Excerpt from the article published on evolllution.com

Partnering with an institution can be just as valuable for a higher education institution’s growth as purchasing a service from a vendor.

Institutions should look to consortia models and other opportunities for institutional partnerships for several reasons:

1. Profit Motive While the institution supplying the service will want to cover its costs, profits do not have to be the driving factor in establishing a price…

2. Expertise Colleges and universities house a wealth of experience and knowledge….

3. Shared Risk In many smaller institutions, it may not be feasible to offer a degree program without partnering with another institution….

At eduKan, we help institutions establish their programs online. Currently, we are working with two private, non-profit liberal arts colleges to bring their programs online. The collaboration benefits the partner schools by assisting their faculty in the conversion of their courses, providing high-end learning management systems (which they simply could not afford on their own) and a 24/7/365 call center for their students. And, best of all, they don’t need to be a member of the eduKan consortium to participate.

Read the complete article here and find out how we’ve helped other schools with their initiatives for a fraction of the cost.

Inspiration

Protecting the Brand: The Hells Angels have grown increasingly litigious, learning to employ the legal system to protect the recognizable symbols of their club.

I was reading the NYTimes article on protecting your brand, this one happened to be about the Hell’s Angels and how they sue over their brand name usage. (see the article here)

Let’s face it; most colleges really don’t understand branding. Heck, most don’t understand results driven marketing. Please, don’t even mention social media marketing… But we have a Facebook page.

Most colleges will tell you they get branding… you know… our website looks like our brochures. Dig a little deeper and you find many institutions with no real idea which logo is being used by which department and how many Facebook pages actually exist that use their name. How many small colleges turn their brand into revenue generation like the big D-1 schools? Granted most Saturdays there are a couple of thousand fans in the stand for a football game…if they are lucky. Find me a small liberal arts college and I will find you a local screen-printing company using their logo and selling it to their students, alumni and fans.

At eduKan we fight the branding fight

Bring in the Hell’s Angels… and their litigious presence. I love this article and in a previous life worked with some motorcycle clubs and can tell you first hand they are serious about protecting their name, image and logo. The three-part patch they wear on their back, called their colors, is trademarked and defended in both style and format. In the old days it was mostly threats and broken knees, few lawyers were involved.

At eduKan we fight the branding fight. Small e (by the way Word hates when we do that) and capital K with an ampersand-like symbol for the “U”. It all has meaning; capital K for Kansas, the circle around the “U” because you are the most important part of eduKan. The e is small, well, because it just looks stupid with a capital E. Innovating Education is what we do, the circle U carries over from the logo and show that the education if for U.

Brand Champion

As the brand champion for eduKan I have not physically fought anyone or taken the shirt off of their back but I have required all eduKan faculty and staff get the logo tattooed on some visible part of their body… Wait… they don’t know about that yet…

For those of you offended by the use of the word tattooed in an educational blog… get over it… As for the faculty and staff getting tattoos, just joking… for now! 

What do you think?

Share your thoughts about how your brand is being (mis)used below. We’d like to get your take on this subject too.

Dr. Sarver will share innovation tactics and tips to help Higher Education Institutions be more innovative by changing thinking and creating an environment that welcomes and inspires action during a pre-conference workshop at NUTN 2013 in New Mexico.

Dr. Mark Sarver, CEO of the award-winning eduKan Consortium, will be leading a pre-conference workshop entitled “Innovation Tactics and Tips for You and Your Institution,” at NUTN Network 2013 conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Monday, September 16^th from 9 AM to 11:30 AM prior to the official conference opening. The NUTN Network conference is in its 31^st year and is designed to cover trends and issues in Higher Education as well as give attendees the opportunity to network with their colleagues to have more open discussions. This format change will enable the leaders in the field of technology-facilitated learning to brainstorm on new ideas as well as look at challenges with fresh eyes.

About the 31^st Annual NUTN Network Conference

The conference brings together innovative leaders in teaching and learning and will be held from September 16^th -18^th, 2013 in Albuquerque New Mexico at the Hyatt Regency. The conference also honors individuals and institutions for their successes with an awards ceremony. Last year, eduKan was honored to have received the NUTN 2012 Distance Education Innovation Award. Topics covered at the conference will include assessment and accreditation, state authorization and regulation, student retention, prior learning assessment, post traditional credit hours, assessing student learning in distance-based education, competency-based models, low-cost degree programs, MOOC’s, mobile learning, analytics and Latino issues in education. For more information visit www.nutn.org/network2013

About NUTN

National University Technology Network was founded in 1982 and is headquartered at the Dallas County Community College District’s R. Jan LeCroy Center. The National University Technology Network (NUTN) is a consortium of higher education institutions and provides a networking and professional development arena for the advancement of teaching and learning. http://www.nutn.org

About eduKan

eduKan provides access to quality higher education, including ELL courses, via college degrees, certificates, and individual courses, with affordable online classes. eduKan was founded in 1998 as a cooperative effort between member colleges to offer courses via the Internet. eduKan’s consortium schools are all accredited Kansas learning institutions with excellent reputations and long histories of providing degrees in traditional settings, as well as through online courses. eduKan Consortium member institutions are: Barton Community College, in Great Bend; Colby Community College, in Colby; Dodge City Community College, in Dodge City; Garden City Community College, in Garden City; Pratt Community College, in Pratt; and Seward County Community College/Area Technical School, in Liberal. For more information, please visit http://www.edukan.org.

reposted from EvoLLLution Article written by Dr. Mark Sarver

Inter-Institutional Collaborations Critical to Compete

As we have been discussing the commoditization of higher education, the topic of how inter-institutional collaborations can help institutions compete in this ever-changing marketplace must be addressed. The two key areas of collaboration that help institutions boil down to increased opportunity and reduced costs…

In the often protected and territorial confines of a higher education institution, referred to as silos within the industry, cross-departmental cooperation is as rare as collaboration with another institution. We know the reasons: perception that no one can do it as well as me; concerns they will steal my ideas and get the credit; and that would involve me getting out of my comfort zone. However, working together allows for better ideas, shared risk and increased exposure (the good kind). It is not difficult, and quite often simply requires someone reaching out to involve others in an honest conversation to break down these negative misperceptions…

We are working on many cost containment activities, including shared grant writing services, a shared learning management system, a centralized faculty and staff training institute and joint purchasing of educational support software. These activities save our member institutions thousands of dollars each year.

Read the rest of this article here 

Today, as many fee-based consortia are disappearing because of a dwindling membership and inability to express their value proposition, eduKan continues to grow. Over the past several years, eduKan has experienced growth at double-digit rates, resulting in a substantial return on investment for each of its member institutions. Last year alone, each of the six member colleges received an annual dividend payment of $90,000…

…Recognizing the need for ongoing innovation, eduKan has built an innovation fund (read: research and development) into its annual operating budget.

Read the rest of this article published in Evolllution, written by Dr. Mark Sarver.

At the 20^th ICAI Conference’s Technology Showcase, Dr. Mark Sarver will be discussing how eduKan is using biometrics technology for student identity proofing to meet regulations, lower operational costs and maintain high levels of academic integrity for distance education.

Dr. Mark Sarver, CEO of eduKan, a consortium of colleges in Kansas, will be speaking at the International Center for Academic Integrity’s 20^th Anniversary Conference. Dr. Sarver will be talking about his choice to seek out a solution for identity proofing students enrolled in eduKan’s distance education program, to maintain a high level of academic integrity and to lower operational costs associated with physical proctoring. The ICAI conference originally was to be held at Princeton University in November, but Hurricane Sandy forced a reschedule to February 26-28^th, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas and will feature thought leaders who support the need to cultivate a culture of integrity in academic communities throughout the world.

Overview of Benefits of Technology used from BSI

The International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI) was founded in 1992 to combat cheating, plagiarism, and academic dishonesty in higher education. ICAI offers assessment services, resources, and consultations to its member institutions, and facilitates conversations on academic integrity topics each year at its annual conference. The 20th International Center for Academic Integrity Conference’s theme is Influencing Culture, Advancing Integrity and is headed up by director, Dr. Teresa Fishman, from Clemson University in South Carolina and has members in 18 countries.

“We are excited to be speaking at the ICAI conference this year, representing the first distance education institution that has pioneered the use of BSI’s biometric technology for identity proofing as part of our learning management platform,” stated Dr. Mark Sarver, CEO of eduKan.

eduKan ran a pilot in the Spring of 2011 to test the viability of the BioSig-ID software for use in student identity proofing along with a plan to lower proctoring costs, protect student privacy and increase accountability while being easy to use. Dr. Sarver was able to realize a dramatic savings in operational costs and lower fees for students while proactively managing academic integrity for eduKan’s online campus. eduKan was nominated for a Sloan Consortium Effective Practice award for their advancement in using innovative technology to solve this critical need.

At ICAI, Dr. Sarver will share the key findings from the pilot, how it’s working now that it is rolled out for school-wide usage, and how eduKan is benefiting today by using BSI’s solution.

“We are on a fast growth path and needed to manage costs as our staff of six manages over 5,000 online student enrollments,” Dr. Sarver continues. “The risk-reward for adoption of innovative technologies comes down to the plan –one in which we very methodically stated clear goals and objectives to our technology partners and were able to realize them as a result of the hard work of our team’s execution.”

For more information on this conference and membership opportunities in the ICAI, please visit http://www.academicintegrity.org.

About eduKan

eduKan provides access to quality higher education, including ESL courses, via college degrees, certificates, and individual courses, with affordable online classes. eduKan was founded in 1998 as a cooperative effort between member colleges to offer courses via the Internet. eduKan’s consortium schools are all accredited Kansas learning institutions with excellent reputations and long histories of providing degrees in traditional settings, as well as through online courses. eduKan Consortium member institutions are: Barton Community College, in Great Bend; Colby Community College, in Colby; Dodge City Community College, in Dodge City; Garden City Community College, in Garden City; Pratt Community College, in Pratt; and Seward County Community College/Area Technical School, in Liberal. For more information, please visit http://www.edukan.org.

Dr. Sarver will be a panelist at the HigherEdTECH Summit discussing eduKan’s successful use of analytics to track student progress in distance education to improve student retention, identify at-risk students, & better manage learning outcomes.

Dr. Mark Sarver, CEO of eduKan, a consortium of colleges in Kansas, will be speaking at the 2013 HigherEdTECH Summit at the CES (International Consumer Electronics Show), Thursday, January 10^th 2013 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Dr. Sarver will be joining a group of expert panelists who will be talking about using analytics gleaned from educational data to understand what’s working and what isn’t in addition to platforms and technology tools.

HigherEdTECH is presented by Living in Digital Times and brings together the educators, journalists, high tech experts, and policymakers changing higher education and showcases the latest technologies and digital services. The HigherEdTECH conference is held in the midst of the (CES) Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s largest technology arena and the best place to be part of this unique strategic dialog, preview the hottest digital innovations, and network with thought leaders and potential partners.

Mark Sarver is the CEO of eduKan, a consortium of colleges delivering online education. His prior experience in Advancement and Enrollment Management informs his expertise in higher education strategy and spans virtually all aspects of institutional management, including marketing and financial analysis. He has created, taught, and administered courses in leadership, organizational behavior, accounting, international business marketing and management for universities and community colleges around the country. Sarver has assisted faculty and administrators in conceptualizing and designing online courses given direction to schools for designing program assessment policies. His leadership experience bridges academic sectors that range from private to public colleges and universities to for-profit and not-for-profit institutions. He is a recognized speaker on educational innovation, emerging analytics-driven content, and engaging minorities in education through technology, and is considered an educational futurist.

Dr. Sarver will be joining a group of renowned experts in their fields at this HigherEdTECH Summit panel on Thursday, January 10, 2013
 Las Vegas Convention Center, North Hall, N256 from 3:00-4:00pm entitled “The New Math:  Is Analytics Adding Up?”  The panelists include Mark Sarver, Ph.D., CEO, eduKan, Jim Ambach, Senior Vice  President, Product Management, CourseSmart LLC, Babur Habib, Ph.D., CTO and Co-founder, Kno Inc. , Mike Sharkey, Director of Academic Analytics, University of Phoenix with Seth Reynolds, from The Parthenon Group as moderator.

For more information on the HigherEdTECH Summit and how to attend, please visit http://www.higheredtechsummit.com.

Here is a video interview of Dr. Sarver talking with Pearson about Project Aristotle and how eduKan is using analytics for creating better education opportunities for students.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YzBhVsY36g]

About eduKan

eduKan provides access to quality higher education, including ESL courses, via college degrees, certificates, and individual courses, with affordable online classes. eduKan was founded in 1998 as a cooperative effort between member colleges to offer courses via the Internet. eduKan’s consortium schools are all accredited Kansas learning institutions with excellent reputations and long histories of providing degrees in traditional settings, as well as through online courses. eduKan Consortium member institutions are: Barton Community College, in Great Bend; Colby Community College, in Colby; Dodge City Community College, in Dodge City; Garden City Community College, in Garden City; Pratt Community College, in Pratt; and Seward County Community College/Area Technical School, in Liberal. For more information, please visit http://www.edukan.org.

About HigherEdTECH

HigherEdTECH 2012 is where higher education and technology converge at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV. To be held on Thursday, January 10, 2013 in the Las Vegas Convention Center, HigherEdTECH is an exciting mash-up of educators, technology visionaries, journalists and academic publishers. The HigherEdTECH Summit is presented by Living in Digital Times, producer of the following summits and exhibitions at CES: Digital Health, Fitness Tech, Kids@Play, MommyTech, Mobile Apps Showdown and Last Gadget Standing. For more information about HigherEdTECH, visit www.higheredtechsummit.com.

About CEA

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $206 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also owns and produces the International CES – The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services. Find CEA online: www.CE.org and www.DeclareInnovation.com.

Replay from the September 28th 2012 eduKan TV Fall Series hosted by Dr. Mark Sarver, CEO of eduKan, with a conversation around student literacy with Kevin Brungardt who is developing a program to identify and help students who lack the reading skills to be successful in college. Myk Garn, formerly of the Southern Regional Education Board, will also be talking about Talent Drain from higher education institutions to “the dark side.”

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eduKan provides access to quality higher education including ESL courses via college degrees, certificates, & individual courses with affordable online classes.

Dr. Mark Sarver of eduKan delivered the afternoon session on opening day at NUTN 2012 entitled “Innovating Assessment while Assessing Innovation” where eduKan was also honored with the 2012 NUTN Institutional Achievement Award.

eduKan, a consortium of colleges in Kansas, was honored with the 2012 NUTN Institution Achievement award at the 2012 National University Telecommunications Network (NUTN) 30^th Anniversary Conference in Kansas City, MO, where eduKan’s CEO, Dr. Mark Sarver, was also invited to speak on Innovation opening day. The National University Technology Network is a networking and professional development organization for innovative leaders in the advancement of distance education headquartered at the Dallas County Community College.

Dr. Mark Sarver Receives NUTN 2012 Institutional Achievement Award for eduKan

The NUTN Institution Achievement award recognizes an institutional member of the National University Technology Network (NUTN) for effective use of technology in teaching and learning and/or organizational administration (or administrative operations) that is exemplary, demonstrates leadership and commitment, and advances the field as an institutional model.

This year, eduKan was the honored recipient of the 2012 NUTN Institution Achievement Award with Honorable Mention going to Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI and Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta, GA. Past winners include Dallas County Community College District, Dallas, TX, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada and Washington State University.

Award criteria for receiving this prestigious award includes (1) Organizational Commitment, where the institution uses technology in teaching on and off campus, involving administrative leadership, faculty, and support staff and utilizing goal setting processes; (2) Quality of Offerings of technology improves learning, access, faculty, student satisfaction, and organizational operations; (3) Effectiveness where the institution’s technology-assisted offerings enable faculty to teach large numbers of high-quality, online, blended or technology assisted courses with a high degree of student satisfaction and academic success; and (4) Advancing the field with programs or processes that have been exemplary, emulated and have substantially contributed to the advancement of teaching and learning through the effective use of technology.

“We are honored to be recognized for our technology advances at eduKan,” said Dr. Mark Sarver, CEO, eduKan. “The rigorous criteria and competition from other members up for this award was staggering, and winning this award means so much to our staff of six in Great Bend and to the six colleges that are the heart of eduKan.”

Dr. Sarver, eduKan’s CEO, was also present during the three day conference and gave an energizing presentation entitled “Innovating Assessment while Assessing Innovation” where he discussed how eduKan changed the way they were doing course assessment using data and analytics. Last Fall, eduKan started offering courses with digitally embedded content in partnership with Pearson where they not only found this was the best way to engage students but they were also able to track and measure how the students and the faculty were engaged. The data collected allows eduKan to proactively assess each course and locate any weakness so it can be redesigned to ensure successful student outcomes. Dr. Sarver also shared how eduKan is using analytics from the data collected on not only course assessment but student/faculty interaction and how this makes a dramatic change for the future success of online education.

About eduKan

eduKan provides access to quality higher education, including ESL courses, via college degrees, certificates, and individual courses, with affordable online classes. eduKan was founded in 1998 as a cooperative effort between member colleges to offer courses via the Internet. eduKan’s consortium schools are all accredited Kansas learning institutions with excellent reputations and long histories of providing degrees in traditional settings, as well as through online courses. eduKan Consortium member institutions are: Barton Community College, in Great Bend; Colby Community College, in Colby; Dodge City Community College, in Dodge City; Garden City Community College, in Garden City; Pratt Community College, in Pratt; and Seward County Community College/Area Technical School, in Liberal. For more information, please visit http://www.edukan.org.

About the NUTN Network

Headquartered at the Dallas County Community College District’s R. Jan LeCroy Center, the National University Technology Network (NUTN) is a consortium of higher education institutions and provides a networking and professional development arena for the advancement of teaching and learning in the distance education field. NUTN members represent a widely diverse group of innovative leaders in the advancement of teaching and learning. For more information go to: http://www.nutn.org.