The 2015 Summit for Online Leadership and Strategy, which is put on through a joint partnership between UPCEA and ACE, was held this past week in San Antonio, Texas.  As a first time attendee my expectations were high as several of our clients at Converge Consulting have attended this event and have identified it as one of the best for those leading online programs at their College or University.   While the content and speakers certainly did not disappoint – who can really sneeze at the Under Secretary for the U.S. Department of Education as a keynote just hours before the State of the Union – it was really some of the sessions on “care” for online students that caught my attention.

In considering the evolution of online learning within Higher Education I think our natural inclination is to focus on issues such as state authorization and learning platforms.  While these are important elements it seems that “services for” or “care of” our online students is often an afterthought.   While there were an abundance of sessions related to the high level critical topics offered at this years summit the sessions on serving online students well were packed with those who have realized that offering online programs is just the first step – having the supports in place to serve students well is an entirely different (but equally critical) thing.

As the conference wrapped up with a final keynote presentation by Dr. Michelle Weise with the Christensen Institute we were reminded that disruptive innovation often fits the description due to its servicing of an audience that was not previously able to be served by the traditional system.   While online education certainly fits that description I chuckled for a moment sitting in her presentation.   While Higher Education recognized that it could reach a new audience through a different learning platform (online) we are really just now purposefully looking at how we might need to alter services to ensure they are properly cared for as students

While online learning has been around for over 20 years, it seems the student services piece is just finally taking center stage.  The educational tools for learning have long been available online but the rest of the tools needed to be successful are just now getting the attention they deserve.   I am hopeful that the focus on student care continues to get the time and attention it deserves at this yearly event.   In order to truly focus on educating more students in the future Colleges and Universities MUST improve at taking care of the students they are getting.