In August, Coleman Patterson, Associate Dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Professional and Continuing Studies (PACS), traveled to the University of Florida as part of a professional exchange focused on online education leadership and student success.
During the visit, Patterson met with leaders from UF Online, the Provost's Office, advising, enrollment management, instructional design, student success, and academic affairs to learn more about how one of the nation's leading online education enterprises operates. Recently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the nation's No. 1 online bachelor's degree program, UF Online serves more than 4,200 students across 28 online degree programs.
The experience provided an opportunity to compare two successful, yet fundamentally different, approaches to online education. While PACS serves as a degree-granting college within the University of Oklahoma, UF Online operates as a university-wide enterprise supporting online undergraduate programs across multiple colleges. Exploring these differences offered valuable insights into advising, student support, governance, enrollment strategy, and organizational design.
One of the most important lessons from the visit was that the value of institutional exchange extends beyond identifying best practices. By engaging with colleagues who operate in different environments and under different assumptions, both institutions were able to reflect on their own models, ask new questions, and gain fresh perspectives on the future of online learning.
The collaboration will continue in January when Melissa Allen, Director of UF Online, visits the University of Oklahoma. While on campus, Allen will meet with university leaders and participate in a special gathering of online education professionals from across Oklahoma focused on innovation, leadership, and learner success in online education.
