Honorable Mention for the 2026 Phillip E. Frandson Award for Literature, UPCEA & Frandson Award Committee
The Chief Online Learning Officers’ Guidebook explores the essential competencies required of Chief Online Learning Officers (COLOs) using insights from real-world leadership and expert perspectives from higher education. Digital and online learning have become strategic priorities for higher education institutions working toward enrollment growth, learner engagement, revenue generation, brand diversification, and enhanced student flexibility following the initial COVID-19 lockdown. This book’s unique framework substantiates and demonstrates key competencies that define the COLO role and enable advancements in the practice of online and digital higher education. Featuring over 50 contributions from COLOs, Chief Information Officers (CIOs), university presidents, and other higher education leaders, this UPCEA-endorsed guide offers practical strategies and comprehensive guidance for both current and aspiring COLOs.
Table of Contents:
Section 1: The COLO Context 1. The COLO Profile 2. The First 90 Days 3. Designated Survivor – COVID-19 Section 2: Strategy Overlays for COLOs 4. The COLO’s Seat at the Table 5. Without a Strategy, Your Budget Becomes Your Strategy 6. Internal and External Relationships 7. COLOs and IT: Strategies for Engaging the CIO 8. COLOs and Entrepreneurship: Strategies for Stewarding the Brand 9. Redefining Student Success by Mainstreaming Nontraditional Delivery for Nontraditional Learners Section 3: Distinguishing Next Gen Leaders 10. What Does the Future of Digital Teaching and Learning Need from COLOs? 11. Fostering a Pipeline for COLOs 12. Safeguarding Higher Education’s Relevance 13. Epilogue: Other Duties as Assigned: Is there Life Outside of the Academy for COLOs?
About the Author :
Jocelyn Widmer, Ph.D., serves as the Dean for Weapons Learning Transformation at Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA. She has worked in digital and online education for more than 15 years in various faculty and leadership roles within academic colleges and as the Chief Online Learning Officer of Texas A&M University. Prior to her role at TAMU, Widmer held joint faculty appointments in the Colleges of Architecture and Public Health at both the University of Florida and Virginia Tech where she developed, administered, and taught in online and face-to-face undergraduate and graduate programs, including leading the first and only professionally accredited online master’s of urban and regional planning (University of Florida) through the accreditation process.
Thomas B. Cavanagh, Ph.D., is the Vice Provost for Digital Learning at the University of Central Florida (UCF), USA. In this role, he oversees the distance learning strategy, policies, and practices of one of the nation’s largest universities. Prior to UCF, he led online course design and production for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and has a long career in corporate e-learning and film/television. He has been recognized with a number of leading industry awards, including the Richard Jonsen Award (WCET’s highest career recognition), USDLA’s Leadership Award, and the 1EdTech Community Leadership Award. He has also been named a Fellow of the Online Learning Consortium.
Review :
“Widmer and Cavanagh have assembled the very best thinkers and doers in the online education space and created an invaluable resource for any institutional leader seeking to launch, advance, or improve online education programs. This is a must-read for those setting out on the journey and a delightful refresh for those of us who have long labored in those spaces. Superb.”
—Paul J. LeBlanc, President of Southern New Hampshire University, USA (former)
“Widmer and Cavanagh, along with select academic innovation luminaries, have crafted a deeply practical yet visionary guidebook that every Chief Online Learning Officer, or any academic leader, will find indispensable when navigating the future of learning.”
—Anne Keough Keehn, CEO & Founder of Quantum Thinking, and Co-PI for the Leading Academic Change National Survey 2.0
“This book provides a timely guide to the issues, competencies, and roles of COLOs, made richer by the examples from an array of experts who pioneered the role. It is a must-read for aspiring COLO leaders and for a broader audience looking to understand how higher education institutions are changing in response to student needs.”
—Phil Hill, publisher of the OnEdTech newsletter
