Our history… and why this work matters.
The Need for Collaboration
Higher education institutions were eager to offer distance learning courses and programs. California Virtual University already offered over 1,000 online classes. Course management products, such as Blackboard and eCollege were available. MIT’s Open CourseWare project was steadily growing and providing free access to MIT courses and course resources for the world. There was a national flurry to create online courses, explore new learning technologies, educate more students, and cash in via the wild west.
Across Ohio, CIOs, deans, faculty, student personnel professionals, and tech administrators gathered and were determined to have a voice in creating Ohio’s higher educational digital learning future. They did not want Ohio to create one virtual college or university as many states had done. Many Ohio institutions were eager and ready to enter the world of distance learning.
The Ohio Board of Regents (OBR) was eager to move Ohio forward and let all Ohio public institutions choose their digital directions.
OBR had high expectations for campuses to effectively support students in new learning pathways. Technology-related professional development was deemed an essential component. In 2000, OBR established a small agency – The Ohio Learning Network (OLN) – to assist Ohio institutions
OBR established a Governing Board to provide oversight, set goals, generate momentum, provide and critique ideas.
Meanwhile, in Maryland…
“A small group of colleagues in the MarylandOnline, Inc. (MOL) consortium who were trying to solve a common problem among institutions: how do we measure and guarantee the quality of a course? This question was especially important as institutions began to create a system where they could share available seats in their online courses with other institutions. They needed a way to ensure course quality — that courses would be equivalent — for their students, regardless of where the course originated.
And so it began…
By 2004, Ohio educators knew about the QM standards, rubrics and the professional development for faculty – via the QM Program and the efforts of Brenda Boyd (QM) and Sheryl Hansen (OLN). Several campuses requested support from OLN to pilot the new QM resources. OLN agreed to provide support and assistance. These first 5 explorer institutions were the Initial Ohio QM Pilot Project.
This pilot project jump-started Ohio to become the most active QM state, establish a pilot statewide consortium and by 2009, Ohio became the most active statewide consortium in the country and still is.
The original 5 pilot institutions were Owens Community College, Bowling Green State University, Miami University, Columbus State Community College, and Cleveland State University.
In late June 2008, 6 institutions and OLN purchased subscriptions to QM. This first state Consortium Agreement set the stage for many Ohio subscriptions in years to come.
The Ohio QM Consortium Statewide Subscription began on June 1, 2009, with these institutions: Cincinnati State, Central Ohio Technical College, Hocking College, North Central State, Rhodes State, Shawnee State, Stark State, U.C. Clermont College, University of Northern Ohio, and Wright State.
Continuing Momentum
Politicians create or live through uneasy trajectories. Initially, the OLN and several small tech agencies moved to downtown Columbus and continued normal work. Over several years, the Ohio Learning Network was dissolved. Various projects were shut down and staff were let go. When it was clear that OLN was going to be totally eliminated, funding for the Ohio QM Consortium was directed to a campus to maintain the Consortium for many years. Other OLN projects were placed into specific institutions.