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Welcome to Online with USU · Online with USU

• 0:00
  DAN ALLRED: Have you ever thought about going back to school, but you're not sure about how to fit it in, or where to start? That's what we're here to discuss today. In today's re-introductory episode, we're going to explore why this podcast exists, who we are as host and guest, what USU Online really is, and who it is and isn't right for. So settle in, and let's talk. I'm Dan Allred, your host. I'm joined today by Vice Provost of Online, Ryan Hobbs. And welcome to Online with USU, where education meets real life so you can build what's next.
• 0:27
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• 0:30
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• 0:45
  So why is this a re-introduction? Well, a couple of years back, myself and our marketing manager at the time who's still with us, Jessica, put together a couple of seasons of a podcast trying to reach our students to identify what we can help them with, types of support, and options available to them. We've since taken a hiatus so that we can better understand our students and find out what real questions they have and how we can address them. And so we're back. We're excited to bring some new things with USU Online, and talk about some of these topics that are important for everybody. Let's get into who we are. Ryan, do you want to start with your background?
• 1:19
  RYAN HOBBS: Love to. Dan, it's a privilege to be here with you today. As you mentioned, Vice Provost of Online here at Utah State. I've been here for four and a half years, loved every minute of it. A little bit about my background-- I've been at several other institutions in the state of Utah, as well as in industry, in similar roles and capacities. Actually, I'm an Aggie myself, so got my undergraduate and master's degrees here in business and in instructional design.
• 1:52
  DAN ALLRED: We do hang on to our--
• 1:53
  RYAN HOBBS: We do, we do. And anyway, my wife and I have five kids. Our oldest is getting married next month, believe it or not. That's crazy. But anyway, we're proud Aggies and glad to be here.
• 2:08
  DAN ALLRED: Excellent, excellent. As for myself, I'm also an Aggie, bachelor's degree. Did my master's degree through Kansas State. Did it through an online program, so it's been fun helping online students, having gone through that experience myself.
• 2:20
  My background is almost purely as an academic advisor. I've been in this position for about 10 years. Prior to that, academic advisor for students at a couple different institutions, including Utah State. Really specialized in a lot of transfer work, so I've helped a lot of students go back and forth from one school to another. And that also means that I've worked with a lot of students that are post-traditional, nontraditional, whatever the term is.
• 2:42
  But one of my favorite students, I remember he started classes on his 40th birthday. He was coming back to school after years of being away, and came back on his 40th birthday. And so I've worked with a lot of students, a lot of different ages, and it's been a lot of fun.
• 2:54
  My wife and I live north of here. We've got four kids and a cat. My oldest just graduated and started classes at Bridgerland, applied technology and robotics, before coming here to do a robotics bachelor's degree when she was done with those programs, so--
• 3:08
  RYAN HOBBS: That's great.
• 3:08
  DAN ALLRED: Yeah, time's moving on. She's got a boyfriend, so I'm hoping that I don't have a wedding in the near future. She's still a little young for that, I think, but excellent. Bonus question. You've been here for about four years. What have been some of the exciting new things that you've seen at USU since starting this position as the vice provost?
• 3:26
  RYAN HOBBS: Well, we've had a fair amount of leadership change, and with leadership changes come different strategies and areas of focus. But online is one of those areas that's been an increased focus, as you know. And I'm really excited to where we're headed, and the work that we've been doing for the last couple of years as well. And obviously, we'll talk about that in these episodes in this podcast. But that's been a big piece. I really love the doubling down on our mission of education, of access, of research. And actually, I think it's the perfect blend and providing that quality experience for students, and online obviously is a great fit into that mission.
• 4:09
  DAN ALLRED: Uh-huh. So Ryan, what is a land grant institution?
• 4:13
  RYAN HOBBS: It's a great question, Dan. Certain institutions are given a mission associated with land grant. Utah State is Utah's land grant institution. These were associated with the Morrill Act that was created a long time ago, during Abraham Lincoln's time, that established each institution as a access, a component to help educate the rural parts of the country. And being a land grant institution, that's a key piece to our access mission. Online, obviously helps us fulfill that.
• 4:49
  DAN ALLRED: With Utah State being the land grant institution for Utah, that means that we've had a lot of experience working with students at a distance. Can you tell us a bit more about what that entails?
• 4:59
  RYAN HOBBS: Yeah. As part of the land grant mission the Utah State has, traditionally, that meant an agricultural kind of spin. Still does, but obviously expanded in other areas. But people may be familiar with our extension offices that exist in nearly every county in the state. They provide the service component, that applied research aspect. But as part of that land grant mission, as well, is all about access-- providing access to higher education and education in general, particularly for rural Utah and other parts of the state that may not be accessible. So that's a key piece to Utah State's mission. And obviously, our online campus plays a big part in that, so does our statewide campuses. That's one of the reasons why we strive so much in terms of why access is so important to us.
• 5:53
  DAN ALLRED: I think about the innovations that we've made to fulfill that mission because in our wonderful building here, we've got great photographs of the history of distance education and stuff, and we've got the pictures of the professors and the extension office on the train. We've flown professors out places. We did the interactive broadcast system, which we still use parts of. And then 30 years ago-- a little more than 30 years ago, we started reaching online before any other Utah School was, as well. So--
• 6:20
  RYAN HOBBS: That is correct. We're definitely a pioneer in that front.
• 6:22
  DAN ALLRED: We are, and it's been fun seeing those changes and seeing these new changes that are coming as well.
• 6:27
  RYAN HOBBS: Yeah. As you said, we've been doing this for a long time, and because of that, we know distance education really well. We know what works, and what doesn't work. And we pride ourselves in staying on the cutting edge.
• 6:40
  DAN ALLRED: It's been fun seeing these changes over these last 10 years that I've been here. And I mean, we've even seen some rapid ones since you came on board. I'm glad that you're fighting those battles and not me. But it's just been great to see the expansion and the increase of support that we've seen, and just all the great things that our alma mater has been doing.
• 6:56
  RYAN HOBBS: I agree, I agree.
• 6:57
  DAN ALLRED: So let's talk about why this podcast exists. Like, why are we here? First and foremost, like you've been saying, we've seen a lot of changes here at Utah State with online, but also across the country. There's been a lot of growth and a lot of interest in distance education. And so there can be a lot of confusion and a lot of things that people just don't understand, whether it's competency based or transfer, there's just all kinds of new buzzwords and terminology flying around here. So our goal is to help simplify some of these terms, and explain them as we go along.
• 7:27
  A lot of times, when people are thinking about online, they think about what we call the big three-- cost, convenience, and career outcomes. Those are the big questions. How much is it going to cost? What can I fit it into my life? And is it going to be worth it in the end? Now, we're going to have separate episodes on each of these things, but we do have a couple of thoughts to lead into things.
• 7:46
  RYAN HOBBS: Speaking of cost, USU Online is affordable. I like to think of it more of a value proposition, actually. Again, we're going to get into details later in a future episode, but we may be a little more expensive in some aspects, in terms of some competitors, we may be a little less. But it's the value, the experience that you're getting at Utah State is something for someone to consider. And obviously, that convenience aspect is really important to make sure this fits into your life. That's what Online is designed to do.
• 8:19
  And obviously, our career outcomes-- something we actually pride ourselves in, not only in the online space but at Utah State in general, our alumni and graduates quite commonly become leaders really quickly, and they're well prepared for their first job as well as their future jobs. And so that's something that you get at Utah State that you may not get elsewhere.
• 8:41
  DAN ALLRED: Let's talk about what is USU Online. How would you describe it, and what would you-- when you're talking with people-- when you're talking at your daughter's wedding and people say, what do you do and what USU Online is? What's your response going to be?
• 8:53
  RYAN HOBBS: That's actually more accurate than you think, Dan. For real. Online-- I think in many people's minds-- is a little confusing, as you said, maybe not well understood. Some people may think it's an inferior experience, but actually, it's quite the opposite. So online has become a main thread of most higher ed institutions, and particularly Utah State. And as you mentioned earlier, we've been doing this for over 30 years. So this is a space that we're well experienced in, and have a lot of background.
• 9:27
  USU Online-- again, online is more than a modality. We're a delivery format in which students can learn. It has become a core format. For many people, they don't have the ability to come to campus, and so this provides an access piece to students maybe to complete something or finish something. And many students are actually doing their entire degrees online. And as you know, we have a portfolio that expands from associate degree to PhD.
• 9:59
  DAN ALLRED: It's so exciting. I remember when we picked up the PhD program a couple of years back, when it was available. Being able to advertise that, and being like-- yes, whatever you want, we've got it here, in terms of that associate's-- or even certificates. And we also have students that come to us that just need individual classes. And that's what I love about online, is that it's what you need, when you need, and where you need, right? Now, of course, there are some limitations. We don't have every program available. Not every class is available online. But for those students that need that flexibility, it can really, really provide that.
• 10:34
  When it comes to convenience, we do offer students three different times that they can start classes on their main full semester length. That's January for spring, May for summer, and August for fall. But we also have classes that start halfway through, seven week semesters. So students can come in halfway through and grab a class or two for the second half of the semester. Or if they need something in the second half, or if they have something going on in the second half, they can grab something from the first half semester, which does provide some additional flexibility, which is really nice.
• 11:01
  RYAN HOBBS: Yeah, you're right. And presently, that's an activity we're really trying to promote because again, life happens. Things don't necessarily line up. Life isn't semester based. And so yeah, those additional parts of term, those seven week options are really valuable, and we're trying to promote more of those.
• 11:20
  DAN ALLRED: I think one of the other fun things about convenience-- a lot of times, people think about how is this going to fit into my life, in terms of days of the week and hours of the day? But sometimes you want to try to pack things in as much as you can, and sometimes you need to slow things down a little bit. Sometimes life gets a little hectic.
• 11:37
  We see this a lot with educators. They'll take a lighter load while they're teaching during the school year, and then a heavier load in the summer when they've got more free time. And a lot of our programs-- in fact, currently, none of our programs that I'm aware of require students to have a very, very strict schedule in terms of you're taking these classes this semester, and there's no alternative. But you can accordion that program as much as you need to, either stretch it out or cram it in to fit your life and the needs that you've got at the moment.
• 12:05
  RYAN HOBBS: That's true. And as you know, a lot of our students are what we call part time students. Right? They're not engaged in education in a full time capacity. They're doing it trying to fit it around life and work and family responsibilities, and other things. So, yep.
• 12:20
  DAN ALLRED: Yeah. When I did my own master's program, I was doing one class at a time because that's what I could afford. And then I was happy that when I was able to afford more, I could push those classes together and get done a little bit quicker.
• 12:30
  RYAN HOBBS: The other component to online that I think is really valuable is the element of support. I mean, some people feel that online is you're alone, and that actually couldn't be further from the truth. I mean, you can find that if you want it, but that's not the experience at Utah State.
• 12:46
  DAN ALLRED: It's easy to feel alone if you don't know how to reach out or know that you can reach out.
• 12:50
  RYAN HOBBS: Right.
• 12:52
  DAN ALLRED: And it's kind of almost akin to being like an aquarium-style classroom, where you may feel like just a face in a crowd where there's all these people there, and you don't have any connection to them. But online, you can have that connection. You can really get with these people and find ways to collaborate with them. And the institution itself, there are people wanting to help. And it's been really fun building out the online success team, bringing on our online success coaches-- before that, our peer mentors-- and letting the students know, hey, you are not doing this by yourself. We are here waiting for you. We will do everything we can to reach out for you. Please, reach back.
• 13:26
  RYAN HOBBS: Yeah. One element, too, that I think a lot of people misunderstand as well is the-- I actually think you may have more connection with the faculty member online than you are in person, in some cases.
• 13:38
  DAN ALLRED: That's very true.
• 13:39
  RYAN HOBBS: As you have access to them 24/7. And our faculty are really good to respond, in most cases. So they--
• 13:46
  DAN ALLRED: I remember in some focus groups, they said, please give us 72 hours before asking if you got our email.
• 13:52
  RYAN HOBBS: Yep.
• 13:53
  DAN ALLRED: Yep, because it may be over a weekend or stuff like that. We want to respect people's personal time. But yeah, the professors have been used to supporting students at a distance for generations. And so as an institution, I believe that we've always done a good job of supporting those students, whether it's online or one of our distance campuses or whatever. Students are students, and we're happy to have you. I mean, I think it is important to acknowledge that just as we don't have everything that everybody may need, online may not be for everybody.
• 14:21
  RYAN HOBBS: That's correct.
• 14:22
  DAN ALLRED: And I love it when I'm at events and I've got my online table, and people come up and they're like, I've tried online. It's not for me. And I'm like, that's perfectly fine. You're not going to hurt my feelings.
• 14:32
  RYAN HOBBS: Yeah.
• 14:33
  DAN ALLRED: If you don't have the time-- let's face it, life is busy. And sometimes, adding a class is not going to do anything positive for you. Priorities should be family, and those sorts of things. And so school may need to take a backseat, and that's fine. And we can meet you when you're ready and when you've got that ability.
• 14:52
  Also, the students-- I've had plenty of students be like, I don't do well because I'm not self-motivated. Or one of my-- it's not a favorite interaction, but it's a memorable one. Talking with a student that was mixing online with on campus classes. This was years and years ago at another institution.
• 15:08
  And I was going through their record at the end of the semester, and I'm like, oh, it looks like you didn't pass your American Institutions class. And they were like, I had an American Institution class? I had an American Institutions class! And they had taken on this class online, and then just forgotten about it.
• 15:23
  RYAN HOBBS: Right.
• 15:23
  DAN ALLRED: And so there does take some self-motivation. You need to be a little driven, but it doesn't take much. So anybody can do that.
• 15:34
  RYAN HOBBS: I think it's important to note too, Dan-- at least, at Utah State-- the online experience is not a correspondence or independent study experience.
• 15:42
  DAN ALLRED: No.
• 15:43
  RYAN HOBBS: Obviously, you have the ability to flex and review materials and engage with the activities and lessons. Obviously, there's deadlines--
• 15:53
  DAN ALLRED: Yes.
• 15:54
  RYAN HOBBS: --and expectations there, but there's a lot of flexibility in that. But you're not alone.
• 15:59
  DAN ALLRED: No.
• 16:00
  RYAN HOBBS: In fact, in terms of our outreach, we've got obviously a lot of students in the state of Utah, as that's a primary focus for us, being a state institution. But as you know, we have students from all over the country. We have students even across the globe.
• 16:15
  DAN ALLRED: We do. I love talking with those students. We get a lot of military service individuals. I'm talking to a guy in Guam that we determined the hours that he would be available on the phone and I would be available on the phone, if we needed it. But all throughout Europe, Africa, all across Asia, we have students that are able to take advantage of this, which I think is fantastic.
• 16:34
  RYAN HOBBS: I agree.
• 16:36
  DAN ALLRED: Well, I think we've talked a lot about what USU Online is, and what it isn't. Let's talk a bit about career outcomes. What would you say is the best example or best outcomes that our students see, when it comes to career outcomes?
• 16:52
  RYAN HOBBS: I think this is true with the entire USU experience.
• 16:55
  DAN ALLRED: That is true.
• 16:56
  RYAN HOBBS: Not limited to online, but we have great documentation of records on this. But Utah State, our alums, our graduates are well known as being prepared for that first job and beyond. They quickly become leaders, and they're making a difference in their communities and their organizations. So when it comes to career preparation, you're going to create a great value at Utah State.
• 17:25
  As you mentioned about cost earlier, we are affordable. But I think our greatest attribute is value, what you get for it. So again, in some cases, it might be a little more expensive. It might be the same cost, but the experience that you're receiving is superior.
• 17:44
  DAN ALLRED: I do love the value that I've gotten out of my education.
• 17:49
  RYAN HOBBS: Back to a little bit of what USU Online is and isn't-- it is that online campus, that space. But it provides flexibility, whether that's individual classes to flex your schedule, or perhaps an entire degree or complete degree online. But if you want to mix and match those, that's obviously perfectly fine, and work what's best for you. There's options.
• 18:12
  DAN ALLRED: And my favorite-- my all time favorite is when I've got a student that's like, hey, I'm moving. I've got a job somewhere, or I just got married and we're relocating, or life is taking me somewhere else. I've got to withdraw from college. And it's like, oh, you can continue and finish this through online.
• 18:29
  And it's wonderful to be able to talk to a student and let them know, it's not over. You don't have to leave Utah State and leave everything you've done before this just on the side of the road. And we have some students that come back after five or 10 years because life happened to them in some way. They weren't able to finish, and we're able to help them finish and move on, and get the recognition for that and let them continue their journey, let them build more upon their life.
• 18:55
  RYAN HOBBS: That's right. And life does happen, so--
• 18:57
  DAN ALLRED: Life does happen. Life is a four letter word.
• 19:00
  [LAUGHTER]
• 19:01
  Well, this has been a fantastic conversation, Ryan. Thank you so much for joining me today.
• 19:05
  RYAN HOBBS: It's fun to be with you.
• 19:05
  DAN ALLRED: We've gone over who we are, what we do here, the point of this podcast. And we'd like to invite everybody that's interested to, if you have questions, reach out to us. You can reach us at online\@usu.edu. You can visit usu.edu/online to see what we're about, see what programs we have available. But let us know what questions you have, and we'll do our best to answer them through this podcast. So Ryan, thank you again so much for joining us.
• 19:29
  RYAN HOBBS: It's been a pleasure, Dan. Thank you.
• 19:31
  DAN ALLRED: Thank you for joining us for our re-introductory episode with Online with USU. Until next time, I'm Dan Allred, and keep building what's next.
• 19:38
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