Approaches to Deploying AACSB-Qualified Faculty to Teach Online MBA Courses2019 Online MBA Conference

Brad Crisp, Arman Davtyan, and Phil Vardiman

Introduction

Landscape

Drivers for online programs

Mission expansion and adaptation to changing learning tools/preferences

Demographics, competition, and price pressure on residential programs

Revenue

Constraints

Faculty willingness and availability

AACSB faculty requirements

Landscape

Landscape

Problem = how to manage and support scarce faculty resources to build quality online programs

Program design (curriculum, course development and scheduling, etc.)

Academic support (staff) and partnerships (internal or third parties)

Faculty (selection, training, compensation, workload, etc.)

Focus and Levers

University

Private, non-profit, faith-based; founded in Abilene, TX in 1906

Carnegie Classification: Master’s Large

Enrollment ~ 5,300 (over 1,300 online)

Recent move to D1 sports (March Madness x 2)

College of Business Administration

Enrollment ~ 780 residential + 170 online

Programs: 5 BBA, 2 technology, MAcc. + online

Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy

Lytle Center for Faith & Leadership

Institutional Context

Landscape

Limited success with prior third party, non-business programs

Launch of separate ACU-Dallas branch campus (including support operations) to serve adult learners and grow revenue

Top-down mandate to launch MBA in 2015, jointly administered by the College of Business Administration in Abilene and the College of Graduate and Professional Studies at ACU-Dallas

Added MS in Management in 2017 to address recent graduates

Reaffirmation of AACSB accreditation in 2019, which was the first review of our online business programs

Online Background

Program Design: Interdisciplinary Core and Carousel

Sequence Course Name Fall 1 Fall 2 Spr 1 Spr 2 Sum 1 Sum 2

First Core Leadership X X X X X X

Middle Core Foundations of Analytics X X

Middle Core Business Law and Ethics X

Middle Core Strategic Marketing X X

Middle Core Organizational Behavior X X

Middle Core Accounting and Finance

for Managers

X

Last Core Innovation X X X

Last Core Managerial Decision

Making

X X X

Lead Teacher Only

Sections 1 2Sub-

total

Courses 8 4 12

% 34.8% 17.4% 52.2%

Discussion

Sections8 8 16

% 18.6% 18.6% 37.2%

Students 131 156 287

% 16.3% 19.4% 35.7%

Lead Teacher-Facilitator Totals

1 2 3 4Sub-

total

2 5 1 3 11 23

8.7% 21.7% 4.3% 13.0% 47.8% 100%

2 10 3 12 27 43

4.7% 23.3% 7.0% 27.9% 62.8% 100%

31 201 66 219 517 804

3.9% 25.0% 8.2% 27.2% 64.3% 100%

Academic Support:Lead Teacher-Facilitator Model

Role or Task Lead Teacher Facilitator

Student access and communication about course content X

Student access and communication about a particular assignment X X

Student access and communication about a grade (initially) X

Student access and communication about a grade (if disputed) X

Student access and communication about policies and processes X X

Content generation (selection of content and assessment methods) X

Content delivery through weekly synchronous sessions X

Grading of selected individual assignments X

Grading of most individual assignments X

Review of grading by facilitator, including consistency if there are multiple facilitators X

Final assessment of each student at the end of the term X

Overall management of course progress and scope X

Responsibility for meeting learning objectives X

Responsibility for assessment and assurance of learning reports X

Landscape

Initial launch message in fall 2015 stated current full-time faculty would not be required to teach online. Difficult to maintain.

All current new hires are expected to teach online (as needed)

Faculty perception of “online” environment and delivery is changing

Limited faculty resources requires creativity in sourcing teachers

Deployment of qualified faculty across programs (Lead Teachers)!

Availability for adjuncts much higher and a good base for sourcing

Faculty “mix” between campuses (oversight/schedule)

Faculty

Landscape

Unique role for PD – coordinating efforts between two campuses

Course design and implementation requires ample resources and timeframe

Different approach as to who controls (oversees) the course content

Especially when changes are needed (both from a content and preference need)

Data is not always the same (methods of calculation and/or tracking)

Goals need to be realistic!

Other Insights

Landscape

Institutional Context

UniversityPrivate, non-profit, faith-based

Carnegie Classification: Doctoral/Professional

Total student population ~ 7,710

Graziadio Business SchoolEnrollment ~ 1,800 students (largest graduate school)

13 degree offerings across 3 program portfolios (FT, PT, Exec)

Online degree options:

• MBA

• MS, Management & Leadership

• MS, Applied Analytics

• MS, Human Resources

2019 marked 50th anniversary of School’s founding

Launched first DBA program cohort in Fall ‘18

Initial launch in 2013 in partnership with external OEM (Pearson)

New partnership (2U) beginning Fall ’19

Driving factors

Market awareness

Growing revenue needs

Desire to expand reach and grow Pepperdine brand

Anticipated “halo” effect for campus-based programs

Faculty development opportunity

Online Background

Landscape

Old Model (with Pearson)

3 starts per year

Core courses offered via rotation/carousel

Courses taught/managed individually

3-to-1 ratio of asynchronous/ synchronous instruction

Program Design/Delivery: Then and Now

New Model (with 2U)

3 starts per year

All core courses offered every term

Course Lead/Section Lead instructional model

2.6-to-1 ratio of asynchronous/ synchronous instruction

Faculty Deployment under Previous Model (Fall ‘18)

Core Course # Sections

Offered

# Students

Enrolled

% Taught by

Participating Faculty

% Taught by SA/PA

Leadership Dev 2 12 100% 100%

Quant Analysis 3 18 100% 100%

Accounting 2 19 100% 100%

Economics 2 19 100% 100%

Financial Management 2 24 100% 100%

Information Systems - - - -

Legal Issues - - - -

Marketing Management 3 24 33% 33%

Strategic Management 2 18 50% 50%

Overall 16 19 81% 81%

Faculty Deployment Under New Model (Fall ‘19)

Core Course # Sections

Offered

Average

Enrollment

% Taught by

Participating Faculty

% Taught by

SA/PA

Leadership Dev 4 14 100% 100%

Quant Analysis 3 16 100% 100%

Accounting 4 12 100% 100%

Economics 3 17 100% 100%

Financial Management 3 16 100% 100%

Information Systems - - - -

Legal Issues - - - -

Marketing Management 3 17 33% 33%

Strategic Management 2 21 50% 50%

Overall 22 16 86% 86%

Landscape

Course Lead (SA or PA)

Create course syllabus

Develop asynchronous content (2.5 hours/week)

Provide oversight for additional sections taught

Section Lead

Serves as instructor of record for additional sections

Lead weekly live sessions (1.5 hours)

Flexible remuneration structure

Option to be compensated in units or stipend

Faculty Roles/Responsibilities of “New” Model

Landscape

Greater flexibility attractive to faculty

Purported “halo” effect unclear (TBD?)

Programs with previous OL experience may face steeper adoption curve

Importance of well-coordinated course development plan/timeline

Key Learnings

Q&A