In the late 90s, a few companies began to offer what would become known as Online Program Management (OPM), which allowed institutions to expand their online offerings by partnering with an OPM provider. Over the last 15 years, the OPM market has grown rapidly, particularly during the past five years. According to a recent Eduventures report, as of summer 2015, there were more than 30 OPM service providers within the U.S. marketplace, and the trend line of provider volume suggests that there are more to come.
Many schools have launched online programs, and in many cases, they think the way to start is to either 1) let a faculty member who’s interested in doing it go ahead and do it or 2) start slowly with a certificate or noncredit course. Both can be recipes for disaster, causing delays, additional cost, lower enrollment and a poor competitive position. To address these issues, many institutions form OPM partnerships to help them scale and build sustainable programs.
Traditionally, an OPM provider will deliver, at the very least, a core group of services designed to help grow online enrollments. This usually encompasses a soup-to-nuts basket of services that covers the student lifecycle from the beginning (marketing, branding and enrollment) to the end (retention through graduation).
There has been a lot of discussion as to best practices in OPM evaluation, negotiation and success. Often overlooked are options for institutions that a) currently have online programs, b) have programs that are performing sub-optimally, or c) aren’t necessarily looking to outsource the entirety of a program to an OPM provider. What these institutions are looking for is a “fix-it” solution. A partner can assist in upgrading various aspects of a program to give an institution the tools, training and plan to grow and scale programs and thrive in an online environment. Within this model, partners choose from services that include the following:
- Market research on programs, competition, recommended specializations, value proposition and differentiators
- Targeted marketing to focus on efficient enrollment of the right type of student for each program
- Significant capital funding to relaunch and grow the programs
- Efficient and cost-effective delivery using a mix of automation, technology and enhanced tools based on both desktop and mobile platforms
- Enhancement of the quality of courses and student and faculty support. This includes upgrading curriculum and content, refining student profiles to better match the program offering and ensuring that faculty have the support needed to successfully and more easily deliver a premium online experience
- Brand preservation and improvement by ensuring successful programs
- Improved net financial contribution to the school and to the university
Why would an institution choose a “fix-it” solution as opposed to a full-fledged outsourced OPM solution? Neither is necessarily wrong or right in every case. But in some cases, institutions have buy-in from faculty, have a solid underpinning of resources for a small-sized online program and have a long-term vision for substantial growth in online. What they may not have is the buy-in, authority or stomach for a long-term, all-in outsourcing contract. In those situations, the ability to choose from a variety of support options on a short-term, flexible basis could provide significant short-term gains – increased retention rates, accelerated program launches, expanded enrollment footprint, etc - while creating a path towards long-term success.
Keypath Education (formerly known as Plattform) is a worldwide, Kansas City-based firm with offices in Chicago, Canada, the U.K. and Australia. Exclusively focused on higher education for more than 26 years, Keypath Education helps schools grow enrollment, launch programs, improve learning and optimize careers for graduates. Keypath Education offers OPM models ranging from “fix-it” to full scale, marketing and enrollment services, and software tools that enhance career preparation.