Four Years of CHLOE Data: What We've Learned About Online Education
Concurrent Session 7

Brief Abstract
Four years of CHLOE (Changing Landscape of Online Education) surveys have deepened our understanding of current practices and trends in online learning, including issues of leadership, governance, pedagogy, technology, finances, competition, student outcomes, and quality assurance. The CHLOE researchers discuss key findings and strategic challenges in dialog with the audience.
Presenters
Extended Abstract
The CHLOE (Changing Landscape of Online Education) Survey has accumulated four years of data (2016 - 2019) on online learning practices across all sectors of U.S. higher education. Three annual reports have been published and a fourth will appear in April 2020. The survey covers a wide and expanding range of issues affecting the managment of online learning within institutions, including leadership, curriculum, pedagogy, technology, budgeting, quality assurance, student performance, competition and strategic planning.
The data are gathered through an annual national survey of Chief Online Officers. Such officers hold a variety of actual titles reflecting their relatively recent creation, as online learning has evolved into a mainstream activity in the majority of U.S. colleges and universities. The CHLOE investigators believe that COOs are the best-positioned individuals to grasp the big picture of online learning at their institutions, as captured in the list of CHLOE topics above.
Previous CHLOE presentations at OLC and other major conferences have focused on particular topics and presented survey data in detail through detailed PowerPoint presentations. As a departure from this previous practice, the panel format proposed here will allow the investigators to summarize findings broadly to create a picture of current state of online learning in the U.S.
Among the issues to be discussed is the emerging pattern of online leadership at the institutional level, the dominance of fully online courses and programs and inattention to blended alternatives, continued reliance on pedagogy tied to the classroom model, the tension between innovation and continuity, the high impact but limited application of instructional design expertise, and approaches to quality assurance of the different components of online learning success. The panel will also touch upon the varied models of online learning, including the targeted audiences, the scope of online programs, competition within and between different sectors, and the strategic goals of institutions and institutonal leaders.
The panelists will each give brief opening remarks (5 minutes or less) covering different segments of the emerging picture of online learning, followed by dialog with audience members on the issues that capture their interest.