members of the Council of Independent Colleges.
Figure 1. OCICU Membership Levels
The three levels of membership in the OCICU (charter, enrolling, and provider) provide cost-effective alternatives for the delivery of online courses. Members use the courses to complement, supplement, reduce, or replace their own academic offerings while presenting flexible alternatives to their students. In all, over 500 undergraduate and graduate courses are made available to OCICU members by major, general, and niche or specialty providers.
While online learning may be combined with traditional classroom-based delivery in ways that can be described as hybrid, blended, web-assisted, or enhanced, OCICU deals only with courses delivered totally online in an asynchronous manner. Courses selected by enrolling members are reviewed and approved through their institutional course approval process. Because OCICU courses are accepted by the members as their own, the students register, pay tuition, and receive transcripts as they would any other course from their institutions.
Each member determines the tuition rate to be charged for its Consortium courses. Members then pay a per-enrollment fee to the OCICU and retain the remainder of the tuition as revenue. Other than the enrollment fee, members incur no direct expenses for offering a selection of online courses because the provider schools with existing online programs bear the expense for faculty, course development, and course management systems. Indirect costs are absorbed in existing offices such as the registrar and business office and are offset by additional tuition income.
OCICU providers gain the opportunity to promote their online courses nationally to a target market eager for their offerings, while converting space available in their online courses into income. The provider institution is responsible for selecting, developing, and managing faculty who facilitate OCICU courses delivered by their institution.
ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
In the beginning, the concept of the OCICU appeared to be fairly straight forward and uncomplicated. However, numerous issues and challenges became evident once the OCICU was about to become operational. These issues and challenges included:
• The autonomy and independence of each member college: Despite apparent commonalities of colleges, each member prides itself on its uniqueness and culture. In fact, each member has a personality emanating from its leadership and tradition.
• Institutional inertia: Colleges are unique organizations that depend on collegiality and consensus. Decision-making can be convoluted and lengthy. Change and adaptation are attributes not readily associated with colleges (Clark, 2004).
• Accreditation implications: Different regional and professional accreditors apply varied limitations and requirements to members. Depending on the status of individual members, requirements may differ significantly.
• Common quality standards: Online course quality standards, including student support services, are critical to consortium success. The OCICU has established a set of standards expected of all providers, regardless of their level of participation. These “best practices” are consistent with the regional accreditation standards for online programs (Higher Learning Commission, 2003) and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE, 2003).
• Faculty resistance: Traditional faculty members are well-known for their skill in teaching in the classroom. These same faculty members can also harbor suspicion of online course delivery. • Diverse academic and administrative processes and systems: Academic approval processes and calendars vary from one institution to another, as do processes and systems associated with advising, registration and grading, financial aid, and business office operations.
Ocicu Management
Aware of the internal challenges and issues they may face, all prospective OCICU members are interested in:
1. The provision of online course options to their students in a cost-effective manner requiring little effort from their academic and administrative infrastructure.
2. Development of their online academic programs.
The management of OCICU, under the direction of New Ventures, works to meet these needs and expectations while providing coordination, collaboration, and communication among members. While maintaining neutrality, management principles are intended to serve the OCICU membership both as an association and as individual members. Basically, New Ventures subscribes to simple management principles:
• A small centralized organization that decentralizes member experiences.
• A network of peers that contribute and share (Tapscott & Williams).
Through a number of communication vehicles, all member institutions are given the opportunity to provide feedback and make recommendations to the OCICU staff. Each member school is assigned a New Ventures liaison, who serves as the primary contact for the Consortium, maintains regular communication, and coordinates activities and requests. Members are also invited to participate in general meetings and an annual conference. A Presidents Advisory Committee offers advice, feedback, and direction.
FUTURE TRENDS
Until now, small to medium-sized independent, NFP colleges have been unable to develop their online course capacity because of limited resources and other internal constraints and obstacles. Within the next five years, the OCICU will facilitate the online growth and development of many of its members. We anticipate that members will:
Figure 2. Enrollments and Projections
• Grow their own distance learning, online capabilities for their students.
• Contribute courses and academic certificate programs to the OCICU membership.
The following chart indicates the enrollment growth pattern over a three-year period and projections through 2010. An enrollment is defined as a registration in a three credit hour course. By 2010, OCICU should be generating at least 3,000 enrollments.
Beyond the enrollment growth trends, it is anticipated that the OCICU will generate learning situations not possible in traditional higher education or even in traditional consortia. For example:
• It will be possible for member colleges to offer special elective courses, such as Holocaust Studies, Native American Studies, or Middle East Studies, thus enriching their students’ educational experiences.
• Students, working individually or in groups, will be in virtual classrooms, probably enhanced with video conferencing, and with diverse national and international peers.
• Colleges with one-faculty academic departments will be able to offer their students several other faculty resources.
• Faculty from several colleges will be able to co-create academic courses and certificate programs in specialty areas. Courses may be team-taught by faculty from two or more colleges.
• The marketing and promotion costs of offering courses and certificates nationally and internationally, until now cost-prohibitive, will be possible through the OCICU membership. This approach effectively eliminates marketing costs and potentially adds critical masses to their offerings.
• Students from a rural college in America could have the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussion and discourse with students all over the world. Education for all of these students could mean a greater understanding of cultural differences and commonalities while eliminating geographic restraints.
• OCICU could be used as a vehicle for other collaboration initiatives such as workshops, training, faculty development, and course development.
CONCLUSION
The Online Consortium of Independent Colleges and Universities has evolved from failed initiative in 1999 to a fast-growing association of similar colleges. Enrollments have more than doubled in each of its three years of existence, to the point of fiscal viability in the near future. It is already evident that OCICU has served the needs of many colleges. Expansion of services to additional colleges is expected in the future.
As stated by a university president and member of the OCICU Presidents Advisory Committee:
“It is vitally important for independent colleges and universities that possess the technology and breadth of curriculum to collaborate with like-minded schools that do not currently possess the resources to offer online courses to their adult learners on an extensive basis. OCICU has provided the participating schools new possibilities for expanding their online course offerings to adult learners from other participating schools, while creating almost unending possibilities for new and creative programs for the students.” Arthur F. Kirk, Jr., President, Saint Leo University
KEY TERMS
Academic Consortium: A collaboration among member institutions that deals only in sharing credit bearing courses and programs.
Charter Members: The initial 40 colleges that committed to becoming OCICU members.
Consortium: A formal collaboration that offers members the opportunity to leverage and pool their institutions’ respective resources to other members toward mutually-beneficial goals.
Enrolling Members: Member institutions with few, if any, existing online courses available to their students.
Enrollment: An enrollment represents registration in one course regardless of the credit hours assigned to that course.
General Providers: Member institutions with less than 50 online courses available to other OCICU members.
Hybrid or Blended Course: A course that is delivered partly online and partly classroom-based.
Major Providers: Member institutions with 50 or more online courses available to other OCICU members.
Niche, or Specialty, Providers: Member institutions with unique academic courses that might enrich the students’ education at other OCICU member institutions.
Provider Members: Member institutions with significant experience and reputation for their online programs that make their courses available to OCICU enrolling members’ students.
Virtual Consortium: A consortium that shares totally online courses and programs as opposed to classroom-based or combinations of classroom and web-assisted courses.
