Online education: Setting the course, expanding our reach

By Bill Tibbetts, MBA Dean of the College of Business and Technology and Digital Education

One of North Central University’s strategic initiatives for academic quality is to provide innovative programming, further our mission, and meet market demand. Under this overarching goal, the plan states, “Create robust growth and investment in online and graduate education by launching new academic programming.”

I’m excited about this initiative, and earlier this year, I applied and was appointed Dean of Digital education to bolster online and digital education at NCU. I am still serving as Dean of the College of Business and Technology (COBAT) and adding the digital component to my portfolio of responsibilities. There were several factors I considered when deciding to take this on.

First, the digital team is made up of incredibly seasoned and dedicated teammates, so I knew we would collectively be able to carry the responsibility.

Second, our COBAT team was willing to step up to assist in covering areas that are normally my responsibility, allowing me to include digital in my workload.

Finally, I am in the dissertation stage for my Doctor of Business Administration in Organizational Studies from Grand Canyon University. I am thrilled to apply the extensive knowledge I’ve gained through this advanced education, and as a result of my dissertation, I’ve come into this role with a very clear sense of what the future of NCU online education could look like.

While there is no magic bullet for North Central’s future success, our senior leaders are enthusiastic about our direction and the possibilities digital education affords.

TEAM SUPPORT

Online programming at NCU and the team supporting online students are positioned on an excellent trajectory for growth. Our core leaders Melissa Gear, M.S., Executive Director of Digital Education, and Sharon (Decker ’99) Kuntz, M.A., Program Director and Academic Coach, have played key roles in advancing online education amid leadership transitions in this area and the impact of the pandemic over the past two years. Our online graduate program support comes from Nicole Morgan, Associate Director and Academic Coach of the College of Graduate and Professional Education.

With the digital leadership team in place, we are also adjusting the organizational chart within the digital space to better reflect demand and future growth.

LEARNING PLATFORM AND DEGREES

One development in the digital sphere at NCU is the learning management software (LMS) transition. We are moving from Moodle to Canvas in spring 2023. NCU’s current LMS, Moodle, has been used by NCU for about a decade, but it has not evolved as quickly as online education practices. Canvas is being broadly adopted LMS because it is more intuitive for users. Harvard University recently transitioned its colleges over to this LMS. The user experience with Canvas will be a night-and-day difference for our students and faculty.

North Central currently offers six online undergraduate degrees, and three more will launch in fall 2022*:

• AA Church Leadership•

BS Business Administration

• BS Church Leadership

• BS Digital Media

• BS Humanitarian Leadership

• BS YCF Ministry

• BS Sports Management*

• BS Marketing*

• BS Biblical & Theological Studies*

NCU’s graduate program offers the following degrees online:

> Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership, three tracks:

• Business Administration

• Church Leadership

• Worship Arts

> Master of Arts in Biblical Theology, three tracks:

• Biblical Languages

• Old Testament

• New Testament

In the coming months and years, we plan to expand online programming for both undergrad and graduate students, as well as introduce new certificate programs.

GROWING PARTNERSHIPS

A cornerstone for online education is the Academic Partners program. NCU currently partners with churches across the U.S. to offer the online Christian college experience through discounted degree programs. We are developing new mission-aligned partners that can be ambassadors for the NCU brand.

We are working to evolve the partner concept in a few ways:

• Focusing on procuring partners across various sectors, including churches, nonprofits, and businesses

• Creating a community within and among all partners

• Providing exceptional service, support, and direction. Ultimately, we want to add value to what our partners are already accomplishing

Our team focusing on expanding and supporting academic partnerships includes Executive Director of Academic Partners Aimee (Perrin ’97) Robertson and Director of Academic Partners Jeff Grenell, M.A.

BUILDING ON HISTORY AND STRENGTH

People ask me, “Do you think we are too late to the online education game?”

I answer with an emphatic, “NO!” Online education is a high potential platform for taking the best of what we are already doing and developing innovative means of education. We are building on NCU’s history and strength as a residential institution to bring that to the digital space—God-centered relational commitment and academically excellent Christian education.

With a powerful mission to stand on, our team in place, and an LMS that provides a stable platform for growth, North Central is poised to make significant strides in online education for the foreseeable future.