Institute Overview

The Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning (IELOL) is a unique blended-learning leadership development program sponsored by Penn State and the Sloan Consortium.

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This institute is designed to serve the leadership development needs of professionals in the rapidly expanding field of online learning.

IELOL is a four-step leadership development program. The program begins with a two-week IELOL online experience (July 16–27) designed to identify and focus attention on key leadership challenges at the participants’ organizations. The second step is an on-site immersive experience at Penn State (August 6–9) that enables the IELOL participant to develop specific leadership skills, styles, networks, and strategies for the emerging leader. A three-week online follow-up program (September 17–October 5) provides senior-level mentoring and consulting for the participants as they apply the newly-acquired skills and concepts in their local settings. The program culminates with a preconference workshop (October 10–12) at the annual Sloan Consortium ALN conference in Orlando.

This is the fourth year for the program. We now have nearly 100 alums who continue to network and use the skills they developed in the institute. We have received many enthusiastic testimonials, and some excellent feedback that continues to help shape the program. 

 "My experience participating in the IELOL 2010 cohort had a huge impact on me professionally. I left the institute with a greater sense of confidence and clarity about my role on my campus. The sharing with other members was invaluable in gaining a broader perspective on the important issues in higher education today. The faculty, all tops in their field, were extremely accessible, generous, and deeply engaged with each of us in our unique settings. I feel that many people came away with a clear direction and plan for “next steps” at our institutions, supported by a clearer view of how these could be actualized through a leadership lens. It was an exhilarating experience and changed both how I see my role at my campus, and how I approach my day-to-day work." 

-Suzanne Shaffer, IELOL 2010

Objectives

  • Develope an understanding of the role of online learning in a rapidly changing higher education context
  • Conceptualize a leadership perspective to address institutional challenges in higher education
  • Recognize and seize institutional opportunities for leadership in online education
  • Establish a network of international colleagues involved in a variety of online education initiatives

Benefits of Attending

  • Interact with national- and international-level leaders in the field of higher and online education
  • Experience leadership-development thinking in order to respond to online learning opportunities
  • Immersive, team-building return on investment project 
  • Opportunity to address current critical operational issues based on the Sloan Consortium Effective Practices’ Five Pillars:
    1. learning effectiveness
    2. scale
    3. access
    4. faculty satisfaction
    5. student satisfaction
  • Strategize through the development of a vision for the future of online learning within your institution 
  • Receive an annual individual membership in Sloan Consortium 
  • Participate in a network of professionals and engagement with a growing IELOL alum community

Who Should Attend

This IELOL experience is designed for:
  • persons positioned for leadership contributions in their institutions
  • persons with such occupational titles as manager, associate director, assistant director
  • personnel with responsibilities for online education initiatives

Applications, with supporting nominations, will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling-enrollment, first-come, first-served basis. Preference will be given to candidates with the following qualifications:

  • three to five years of experience in higher education
  • desire to further develop their leadership capability in online education
  • ability to apply the leadership skills and competencies to an institutional setting
  • willingness to contribute to high-production project teams during the institute

This is a limited-enrollment program. The first thirty-five qualified nominations will be accepted.

Program Deadlines

April 23: Application submission deadline
July 1: Registration deadline
July 6: Hotel reservations are due
July 16–27: Two-week IELOL Online
August 6–9: Immersive experience at Penn State
September 17–October 5: Three-week IELOL Online
October 10–12: Sloan-C Annual Conference

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