The Invaluable Role of Online Learning Professionals in Promoting Data-Driven Institutional Change

For many academic institutions, online learning has become an increasingly integral component of their educational enterprises (Garrett et al., 2022). However, a fundamental question underpins each of these initiatives. How can institutions efficiently and intentionally evaluate the efficacy of their online learning operations and chart a course forward that would maximize the success of their learners? Critical to the conversations addressing this question is the involvement of instructional designers, e-learning administrators, and other institutional online learning professionals. These distance education experts are often at the forefront of online learning implementation, embodying a myriad of invaluable roles (Mancilla & Frey, 2020). Their proximity to faculty members offers them a unique perspective in observing how the application of design strategies and institutional practices and polices impact online learners. Similarly, assessments conducted by these educational practitioners on the quality of online courses, faculty professional development, and learner retention and success provide data that is integral to the evaluation of key institutional performance metrics in the online learning space. Join this informative session as we explore research-based and community-informed practices for reframing the role of online learning professionals as strategic institutional thought partners. Together, we will uncover practical strategies for cultivating and enhancing partnerships between academic leadership and online learning professionals to promote data-driven institutional change.