Jason Rhode, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Academic Innovation and Lifelong Learning
An experienced faculty developer, instructor, instructional designer, course developer, and academic leader with more than two decades of experience in online learning, digital education, faculty development, and higher education innovation, Jason Rhode serves as vice provost for Academic Innovation and Lifelong Learning. Reporting to the executive vice president and provost, he serves as a senior academic leader responsible for advancing strategic institutional priorities related to teaching, learning, innovation and lifelong learning. In this role, he works collaboratively with university leadership, colleges, governance groups and external partners to support the university's mission and strengthen opportunities for learners at every stage of their educational and professional journeys. He also serves as NIU's chief online learning officer and provides executive-level leadership and strategic oversight for the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) and related Academic Affairs initiatives.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide university-wide leadership for academic innovation, lifelong learning, adult learner strategy, digital transformation, and emerging educational models. Advance institutional priorities related to teaching excellence, student success, enrollment growth, workforce responsiveness and academic program transformation.
- Lead long-range strategy for online, hybrid, low-residency, and technology-enabled academic programs, ensuring academic quality, student success, market responsiveness, sustainable program expansion, and alignment with institutional enrollment and student success goals.
- Provide strategic direction for faculty development, instructional support, course quality, inclusive pedagogy, and evidence-based teaching practices across modalities. Support institutional approaches to quality assurance, compliance, and continuous improvement in teaching and learning, including relevant regulatory, accreditation and state authorization considerations.
- Lead strategy for continuing education, professional education, certificate programs, microcredentials, digital badges, stackable credentials, alternative credential pathways and workforce-aligned learning in response to regional, employer, community, and adult learner needs. Connect credit and non-credit learning opportunities in support of lifelong learning.
- Lead institutional initiatives involving artificial intelligence, adaptive learning, learning analytics, immersive learning environments and emerging technologies to support teaching effectiveness, learner engagement, retention, persistence and completion.
- Develop strategic partnerships with educational technology providers, employers, government agencies, peer institutions, community organizations, workforce boards and public-sector partners. Pursue grants, philanthropic investments, contracts and external funding opportunities that support academic innovation, digital learning, lifelong learning and learner career advancement.
- Serve as a senior advisor to the Executive Vice President and Provost on academic innovation, digital transformation, adult learners, online learning, lifelong learning and emerging higher education trends. Work with shared governance bodies, advisory groups, colleges, and units on relevant policies, procedures, and institutional initiatives.
- Lead change management efforts associated with digital transformation, academic modernization, new learning models, faculty development and inclusive teaching practices. Collaborate across divisions to advance equity-minded, student-centered and culturally responsive approaches to academic innovation.
Education
- Ph.D., Instructional Design for Online Learning, Capella University, 2008
- M.Ed., Curriculum and Instruction, Seattle Pacific University, 2003
- B.A., Children's Ministries, North Central University, 2000
