THE CHIEF ONLINE LEARNING OFFICERS’ GUIDEBOOK: A FRAMEWORK FOR STRATEGY AND PRACTICE IN HIGHER EDUCATION
by Jocelyn Widmer and Thomas B. Cavanagh
Routledge Publishing (June 2025)
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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.
“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
Articles and Book Chapters: Peer Reviewed
19. Cavanagh, Thomas B. and Kelvin Thompson. “Online Education in the U.S.A.” in The SAGE Handbook of Higher Education. Eds. Safary Wa-Mbaleka, Leni Casamiro, Kelvin Thompson. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publishing. (2024): 77-86.
18. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Leadership Lessons from the Pandemic.” in From Grassroots to the Highly Orchestrated: Online Leaders Share Their Stories of the Evolving Online Landscape in Higher Ed. Eds. Bettyjo Bouchey, Erin Gatz, & Shelley Kurland. Online Learning Consortium. (2023): 9-23.
17. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “From Pivot to Pirouette: An Administrative Perspective on the 2020 Migration to Remote Instruction.” The Journal of Faculty Development. (September 2020): 34(3), 39-42.
16. Ragan, Lawrence, Thomas B. Cavanagh, and Kelvin Thompson. “Supporting Faculty Success in Online Learning.” in Leading the e-Learning Transformation of Higher Education, Second Edition. Ed. Gary E. Miller. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing (2020): 116-137.
15. Cavanagh Thomas B., Rachid Ait Maalem Lahcen, Baiyun Chen, and James Paradiso. “Constructing a Design Framework and Pedagogical Approach for Adaptive Learning in Higher Education: A Practitioner’s Perspective.” The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. (2020): 21(1), 172-196. <https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v21i1.4557>
14. Thompson, Kelvin, Rohan Jowallah, Thomas B. Cavanagh. “Solve the Big Problems: Leading Through Strategic Innovation in Blended Teaching & Learning”. Technology Leadership for Innovation in Higher Education. Eds. Yufeng Qian & Guiyou Huang. Hershey, PA: IGI Global Publishing (2019): 26-48.
13. Cavanagh, Thomas B. and Luke Dowden. “Effectively Leading Innovation.” The Business of Innovating Online: Practical Tips and Advice from Industry Leaders. Ed. Kathryn E. Linder. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. (2019): 69-78.
12. Cavanagh, Thomas B. and Kelvin Thompson. “Keeping FIRSST Things First: The Delicate Dance of Leading Online Innovation at Your Institution.” What the e-Learning Leader Needs to Know: Leading and Managing e-Learning. Eds. Anthony Pina, Victoria Walker, Bruce Harris. New York, NY. Springer Publishing Company (2017).
11. Cavanagh, Thomas B., Kelvin Thompson, Linda Futch. “Supporting Institutional Hybrid Implementations.” New Directions for Teaching and Learning: Hybrid Teaching and Learning. Ed. Kathryn Linder. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Wiley. Vol. 149 (2017): 111-119
10. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “The LMS Selection Process: Considerations and Practices.” Research bulletin. Louisville, CO: ECAR, July 8, 2014. Available from <https://library.educause.edu/resources/2014/7/the-lms-selection-process-practices-and-considerations>
9. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Knowing What to Do and Doing What You Know: Situated Technological Literacy in Hybrid Space” Journal of Information Fluency. 3.1 (2014): 22-36.
8. Moskal, Patsy and Thomas B. Cavanagh. “Scaling Blended Learning Beyond the University” Blended Learning: Research Perspectives, Volume 2. Eds. Charles Graham, Charles Dziuban, Anthony Picciano. New York, NY: Routledge (2013): 34-51.
7. Dziuban, Chuck, Patsy Moskal, Thomas B. Cavanagh, Andre Watts. “Analytics That Inform the University.” Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 16.3 (2012): 21-38.
6. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Leveraging Online University Education to Improve K-12 Science Education: The ScienceMaster Case Study” Higher Education, Emerging Technologies, and Community Partnerships: Concepts, Models and Applications Eds. Melody Bowdon and Russell G. Carpenter. Hershey, PA: IGI Global Publishing (2011): 221-233. <http://www.igi-global.com/bookstore/chapter.aspx?titleid=54312>
5. Dziuban, Chuck, Joel Hartman, Thomas B. Cavanagh, Patsy Moskal. “Blended Courses as Drivers of Institutional Transformation.” Ed. A. Kitchenham. Blended Learning Across Disciplines: Models for Implementation, Hershey, PA: IGI Global (2011): 17-37. <http://www.igi-global.com/bookstore/chapter.aspx?titleid=52540>
4. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Prosthetic Gods: The Posthuman Threat of Self-Service Technology” Misuse and Abuse of Interactive Technologies, Special Issue of Interaction Studies: Social Behaviour and Communication in Biological and Artificial Systems 9.3 (2008): 458-480. <https://www.benjamins.com/catalog/is.9.3.06cav>
3. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Production” International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction 4.3 (July-Sept. 2008): 27-42. <http://www.igi-pub.com/articles/details.asp?ID=8210>
2. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Bridging the Academic Divide: A Collaborative Production Model for Learning Objects in Workforce Development” in Learning Objects for Instruction: Design and Evaluation. Ed. Pamela Northrup. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing (2007): 213-230. <https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/bridging-academic-divide/25540>
1. Cavanagh, Thomas B., Sabrina Dickinson, and Suzanne Brandt “Cooperation, Performance, and Technology: A Case Study” Journal of Interactive Instruction Development 11.3 (Winter 1999): 19-28. <https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ588212>
Conference Papers: Peer Reviewed
8. Moskal, Patsy, Thomas Cavanagh, Morgan Wang, and Jianbin Zhu. “Precision-based predictive analytics.” Companion proceedings of 10th international conference on learning analytics & knowledge (LAK20), Frankfurt, GA (and hybrid virtual during COVID-19 pandemic) (2020).
7. Cavanagh, Thomas. “Developing a New Instrument to Determine Prior Online Teaching Competence.” Proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning. Madison, WI (2010).
6. Barger, Marilyn, Thomas Cavanagh, Linda Austin, Richard Gilbert, Linda Nichols, and Ed Goolsby. “The Florida Biotechnology Curriculum Consortium.” Proceedings of the American Society of Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, OR (2005).
5. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Eliminating Traditional Training: The New Era of Human Performance Technology.”Proceedings of the Interservice/Industry, Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), Orlando, FL (2004).
4. Tanner, Scott A., Ronald W. Tarr, and Thomas Cavanagh “SCOs Revisited: Proposing New Categories of Sharable Content Objects to Enhance the Reuse and Sharing of Content Among The Training Community”Proceedings of the Interservice/Industry, Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), Orlando, FL, (2003)
3. Cavanagh, Thomas B. and David Metcalf. “An Advanced Learning Environment for the Aerospace Industry.” Proceedings of the Interservice/Industry, Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), Orlando, FL (2002).
2. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Propulsion Education Within the Florida Space Research Institute’s Advanced Learning Environment.” Proceedings of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Joint Propulsion Conference, Indianapolis, IN (2002)
1. Cavanagh, Thomas B., Sabrina Dickinson, and Suzanne Brandt “Cooperation, Performance, and Technology: A Case Study.” Proceedings of the Interservice/Industry, Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), Orlando, FL (1998)
Scholarly Articles and Book Chapters: Editorial Review
15. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Blend, Don’t Break: The UCF BlendFlex Model.” UCF Faculty Focus. (Fall 2020).
14. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “From Conscript to Volunteer: Moving Faculty Online Beyond COVID-19.” Times Higher Education. <https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/practical-guide-digital-teaching-and-learning> (August 20, 2020).
13. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “The Importance of Intentional Online Program Design.” The EvoLLLution. <https://evolllution.com/programming/program_planning/the-importance-of-intentional-online-program-design/> (July 27, 2020).
12. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Online Learning: The New Strategic Imperative.” The EvoLLLution. <http://evolllution.com/revenue-streams/distance_online_learning/online-learning-the-new-strategic-imperative/> (January 20, 2017).
11. Bastedo, Kathleen and Thomas B. Cavanagh. “Personalized Learning as a Team Sport: What IT Leaders Need to Know.” EDUCAUSE Review. <http://er.educause.edu/articles/2016/4/personalized-learning-as-a-team-sport-what-it-professionals-need-to-know> (April 19, 2016).
10. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “How to Differentiate in the Competitive Online Learning Environment.” The EvoLLLution (written interview). <https://evolllution.com/opinions/differentiate-competitive-online-learning-environment/> (February 20, 2015).
9. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “The Postmodality Era: How ‘Online Learning’ is Becoming ‘Learning’.” in The Game Changers: Education and Information Technology. Ed. Diana Oblinger. EDUCAUSE (2012): 215-228.
- Reprinted in the ECEDHA Source (Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association): Spring 2013
- Reprinted in Science, technology, and society: a microcosm of technological trends. Custom Book for SUNY Stony Brook. Pearson Learning Solutions, Boston, MA (2013).
8. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “The Blended Learning Toolkit: Improving Student Performance and Retention.” EDUCAUSE Quarterly, (December 2011) 34(4), <https://er.educause.edu/articles/2011/12/the-blended-learning-toolkit-improving-student-performance-and-retention>
7. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Keep the Pages Turning.” in Now Write! Mysteries: Suspense, Crime and Thriller Fiction Exercises From Today’s Best Writers and Teachers. Eds. Sherry Ellis and Laurie Lamson. New York: Tarcher/Penguin. (December, 2011) <http://nowwrite.net/mysteries/>
6. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Participant Portrait: The Realtime Forum Fan” in Writing and the Digital Generation: Essays on New Media Rhetoric. Ed. Heather Urbanski. Jefferson, NC: McFarland (2010): 86-89. <https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/writing-and-the-digital-generation/?srsltid=AfmBOooTlRCHqFgMDpFZ79PuxOZugbbC4_vD3-uuZSw0ckEwjz6MwtZn>.
5. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Ode to Balloon Help” UPA Voice. (Usability Professionals Association) (August 2004).
4. Cavanagh, Thomas B. “The New Spectrum of Support: Reclassifying Human Performance Technology.” Performance Improvement Journal. 43.4 (April 2004): 28-32. <https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pfi.4140430408>.
3. Cavanagh, Thomas B. and Tom Baird. “Online Professional Development for Educators”FETConnections.(Florida Educational Technology Corporation) (Winter 2004): 9-10.
2. Cavanagh, Thomas B. and David Metcalf. “Future ALE Programs” Learning Circuits. (American Society for Training and Development) (February 2004).
1. Cavanagh, Thomas B. and David Metcalf. “Advanced Learning Environment for the Aerospace Industry” Learning Circuits. (American Society for Training and Development) (February 2004).
Articles: Professional / Practitioner / Editor-Reviewed
Cavanagh, Thomas B. “A Plurality for Productivity.” WCET Guest Blog contribution as part of The Need for Greater Productivity through Online Learning, Further Thoughts. (January 28, 2014).
Cavanagh, Thomas B. and Chuck Dziuban. “MOOC Fatigue or How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace the MOOC” Guest Blog for the Sloan Consortium E-learning Landscape (September 4, 2013).
Cavanagh, Thomas B. UCF Today Forum. Invited column contributor. Reprinted in the Huffington Post and numerous other outlets. (2013-2014).
- “Email is for Old People—LOL” (August 28, 2013)
- “Unfortunately, ‘A Little Birdie Told Me…’ Seems to be Trend of Online ‘Journalists’” (October 30, 2013)
- “Even if not Flashy, Any Work That Benefits Humanity has Value” (January 1, 2014)
- “Is Today’s Young Music Too Obscene (Or has my Perspective Changed)?” (March 5, 2014)
- “Orlando, We’re No More Weird Than Anywhere Else” (May 7, 2014)
- “The Echo Chamber is Getting Louder” (July 9, 2014)
Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Rodents, Roller Coasters, and Revenge” Mystery Readers Journal. (Winter 2012-2013): 12-13.
Cavanagh, Thomas B. “Analytics that Inform the University.” EDUCAUSE Guest Blog post. (April 4, 2012).
Cavanagh, Thomas B. “What is the future of online education in the aviation industry?” LIFT Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Alumni Magazine topic Roundtable. (Fall 2007):5.
Thomas B. Cavanagh 