The start of classes had been delayed due to Jack Welch’s recent bout with discitis, a rare but curable infection of the spine. Mr. Welch has fully recovered and is currently working with Chancellor University officials to finalize coursework and curriculum.

“I’m thrilled about the launch of the program in January; everything has really come together,” Jack Welch said Tuesday. “A terrific team of highly respected academics and experienced practitioners has contributed to courses that do exactly what we envisioned – offer an MBA that is relevant, powerful, and unique, filled with real-world utility and infused with a management philosophy I deeply believe in.”

Chancellor continues to add to the leadership and academic teams, most recently with Steve Kerr who led GE’s Leadership Development Center in Crotonville, N.Y., and the executive education program at Goldman Sachs. Kerr has also been on the business school faculties of Ohio State University, the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California, where he was dean of the faculty and director of the Ph.D. program. As executive director of the Jack Welch Management Institute, Kerr will work with Welch and the faculty on all aspects of the academic program.

“I wanted to work with Jack again, especially on a project that will have such a significant impact on thousands of students, from working men and women in mid-career to entrepreneurs, veterans and people reentering the workforce,” said Kerr. “Classes will be small, students and faculty will get input from Jack, and the curriculum will be current and relevant to today’s news. I think the Jack Welch MBA will be unlike any other business degree in the marketplace.”

Chancellor University joined forces with Jack Welch, the “Manager of the Century” and a lifelong educator, to launch a unique MBA program aimed at giving students around the world and at every career level the tools to transform their lives and businesses.

The Jack Welch Management Institute will take a progressive approach to business education. Its curriculum will offer students innovative coursework designed for a global business environment, with instruction on topics from leadership, people management, and career development, to strategy and finance, but it will be supercharged with Jack Welch’s winning business practices and principles and refreshed weekly with online video updates from Jack Welch on breaking business news and topics.  Classes will be offered online and at Chancellor University’s Cleveland campus.  For more information about the Jack Welch Management Institute, or to enroll in the program, go to www.jwmi.com.

I have found that there are four specific reasons why prospective adult learners are hestitant about returning to school and discouraged about completing their degrees.  They are:

1.  Tuition costs are prohibitive to adults trying to make ends meet.  Do you know that tuition costs have increased at a compound annual growth rate of 7% + over the last three decades?

2.  Lack of credit transferability or restrictions on transferability.  Most of the successful adult learners who I have counseled over the years have earned 50 + credit hours generally from one or two institutions.  You would be surprised at the number of schools who put severe restrictions on the number of credits that can be transferred.  That is just not conducive for the adult student.

3.  Lack of flexibility causes many prospective adult students to get discouraged.  Many adult learners are trying to juggle work, family, civic, and church responsibilities and some institutions of higher learning are just not able or willing to accomodate.  This is a definitive advantage for online schools.

4.  Adult learners need a robust support network to be successful.  In many schools, these networks are geared toward the traditional 18 - 24 year old student.  

Now let me clarify what I mean because I am a staunch believer and proponent of proper pedagogy and academic protocol, faculty development and support, measured learning outcomes and the list goes on.  However, if an institution is looking to launch into the online world or increase enrollment in an existing online program, as much time and attention needs to be allocated to the operational infrastructure as is being spent on academics .   This includes, but not limited to, IT resources, robust Student Information Systems, cutting edge enrollment management, and training and development of all staff.   I know I just shook things up for some of you but get this — I told the one institution, in fact a very respected school, that they would not be successful unless they separated their online operations from the resident.  I also shared with them that they had to build reporting mechanisms that would allow them to drill down into each facet of their operations.   

For some of you in online higher ed, this might be a tough pill to swallow, but if taken, could revolutionize your efforts.

What are those characteristics:

1.  Discipline — It is critical to create and maintain regular study habits.  I remember when I was a student in Liberty’s   distance education program beginning my days at 4am to get my class work completed before heading off to work.  I also spent time in the evenings or on weekends reviewing for exams or preparing written assignments.   You can’t slip up on this!  Remember — proper planning prevents poor performance.

2.  Commitment — As a former online student, current online administrator, and an online faculty member, I know firsthand that life just gets in the way sometimes.  It could be personal sickness, additional job responsibilities, family challenges or a host of other obstacles that surface in the life of an online student.  And it will happen to you too!  I see it everyday.  However, you must remain committed to your goal of earning your college degree.  This is not an easy path that you have chosen, but it is and will be worthwhile. 

I heard commitment spoken of this way; ” Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality.  It is the words that speak boldly of intentions.  And the actions that speak louder than the words.  It is making the time when there is none.  Commitment is the stuff character is made of; the power to change the face of things.”

This recent article regarding Bridgepoint Education’s troubles clearly shows its priority was on student enrollment and not on student services.   

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&date=20090904&id=10366024

1.  Accreditation – Prospective students actually put this “quality” mark at the top of their lists but I am still shocked at the number of folks who pursue non-accredited diploma mills (see my post on “Prospective Online Student Beware”)

2.  Price/Cost — I think this speaks for itself but consideration should also be given toward financing and payment options an online school offers.

3.  Ease of Online Software – The virtual classroom is a new paradigm for most and there is much apprehension and anxiety associated with it.  I feel that the ease of the online Learning Management System is important but attention must also be given to LMS tutorials and valid new student orientation curriculum.

One criteria that is also gaining strength and momentum is reputation and brand and contributing factors like whether the school has a recognized campus presence (click and brick), blended programs, and significant support services.  I will share a little more about this in the upcoming posts.

According to Educause Quarterly, 67% of students that dropped an online course cited insufficient support as the primary reason.  In my mind, insufficient support transcends technical and student services including financial aid, student accounts, tech support, and student self service. 

Prospective online students must include student services in their evaluation of online schools.   Too many schools, although professing an enhanced student experience, actually pay just lip service to the concept.  Choose an online school that makes student service one of its key differentiators.

 

•  If I earn a degree online, I will not have to interact with people.  I am much more comfortable with that.

Although there is no direct face to face interaction in the virtual classroom, there are multiple channels of interaction that many schools deploy in their Learning Management Systems (LMS) to enhance the learning experience.  Some of these include discussion boards, forums, social networking, and synchronous software like Elluminate or Adobe Connect that bring real time learning into a asynchronous environment.  I would wager that, in most cases, there is more interaction and collaboration in a virtual classroom than a traditional one.  Don’t think for a minute that because you might be introverted or uncomfortable with classroom interaction that online learning is a perfect fit for you.  In fact, as technology improves, I think we will see less of the “A” in asynchronous as it relates to online learning.