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Summary

In this piece, I make a case for why schools should lean into the hybrid and online course infrastructure that they have built during the pandemic. Hybrid and online courses and programs provide schools several advantages:

1. Increased flexibility, for both long-term and short-term student circumstances
2. Enhanced residential learning, by incorporating personalized course data, ongoing assessments, and richer media types
3. Better returns on investments already made, through continued emergency preparedness and differentiated education offerings for price-conscious audiences

You’re a nonprofit leader ready to grow your organization’s impact. The potential to extend your reach is great. With scaling as an imperative, your digital transformation initiative begins. But how do you ensure your program and your organization are ready? You may not see evidence-based digital learning design as a core component of the answer to that question. But we do. 

Digital transformation often begins with your search for the right tool or some ideal platform that will serve all of your needs. How often does it start with a conversation about what those needs actually are?

Organizations that use teaching, mentoring, or consulting to deliver their mission have likely faced an existential challenge since the COVID-19  pandemic hit, restricting in-person connections. Perhaps they had previously considered moving online but had not yet made that commitment. When the pandemic struck, they had to quickly transition to an online-only delivery model. This has probably involved copious amounts of Zoom and Google Hangouts.  Organizations have no doubt discovered that filming a play and calling it a movie does not result in Avatar. 

The pandemic has challenged higher education institutions to move their courses and services online quickly. However, despite the vaccine rollout, schools still face unique challenges heading into the fall semester, including providing faculty support, ensuring student success, and minimizing risk.