Firms To Benchmark Higher Ed Online Operations
Education consultancy Eduventures has teamed up with The Campus Computing Project to kick off a new study focusing on online operations in higher education.
The aim of the project will be to "address a major knowledge gap in the increasingly competitive and complex online higher education market," according to the groups. The two organizations are in the process of consulting with colleges and universities to determine which areas of online operations benchmarking would be most valuable for. They will be issues that affect online degree/ certificate programs, academic and student support services, faculty training, IT, and enrollment management.
"Obviously, all colleges and universities want their online operational model to be as effective and efficient as possible," said Richard Garrett, Eduventures program director and senior research analyst. "But right now there is no place a school can turn to get a clear sense of what its peers and competitors are doing, and to distinguish the lagging, the normal, and the innovative. With the market maturing and operational models playing a progressively more important role in determining competitive advantage and return on investment, the need for this kind of comparative data has become critical."
The project will be aimed at both public and private (non-profit and profit-based) institutions. Eduventures and The Campus Computing Project said they expect the first results of the study to be released in October.