CUMU Conference 2019

The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) began a journey over a decade ago to create an integrative learning experience for its students. Today, UCO is designated as a metropolitan university that has simultaneously developed a strong immersive learning experience through high-impact educational practices (called the Central Six of Transformative Learning) and online experiences in both hybridized and fully online formats. We review the history of this developmental process, including the arrival of the entrepreneurial Center for e-Learning and Connected Environments (CeCE). We also recount the history of this organization vis-á-vis the development of high-impact practices and how the two have shaped the emergence of the UCO Connected Campus. A key stimulus to the process was the use of the Executive Leadership Program (ELP) at UCO to bring together representatives from several divisions to inform an institutional commitment to the Connected Campus. We review the elements of the developmental process from the perspectives of several contributors in that process that include the Office of Academic Affairs, CeCE, and ELP. These include cultural and organizational characteristics of the UCO campus and how obstacles were overcome to create the current learning ecosystem at UCO that deploys and hybridizes electronic and face-to-face approaches to teaching an array of learners. We believe this model, derived during turbulent economic times in our state, illustrates the potential for advancing learning environments that can create accessibility and relevance for programs marketed within a major metropolitan area.