In the early days of online learning, expansion alone felt like progress. New programs, new platforms and new policies signaled institutional evolution, but the landscape has changed. Today’s online learners expect more, and they have more choices than ever before in an increasingly competitive online marketplace. To meet this moment, colleges and universities must move beyond piecemeal growth and build something more durable: a coordinated learning ecosystem designed to support student success, institutional sustainability and long-term impact.
That shift requires a new kind of leadership, one that centers the role of the chief online learning officer (COLO) as a strategic architect, not just an operational manager. It also requires institutional alignment around a common goal: ensuring online learning is as intentional, supported and effective as any other modality.
A learning ecosystem for online learners is more than a patchwork of programs, platforms and services. It is a coordinated, intentional framework that aligns components such as quality design, online student support, faculty resources for effective online teaching, appropriate technologies and tools, academic policies aligned with digital learning environments and needs, and career-connected pathways to create a seamless, learner-centered experience.
This ecosystem is not limited to individual courses or technologies. It encompasses cross-unit collaboration, modality strategy and continuous improvement. It ensures online learners are not simply accommodated but fully supported throughout their educational journey, from enrollment to academic success to employment.
In our modern education era, where online is both mainstream and an option students expect, there must be a shift from ad hoc online expansion to institution-wide alignment that addresses student demand, academic quality and operational sustainability together.
The Changing Landscape of Online Education (CHLOE) Project has tracked this evolution over nearly a decade. While online enrollments have steadily grown, what’s changed since the pandemic is the strategic posture many institutions are taking. In CHLOE 6 (2021), 57% of institutions reported that the pandemic prompted a reevaluation of their online learning strategy. That marked a turning point. Online learning was no longer peripheral but existential.
Still, this reevaluation didn’t immediately translate into full institutional alignment. CHLOE 8 (2023) revealed a disconnect. While student demand for flexible online learning options continued to surge, most institutions had not yet integrated online into their strategic plans. By CHLOE 9, however, that picture had begun to shift. Just over half of institutions had formally incorporated online learning into strategy, and many were investing in staffing, program development and support systems. CHLOE 10 shows this trajectory continuing but unevenly. There’s more intention and more structure but also more competition and rising expectations.
Student-facing support is a key example. CHLOE 10 found that while 80% of institutions now provide advising for online learners, fewer offer online-specific tutoring, career services or wellness support. And although many institutions now offer online orientation, far fewer require it, leaving students to navigate complex systems with uneven guidance. These gaps weaken the ecosystem and compromise the experience for online learners.
This is the strategic moment for COLOs. As demand grows and competition intensifies, institutions can no longer afford to treat online education as an auxiliary function. The most effective COLOs are not simply managing course shells and LMS integrations but leading institution-wide transformation. This leadership challenge is both cultural and structural. COLOs must align faculty, instructional designers, student services, marketing and IT around a unified strategy. They must advocate for policies and investments that support quality at scale. And they must be ready to demonstrate impact by using data to show how online learning contributes to expanded access, learner success and institutional resilience.
The ecosystem metaphor is key here. No single initiative or office can carry the full weight. Success depends on coordinated action: shared design standards, consistent and robust learner support, aligned staffing models and consistent modality definitions and institutional policies that ensure learners know what to expect.
Online delivery may widen the door, but access alone isn’t enough. Today’s students, especially adult, working and career-focused learners, are looking for more than convenience. They expect personalization, relevance and value, programs that align with their goals and support services that are responsive and online ready. And they want learning experiences that feel designed, not delivered.
The CHLOE Project has documented emerging innovations, including stackable credentials, microlearning and partnerships with employers, that signal a growing awareness and acceptance that online programs must do more than simply offer flexibility. These innovations, while still in their early stages for many institutions, point toward a future where online learning is not only accessible but also career-connected and outcome-driven.
However, for many institutions, this future remains aspirational. The gap between what learners expect and what institutions are equipped to deliver is growing. That’s why building an ecosystem matters. It enables institutions to meet rising student expectations without compromising quality or burning out staff. Institutions don’t need to build this ecosystem overnight, but they do need to build it on purpose. That means the following:
- Embedding online learning into institutional strategy, including aligning student services with online learners’ needs and assuring quality in digital learning experiences
- Investing in online professional development and ongoing support for faculty and instructional design teams
- Tracking and communicating outcomes that matter to students and employers, and initiating continuous improvement protocols to ensure online excellence
- Developing online-specific policies, processes and guidelines that promote consistency and clarity without mandating uniformity, ensuring students, faculty and staff share common expectations across programs and modalities
- Integrating online across the institution through cross-functional collaboration, not in isolated offices, departments or initiatives
Above all, it means empowering COLOs to lead, not just manage, online learning strategy. COLOs must serve as translators between traditional academic culture and modern learners’ evolving expectations. They must communicate persuasively with faculty, build and retain high-performing online teams and navigate institutional politics, all while maintaining focus on student access and success. Doing online learning well—and at scale—requires more than technology or content. It demands vision, buy-in and change management. When COLOs have a seat at the table, and when institutions treat online as mission-critical, the potential for transformation is real.
The future of online learning won’t be defined by expansion alone. It will be defined by the ecosystems we build with strategic intention—ecosystems designed not just to deliver courses but to create equitable, empowering pathways for all learners.
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