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Introduction to this Series

This is the first of a series of blog posts related to the multi-program financial model I have built. This financial model, housed in a Google Sheet, predicts the cash flows for your institution if it were to launch up to five new online programs in the next six years. This is a complicated model; it requires that you be able to answer a series of questions about your institution and those programs...so this won’t be a short exercise. But I’ve made it easier  for you by already building the model—you just have to fill in the values. And you can always change your answers later as you learn more! 

Great ideas are one thing, executing on them successfully is quite another. Your nonprofit exists to make positive changes in the world through the application of great ideas. That may include a need for online learning as a necessary support for your program. However, finding an efficient and scalable way to deliver learning can be problematic. 

You have something you need others to learn. Perhaps it’s professional growth, a new online course, or training for a new product. The task at hand is to create an online learning program that will not only explain the intended learning objectives but, hopefully, deliver that information in a way that will result in actual learning. If your teachable stuff sticks its landing, then you’ve maximized your ROI.

Changing a name isn’t easy. A name is a vitally important indicator; it captures the essence of a person, company, or service line and communicates it properly. At Extension Engine we changed the name of our service from ‘instructional design’ (ID) to ‘learning experience (LX) design’ because it better captures the full range of what we do.

Goldie Blumenstyk’s recent column, “Online Learning Is Misunderstood. Here’s How,” in The Chronicle of Higher Education, raises compelling issues about online learning.