Outlier’s on-demand nature, digitally native course content, affordable cost, and transferable credits make it an attractive option for students. However, when considering an institutional partnership with Outlier, what can Outlier offer and how valuable are those offerings?
Outlier’s main offerings via institutional partnership consist of improvement to three key areas for institutions: generation of revenue, enhancement of digital content, and engagement / attraction of students. Additionally, institutions would be contributing to Outlier’s overall goal of reducing educational student debt, and making education more accessible to all. |
Analysis: Revenue Generation
Many have lauded online learning, or on-demand learning, as a great opportunity for students who are either undergoing reskilling, lifelong learning, or attempting to reduce tuition costs, and as a way for institutions to capitalize on these growing requirements and increase revenue. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for digital learning content has skyrocketed, but online learning has been a growing part of the Canadian educational landscape for longer than the pandemic.
A 2017 national survey of online learning in Canadian post-secondary education conducted by Dr. Tony Bates showed that approximately 11% of public institutions in Canada already offer for-credit online courses, with online course enrolment increasing by approximately 10% per year in universities from 2011-2016. Additionally, online learning was noted as “important” or “very important” to future development of most institutions. There is a distinct growth of online learning, and a distinct value in its development present in Canadian institutions.
Outlier stands to add to this growing market and the revenue it generates through institutional partnership. The exact terms of Outlier’s partnership with UBJ are not available, however in the initial partnership (two courses only with 50 students each), then provost and senior vice chancellor, Ann E. Cudd, noted that the initiative would create a “fairly small revenue stream” for UPJ, which could grow if the institution and Outlier continued to work together. Notably, this trial period was successful enough to sign a 5-year agreement in late 2019, and Outlier’s courses have exploded from 2 to 13 since the trial period. Assumedly, the revenue generation potential is now much greater with Outlier’s increased offerings.
Given that Outlier can generate revenue suitable enough for a partnership at UBJ, and Canada’s existing online educational market, Outlier could generate revenue suitable enough for partnerships in Canada as well.
A 2017 national survey of online learning in Canadian post-secondary education conducted by Dr. Tony Bates showed that approximately 11% of public institutions in Canada already offer for-credit online courses, with online course enrolment increasing by approximately 10% per year in universities from 2011-2016. Additionally, online learning was noted as “important” or “very important” to future development of most institutions. There is a distinct growth of online learning, and a distinct value in its development present in Canadian institutions.
Outlier stands to add to this growing market and the revenue it generates through institutional partnership. The exact terms of Outlier’s partnership with UBJ are not available, however in the initial partnership (two courses only with 50 students each), then provost and senior vice chancellor, Ann E. Cudd, noted that the initiative would create a “fairly small revenue stream” for UPJ, which could grow if the institution and Outlier continued to work together. Notably, this trial period was successful enough to sign a 5-year agreement in late 2019, and Outlier’s courses have exploded from 2 to 13 since the trial period. Assumedly, the revenue generation potential is now much greater with Outlier’s increased offerings.
Given that Outlier can generate revenue suitable enough for a partnership at UBJ, and Canada’s existing online educational market, Outlier could generate revenue suitable enough for partnerships in Canada as well.
Analysis: Improvement of Digital Learning Content
Per Bate’s study, the major benefits of online learning in Canada according to institutions align largely with Outlier’s goals: increased access and flexibility for students pursuing their education. The main challenge with online learning in institutions was a lack of resources to develop and support online learning material and environments. Despite the growth of online learning (or perhaps because of it) there are not enough resources within institutions to manage it. With Outlier, all of this development is managed and supported within Outlier itself, at no additional requirement of the institution beyond initial review. This is particularly beneficial for smaller, less established institutions which have further limited resources.
Institutions that do offer online learning were noted to be offering “at least some form of innovative projects using technology for teaching” such as social media connectivity, mobile apps, and more traditional webinars, interactive lectures, and print-based media. What is not listed among these innovative methods is Outlier’s type of offering: a multidisciplinary approach (backgrounds in gaming, education, VR, and entertainment) to the production of the learning content and an emphasis on one-on-one instructor lecturing. As noted in many studies, this one-on-one teacher-to-student connection is one of the most valuable and limited resources available to institutions - with groups such as the University of Michigan going as far as to replicate professor direct consultation with students via learning technologies platform ECoach, with proven success.
Outlier offers a resource-light, uniquely valuable digital learning opportunity for institutions. Usage of Outlier could improve digital learning content for institutions, and offer to students those resources that are limited within traditional instruction and existing online learning.
Institutions that do offer online learning were noted to be offering “at least some form of innovative projects using technology for teaching” such as social media connectivity, mobile apps, and more traditional webinars, interactive lectures, and print-based media. What is not listed among these innovative methods is Outlier’s type of offering: a multidisciplinary approach (backgrounds in gaming, education, VR, and entertainment) to the production of the learning content and an emphasis on one-on-one instructor lecturing. As noted in many studies, this one-on-one teacher-to-student connection is one of the most valuable and limited resources available to institutions - with groups such as the University of Michigan going as far as to replicate professor direct consultation with students via learning technologies platform ECoach, with proven success.
Outlier offers a resource-light, uniquely valuable digital learning opportunity for institutions. Usage of Outlier could improve digital learning content for institutions, and offer to students those resources that are limited within traditional instruction and existing online learning.
Analysis: Engagement / Attraction of Students
Two thirds of institutions in Bate’s survey listed increased enrolment as one of the benefits of online learning. It is unclear where this increase came from, however in the UPJ experience with Outlier it was found that students which were enrolling with Outlier courses were those which were unlikely to otherwise enroll with the university (students in rural Alabama, for example). Given Canada’s extensive geographical region, online course offerings such as Outlier can attract those students who cannot manage the implications (social, financial, familial) of relocating for school. In a Canadian institutional partnership, Outlier’s offerings could provide the same opportunities to Canadian students.
As for currently enrolled students, a PRNewswire article in 2021 had this to say: “Outlier.org's rigorous college courses have proven remarkably successful. Their students have achieved a C-grade or better at a rate that surpassed the national average for in-person classes, an unprecedented milestone in online education.” Outlier has, to date, enabled students to succeed in its course offerings above the national average in the United States. With the same application of accreditation involved in a university partnership, Outlier could offer this same opportunity to Canadian students as well.
As for currently enrolled students, a PRNewswire article in 2021 had this to say: “Outlier.org's rigorous college courses have proven remarkably successful. Their students have achieved a C-grade or better at a rate that surpassed the national average for in-person classes, an unprecedented milestone in online education.” Outlier has, to date, enabled students to succeed in its course offerings above the national average in the United States. With the same application of accreditation involved in a university partnership, Outlier could offer this same opportunity to Canadian students as well.
A particularly thorough student review of using Outlier can be found here.
SWOT Analysis
This analysis has captured the three major opportunities offered by Outlier through institutional partnerships with Canadian institutions. The final piece of this EVA is a SWOT (strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, threats) diagram which encapsulates the at-a-glance knowledge points to consider.