In 2010, LaGrange College’s new strategic plan contained five goals related to new programs and delivery methods. As a result, the college deliberately developed a high-quality online learning program.

1. Going the Distance:
Planning through the Lens
of Online Learning
October 17, 2016
Jon Ernstberger
Director of Online Instruction
Carol Yin
Director of Institutional Effectiveness

2. “The nicest thing about not planning is that failure
comes as a complete surprise and is not preceded
by a period of worry and depression.”
-John Preston, Boston College

3. About LaGrange College
• Founded in 1831 (as a female academy)
• Private college with liberal arts ethos
• Affiliated with the United Methodist Church
• Currently 1026 students, 906
undergraduates
• Highest Degree – Ed.S.
• 86 full-time faculty
• 16 varsity sports teams
• Strategic Plan – Vision 2020

4. Learning Outcomes
Enable participants to:
1. Use your institution’s strategic plan/mission statement to
ignite progress on new programs/delivery modes while
considering budgetary and accreditation implications.
2. Promote campus-wide inclusiveness in the development of
new programs designed to meet the goals of the strategic
plan.

5. Learning Outcomes, cont.
3. Develop and execute workflow and information-sharing plans
to assure that all appropriate campus audiences are involved
in the completion of new goals that arise from the strategic
planning process.
4. Choose information-gathering tools to improve student
success rates and to ensure that high-quality programs—such
as an online learning program--are developed and maintained
in order to meet the goals of the strategic plan.

6. The Original Plan
2010 Strategic Plan
Vision 2020: From Promise to Prominence

7. The Strategic Plan CalendarSummer2009
Spring2010
Thirty Faculty,
Staff, &
Administrative
Leaders begin
Strategic
Planning Process.
President
introduces it
during April
inauguration.
August2010
Faculty
and Staff
Review
the
Unofficial
Plan
September2010
President’s
Cabinet
and EIPC
Final
Review
October2010
BOT Final
Review
and
Approval
New
President
Hired

8. Vision 2020: From Promise to Prominence
• Fresh imagining of the Mission Statement and the creation of
the new Vision Statement.
• Four Key Goals:
– Differentiation and Global Engagement
– Program Portfolio (and Environmental Scan)
– Market Positioning
– Resource Development and Management

10. Program Portfolio: Develop
and/or strengthen
undergraduate, adult, and
graduate educational
programs with strong student
demand and delivery models
appropriate to the target
population.

11. Develop a portfolio of undergraduate, adult, and graduate
educational programs with strong student demand and
delivery models appropriate to the target population . . . .
Focus in a more aggressive way than in the past on areas
that involve non-traditional student populations and non-
traditional modes of delivery, including on-line courses and
on-line program offerings as well as programs built on
hybrid course models (i.e., programs that blend on-campus
activities with on-line teaching and learning).
GOAL 2
Program Portfolio

12. 2010 Strategic Plan (The Official Plan)
Vision 2020: From Promise to Prominence
• Program Portfolio and Environmental Scan
– Develop process for program review and complete for all existing programs by
2012.
– Develop process for feasibility studies for new programs by spring 2011.
– Develop at least one new program to meet unmet undergraduate student
demand to retain students at the college for launch by 2012.
– Develop additional appropriate program offerings in the health sciences,
including possibility of additional program options in nursing.
– Develop at least one new program offering for working adult students every two
years.
– Launch at least one hybrid delivery program by 2012.
– Develop plan for targeting new alternative sites for working adult and/or
graduate program offerings.

13. Analysis
List one(1) of the following that you want to
Improve institutionally:
• An incomplete aspect of your
institution’s most recent campus strategic plan.
• An aspect of online instruction yet to be implemented.
• An institutional process that is unrefined.
2 minutes

14. History
• 2011 – Investigations on online instruction.
• 2012
– Signed w. Learning House to develop
institutional online practices.
– Board of Trustees resolution for
participation in online instruction.
• 2013
– We offered our first online classes!
– “Baptism of fire”

15. Fall 2013

16. Strategic Plan and Mission Review Process
• Four key goals would remain unchanged, but the plan was
designed as a living, changing document describing a set of
directions and initiatives
• Review would occur in cycles of three to five years at a time
• Assessed progress in all four key areas

17. Not
until
2020!

18. Extended
Institutional
Planning Council
(EIPC)
Four
subcommittees
considered
each goal
Progress
evaluated
for each
goal
If needed, new
recommendations
made for each goal
Board
of
Trustees
Review
Board
of
Trustees
Final
Review
Faculty
and
Staff
Review
The Review Process

19. Extended
Institutional
Planning Council
(EIPC)
Four
subcommittees
considered
each goal
Progress
evaluated
for each
goal
If needed, new
recommendations
made for each goal
The Review Process

20. Goals
What has
occurred
What has
not
occurred
Other
discussion
Recommenda-
tions
Institutional
Data and
Analysis
Considered
Impact from
Other
Committees
Launch at
least one
hybrid
delivery
program
by 2012.
• M.A. in
Philanthropy
and
Development
scheduled to
begin summer
2014 with
33% offered
online.
• EU certificate
program
launched fall
2012.
• An RN to BSN
program is
being
considered.
• Online
instruction
was expanded
for the
advanced
degree
offerings in
We have not
applied for
state
authorization
in all states.
Online course
offerings
helped with
summer 2013
enrollment.
Since spring
2013, over 300
“seats” have
been filled
with online
students.
Other state
authorization
attempts will
be made.
Preliminary
Recommendations:
1. Continue to
explore state
authorization
options in order
to enroll
students from a
variety of states.
2. Continue to
develop new
hybrid delivery
programs.
Evidence Used:
• Minutes
(Provost
Council,
faculty
meetings, APC,
etc.)
• Interviews
with
department
chair program
coordinators,
and other
program
faculty.
• Interview with
• Environmental
Scan – this
subcommittee’s
findings should
influence the
type of
programs
considered.
• Marketing
Positioning
Subcommittee –
this
subcommittee’s
work could
possibly be used
in identifying
students who
would be
interested in
online or hybrid
delivery

21. Goals What has occurred What has not occurred
Launch at
least
one
hybrid
delivery
program
by 2012.
• M.A. in Philanthropy and
Development scheduled to begin
summer 2014 with 33% offered
online.
• EU certificate program launched
fall 2012.
• An RN to BSN program is being
considered.
• Online instruction was expanded
for the advanced degree
offerings in Education.
• Online courses began to be
offered in spring 2013 and will
continue into the 2013 – 14
academic year.
• State authorization application
completed through SREB.
We have not applied for state
authorization in all states.

22. Goals Other discussion Recommendations
Launch at
least one
hybrid
delivery
program by
2012.
Online course offerings helped with
summer 2013 enrollment. Since spring
2013, over 300 “seats” have been filled
with online students.
Other state authorization attempts will be
made.
Preliminary Recommendations:
1. Continue to explore state authorization options in
order to enroll students from a variety of states.
2. Continue to develop new hybrid delivery
programs.

23. Goals
Institutional Data and
Analysis Considered
Impact from Other Committees
Launch at least
one hybrid
delivery
program by
2012.
Evidence Used:
• Minutes (Provost Council, faculty
meetings, APC, etc.)
• Interviews with department chair
program coordinators, and other
program faculty.
• Interview with Program Coordinator
for Online Learning
• Environmental Scan – this subcommittee’s
findings should influence the type of programs
considered.
• Marketing Positioning Subcommittee – this
subcommittee’s work could possibly be used in
identifying students who would be interested in
online or hybrid delivery programs.

24. Extended
Institutional
Planning Council
(EIPC)
EIPC
Dashboard
Measures
Added
Four
subcommittees
considered
each goal
Progress
evaluated
for each
goal
If needed, new
recommendations
made for each goal
The Review Process

25. Program Portfolio and Environmental Scan Dashboard
Three Year
Average
Current
Year
Goal for FY
2021
Source 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Portfolio
Sophomore
Retention
Rate
63% 67% 70% IE 60% 61% 61% 67%
Four-Year
Graduation
Rate
41% 43% 52% 41% 43% 36% 43%
Six-Year
Graduation
Rate
49% 47% 60% IE 38% 53% 46% 47%
Graduate
School
Enrollment
95 116 245 68 84 84 116
Number of
Students in
Online
Courses,
Summer 2013 -
Spring 2014
(unduplicated
headcount
within each
semester)
520 716 600
Director of
Online
Learning
450 394 716

26. Program Portfolio and Environmental Scan Dashboard
Three-Year
Average
Most Current
Year
Goal for FY 2021 Source
First Year to Second Year
Retention Rate
63% 67% 70% Consumer Information
Four Year Graduation Rate 41% 43% 52% Consumer Information
Six Year Graduation Rate 49% 47% 60% Consumer Information
Graduate School Enrollment 95 116 245 Day of Record Report
Number of Students in Online
Courses,
Summer – Spring
(unduplicated headcount
within each semester)
520 716 600
Director of Online
Learning

27. Are we there yet?

28. Extended
Institutional
Planning Council
(EIPC)
EIPC
Dashboard
Measures
Added
Four
subcommittees
considered
each goal
Progress
evaluated
for each
goal
If needed, new
recommendations
made for each goal
The Review Process Board
of
Trustees
Review

29. • The Board of Trustees strongly affirmed and enthusiastically
supports recommendations for the development of new
programs and strongly supports the launch of more online
classes. In addition, the BOT strongly supports the further
exploration of an RN to BSN online degree track.

30. Extended
Institutional
Planning Council
(EIPC)
EIPC
Dashboard
Measures
Added
Four
subcommittees
considered
each goal
Progress
evaluated
for each
goal
If needed, new
recommendations
made for each goal
The Review Process Board
of
Trustees
Review
Faculty
and
Staff
Review

31. Strategic Plan Revision
Presented at Faculty Meeting

32. Extended
Institutional
Planning Council
(EIPC)
EIPC
Dashboard
Measures
Added
Four
subcommittees
considered
each goal
Progress
evaluated
for each
goal
If needed, new
recommendations
made for each goal
The Review Process Board
of
Trustees
Review
Faculty
and
Staff
Review
Board
of
Trustees
Final
Review

33. History, cont.
• 2014
– M.A. in Philanthropy and Development (hybrid)
– Defined our own quality rubric.
– SECRRA Membership
• 2015
– Most of our summer students were online.
– Developed online certificates.

34. History (3)
• 2016
– RN to BSN online;
– M.S. in Strength and
Conditioning
– GA-SARA/NC-SARA;
– SACSCOC
documentation;
– development

35. Goal: Process for Execution
Program
Proposal
Academic
Policies
Committee
SACSCOC
Prospectus Submission
and Notification
Pedagogy/
Technology
Development
Marketing
Recruitment/
Enrollment
State
Authorization
Summer 2014 – Cohort 1, Philanthropy and Development
Content
Creation
Site
Preparation

36. Reactions
• 2012
– Vocalized distrust, fear, and (in some cases) anger.
– BOT note of support of online instruction.
• 2014
– “You’re winning.”
– Approx. 30% of all faculty members teaching.
• 2016
– 36% of all students have taken an online course.
– 50% of all faculty members have taught in online/hybrid delivery
courses.

37. Lessons Learned
• Admissions/Registrations
– Processes were not efficient
– Students needed to be aware of
delivery styles.
– Advertise, advertise, advertise.
– We cannot delete information.
• LMS
– Sample, alpha test, beta test,
deploy.
– Training

38. Lessons Learned, cont.
• Policy/Administration
– Committee vs. director.
– Faculty involvement inversely proportional to comfort.
• Assessment
– Individual course.
– Programmatic/Institutional
• State Reciprocity
– State reciprocity was a tremendous time saver.
– Scaffolded into SACSCOC documentation.

39. Lessons Learned (3)
• Balanced discussions bring balanced
opinions.
• Offer regular reports to stakeholders
(faculty, administration, BOT).
• Show appreciation to co-workers.
• Build teams; delegate.
• Good tools make everything easier.

40. Extended
Institutional
Planning Council
(EIPC)
Four
subcommittees
considered
each goal
Progress
evaluated
for each
goal
If needed, new
recommendations
made for each goal
Board
of
Trustees
Review
Board
of
Trustees
Final
Review
Faculty
and
Staff
Review
The Refined Process
EIPC
Dashboard
Measures
Added

41. Roundtable Discussion
• Choose one initiative from among those selected at your table
and choose one person to be the recorder.
• As a group, create a flow chart, using the processes discussed,
to indicate how you would plan and implement your chosen
initiative.
• Make note of any problems or gaps that you see in the process.

42. Are we there yet?

43. Future Hurdles and Conclusion
• Restructure of Upper-level Administration
• Lost History
• Continue to Refine
• Continue to Review Latest Enhancements
• Consider Budget Impact of New Recommendations

44. Questions?

45. Calvin Hall, with Jon Ernstberger
Director of Online Instruction/
Instruction Tech
jernstberger@lagrange.edu
Swarley Nate, with Carol Yin
Director of Institutional Effectiveness
cyin@lagrange.edu