Many institutions have invested heavily in online learning, but fewer have a clear, program-level view of quality. This session explores what distinguishes high-performing online programs, moving beyond individual courses to examine the systems, structures, and processes that support sustainable quality at scale.
Participants will explore common gaps, such as fragmented governance, inconsistent student support, and limited continuous improvement processes, and compare them to the practices of more mature programs. The session introduces a structured way of thinking about quality using the Administration of Online Programs Quality Scorecard, helping institutions begin to see their own strengths and gaps more clearly.
Intended Audience & Benefits:
Audience:
- Provosts and academic leaders
- Online learning administrators
- Institutional effectiveness and quality assurance teams
- Cross-functional leaders (IT, student services, faculty development)
Benefits:
- Establishes a shared understanding of program-level quality
- Helps leaders identify systemic gaps, not just surface issues
- Provides a framework for internal conversations about improvement
- Offers a starting point for institutions new to structured program evaluation
Key Messages / Takeaways:
- High-quality online programs operate as coordinated systems, not isolated efforts
- Many institutions overestimate alignment due to lack of program-level visibility
- Quality requires intentional structures, not just good intentions
- Institutions can begin exploring quality immediately using structured frameworks like the Scorecard
Presenter
Phil Denman
Coordinator, Quality Scorecard Suite, OLC
Phil Denman serves as Coordinator of the Quality Scorecard Suite for the Online Learning Consortium, where he leads quality assurance initiatives that support online, blended, and digital learning. He brings over 20 years of experience spanning higher education, non-profit organizations, and the private sector, with expertise in online teaching and learning, product development, media production, web design, and broadcasting. Phil’s primary focus is on improving the quality of digital learning experiences with a strong commitment to equity and access, particularly for traditionally underserved and underrepresented learners. He began his instructional design career at UC Berkeley, helping launch the university’s first two fully-online Master’s programs, and went on to spend 10 years at San Diego State University. While at SDSU, he also held concurrent roles with the California State University Chancellor’s Office where he guided system-wide efforts to enhance teaching effectiveness and student success. He earned an M.S. in Education from California State University, East Bay, and a B.A. in Communication Arts from Allegheny College, a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania.