Online Education Across the Atlantic Phil Hill, Neil Mosley, and Glenda Morgan

There's no shame in re-using the same song in a title, as long as it's a good one. Phil, Morgan, and Neil start by discussing recent conferences at ASU+GSV and THE - overviews, what worked, what didn't work, key messages. But then the conversation goes meta, discussing what makes education conferences valuable and what can kill any value.

Neil, Morgan and Phil discuss the significance and impact of college rankings, specifically related to the Times Higher Education launching their online education ranking this year. They explore the methodology of how the scores were aquired, who participated in the surveys, and what kind of impact this type of ranking plays on future students and the schools themselves.

In three stories that we have discussed lately - the UAGC ongoing fiasco, the University of Phoenix sales process, and Project Kitty Hawk board reports - there seems to be a common theme. Namely, that governance issues are creating a lot of the risk, when governance should be used to manage risk. What is happening around governance in these three examples, and why are we seeing this common theme across high-profile online initiatives? What does this say about higher ed culture and its ability to navigate change?

Phil, Morgan, and Neil take a look at innovations in academic programs - what is new and what trends are taking root. Is there a reason for so many examples listed coming from more than a decade ago?

Phil, Morgan, and Neil take a look at the optimistic projects often involved in starting online education initiatives. What are some examples of what Morgan calls 'optimism run amok', and what are the causes? What is the role of institutional brand in online education potential?

In a real follow up episode, we first address the U Texas AI conference and the Udacity acquisition. Then we discuss a listener question asking how our current plight in higher education mirrors (or doesn't) some business bubbles that have burst.