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THE BOTTOM LINE--RETURN ON INVESTMENT: INVESTING IN OUR STAKEHOLDERS
As outlined above, eTech's mission in summary is essentially two-fold: to better serve Wisconsin's learners and to better serve our district participants. Although eTech has undoubtedly provided for better and more options for Wisconsin's learners, there are a number of stakeholders in addition to our district investors that must realize substantial benefits to best sustain those value-added services a collaborative provides customers. For the business model to sustain itself we must demonstrate quantifiable "pay-off" or ROI for those who have a stake in what we do, monetarily or otherwise.
The potential that even greater collaboration and cooperation can afford key stakeholders,students, faculty, districts, and the State of Wisconsin alike—is enormous.
Many of these returns are currently being enjoyed. Others will require building on those successes through changes in the way we have traditionally thought and done business through even greater collaborative efforts between our districts. Accountability for delivery on ROI promises should be shared with the group through regular communications, progress reports, evaluations, and updates.
Measuring Success: Evaluation Tools and Success Indicators
As a collaborative endeavor, the successes eTech enjoys and failures it learns and builds from are the result of the joint efforts of its participants. eTech staff, district faculty and staff, System participants, and key leadership groups all have a stake in eTech's promise, and each in turn shares in some way in the success and failure of the project. Accountability metrics and tools should ideally reflect that. Accountability models should be implemented that reflect group efforts and group stake.
students
faculty
districts
State of Wisconsin
Accountability
Students
- Enhanced Access to Education: educational alternatives available to a group of learners that might not otherwise benefit from the wealth of resources available within the WTCS.
- Increased Options: more programs and courses from which to choose.
- Improved Flexibility: more courses of study that fit within busy lifestyles.
- Portability of Credit: the ability to more quickly and easily transfer credit from one part of our state to another, providing greater value for educational dollars invested and enhanced opportunities for lifelong learning.
- Better Course Availability: options for existing students when "home district" courses are full and/or unavailable at their college, allowing them to continue studies and complete programs "on time."
- Affordability: cost-savings passed on to learners through better fiscal stewardship. Maintaining tuitions students can afford.
- Enhanced Student Services: better support for a growing body of learners taking courses from multiple districts (registration, financial aid, proctoring, library resources, academic advising, career counseling, bookstore/course materials, etc).
- Improved Learning Experiences: greater satisfaction with the WTCS online learning experience
Faculty
- Professional Development Opportunities: resources, courses and tutorials, workshops, learning activities, an interactive community that supports teaching needs
- Course Development Opportunities: paid opportunities to develop online courses complete with access to professionals with related expertise
- Collaborative Opportunities: paid opportunities to collaborate with statewide peers
- Access to Technology: availability and support of alarger number of tools that support learning
- Mentoring for New or Adjunct faculty: learning activities, tools and strategies, and turn-key curriculum, if desired, for new and/or adjunct faculty
- Carry-over and Enhancements to Traditional Courses: a means in which to enhance traditional classroom offerings through exposure to alternative and online strategies that can make classroom teaching more effective.
- Avenue for Certification: flexible means in which to meet state education certification requirements
- Program Sustainability: a means to sustain necessary but low-enrollment programs
- More Jobs: an increase in the number of faculty positions available through (1) meeting increased demand for flexible programming and (2) shared-delivery models that turn fewer students away due to under or over-enrolled courses.
- Access to Unique and Diverse Expertise: an "On-Line Learning Center of Excellence" through which to congregate the wealth of unique and diverse resources and expertise available within individual districts and make that available to WTCS participants.
- Outreach / Meeting Student Needs: a way in which to reach more learners and help people improve their lives, both professionally and personally, who might otherwise might not benefit from course content
- Higher Quality Online Courses: through all of the above
Colleges / Districts
- Better Fiscal Stewardship: a means in which to maintain costs through collaborative investments in common needs, resources, and services.
- Technology
- Technology support (improved services from vendors)
- Faculty development and training
- Faculty certification
- Curriculum development (shared planning and scheduling)
- Student support
- Course delivery and scheduling
- Marketing
- Program Sustainability: a means to sustain necessary but low-enrollment programs
- Enhanced Purchasing Power: lower product costs through leverage of collaborative purchases
- Maximized Course Delivery Efficiencies: fewer low or under-enrolled courses through shared delivery strategies.
- Enhanced Student Services: ease of access to student services for body of students taking courses from multiple districts (registration, financial aid, proctoring, library resources, academic advising, career counseling, bookstore/course materials, etc).
- Improved Technological Infrastructure Between Districts: A means to exchange and share information between districts. A path in which to track students who are taking courses from multiple districts, identify them, and provide them with better services.
- Increased FTEs: through better meeting market demand, shared delivery efficiencies (not turning students away to potential competitors, but rather, to one another), enhanced marketing efforts, and simplified and increased access to learning
- Supplemented Marketing: a channel in which to market statewide initiatives that can reach larger numbers of potential customers.
- Stronger Voice Within a Very Competitive Alternative-Education Marketplace: focusing on substantial competitors outside of the WTCS, rather than investing dollars and resources competing with each other.
- Improved Accountability to Boards and District Taxpayer: Better fiscal stewardship to local stakeholders and investors.
- Investment in Learner-Centered Learning and Lifelong Learning: putting students first by increasing available options, providing for greater flexibility, improving portability of credit, and affordability.
- Higher Quality Online Courses and Programs: improving the educational product offered.
State of Wisconsin
- Greater Accountability to Taxpayers: better fiscal stewardship.
- Investment in Wisconsin's Workforce: enhanced and increased numbers of workforce development and training options.
- Investment in Wisconsin's Economy: investment in Wisconsin's economy through a collaborative investment in its learners.
- Enhanced Support of Business and Industry: a collaborative response to local business and industry demands for unique training programs delivered in more flexible and more affordable ways, helping make Wisconsin an attractive place to do business.
- Investment in Lifelong Learning: flexible, portable credit that supports training and educational opportunities for a lifetime
