Success Factors in OnlineGraduate IS Programs

Uday KulkarniArizona State UniversityFounding Director MSIM

Co-director MSBA

How do you measurethe success of a program?

Financial ($$$)Numbers (of students)Student success (placement, advancement)Alumni involvement, WOM advertisingRankings

Success Factors

Structural factorsCapability factorsCommitment factorsStrategic factors

Structural Factors

Cohort-based structure

One course at a time

Class Size

Lockstep programTeam responsibilitiesStudent safety netFaculty familiarity

Better time managementFocusfrom a individual, team, (and entire class) perspective)

Online does not mean that classes can scale to large numbers (without loss of quality)

Capability Factors

Prior experience witha similar on-site program

Tenured/tenure track orclinical full-time faculty

Online educationalconsulting

Faculty Continuity

Easier to replicate a tried and tested program

In-house support vs. outsourcing

Commitment Factors

Faculty commitment

Financial commitment

Technical support

and service

Believers, not skepticsCommitment to creating the entire experience (not a canned course that anyone can deliver)

Investments in hardware, softwareInvesting in faculty developmentIn-house consulting and hand-holding for conversion from on-site to online

Understanding individual faculty needsCustomization to individual level (not at program or department level)

Strategic Factors

Recognize the market segment

Differentiation

Applied projects, faculty attention and accessWhat are the desirable characteristics?

Is it the same (as on-site)? Is it new?Who is the typical student? (Mid-level manager, working professional, 5th year student)

What are the desirable characteristics?

Thank you