Strategies to Advance Innovation in Online Education

This chapter provides specific examples as guideposts and lessons learned from Collins's work to enable readers to apply his findings to create a successful online higher education enterprise sustained through the establishment of an innovative culture. Their methodological approach to advance well-researched, not flashy, and thoughtful strategies aligns and is congruent with the academic culture of higher education. Unlike some organizational innovation strategies that focus on disruptive innovations or blowing up old models, Collins advanced the axiom that sustainable innovative organizations did not chase the newest shining technology or management trend but rather pursued a long-term commitment to creating an organization steeped in social innovation. While the university pursued the nascent and untested delivery of online education through the World Campus, the administration created the university-wide World Campus Steering Committee governing body, composed of the university's key academic leaders, to ensure the preservation of the World Campus's academic integrity and quality.