Abstract:

National University, the second largest private university in California, and acknowledged as one of the top tier of E-Learning providers in the United States recently developed a Master of Science degree program in Higher Education Administration designed to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for candidates to assume leadership positions in institutions of Higher Education. This is one of only a limited number of similar programs currently offered in the United States. The ten-course program, consisting of eight core courses, a research course, and a thesis requirement has several unique and innovative features.

Program and course design incorporate Andragogy concepts – learning strategies focusing specifically on adult learners – and combines sound educational theory, leadership, and strategic management concepts in a manner designed to best assist students in learning how to plan, implement, administer, and evaluate institutional Higher Education programs across the wide spectrum of college and university level administrative work. The program focuses on subject areas such as student services, enrollment management, leading and managing change in a higher education environment, policy development, diverse community relations, financial management, and higher education case law.

While National University utilized the expertise of their own faculty, an innovative approach was to utilize nationally recognized experts external to the university to drive the design of the program and the course content materials. Individual recruited to assist in this effort included Chief Student Services and Enrollment Management officers, a System-Wide Director of Educational Leadership Policy, a Special Assistant to a University President, a College Vice President, a College Dean, a State Chancellor Office’s Director of Student Programs, and Professors of Higher Education with expertise in Finance and Law which included an Attorney. The underlying concept was to draw from a broad-base of expertise to create a program than was relevant to the dynamic needs of administering the higher education enterprise. It should be noted that only three of the eight core courses were designed, and are currently being taught, by full-time National University faculty members.

The other major innovation of the program is National University’s approach to the design of online learning. Drawing from Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction and other theories, National University has developed a parallel philosophy, the Effective e-Learning Model dubbed “e2L”, which focuses on online learning and directs that online course content must target all types of learners: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. This means that every concept, theory and application in a course should be demonstrated via a strategic mix of presentation mediums. This ensures that all learners are engaged in active and retainable learning and can better apply what they’ve learned.

Keywords:

Higher Education, e-learning, Innovation, Program Design.