Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions I get most often. If yours isn't here, feel free to reach out directly.
About the Role
What is a Chief Online Learning Officer (COLO)?
A Chief Online Learning Officer is the senior executive responsible for an institution's online education enterprise. The role spans strategy, operations, technology, faculty development, enrollment, and student support for online programs. UPCEA, the leading professional organization for online and professional education, first formally defined the role in 2017. It has grown in importance as online learning has moved from the periphery to the center of most institutions' growth strategies.
Why do the titles vary so much?
People functioning as COLOs work under many different titles: Dean of Online Learning, Vice Provost for Digital Strategy, Executive Director of Extended Campus, and others. The title often reflects institutional politics as much as the actual scope of the job. UPCEA's guidance focuses on the characteristics and accountabilities that define the role, regardless of what it's called. If you're the decision-maker for online strategy and operations, you're functioning as a COLO.
Why does this role matter right now?
Online learning is often the primary growth strategy and a major revenue driver for institutions today. And yet many still treat it as an extension of IT or scatter it across individual academic departments. The result is fragmented operations, inconsistent quality, and missed enrollment opportunities. A COLO brings coherence. Someone is accountable for the whole picture, not just their corner of it.
About Fractional COLO
What is a Fractional COLO?
A Fractional COLO is a senior online learning executive who embeds within an institution on a part-time basis, providing the same expertise and accountability as a full-time hire. The model is designed for institutions that need experienced leadership but aren't yet at a scale that justifies a full-time C-suite position. I work directly inside your institution on strategy, operations, and team development, not as an outside consultant but as part of the leadership team.
How is this different from hiring a consultant?
Consulting typically means deliverables: reports, recommendations, plans. This is different. As a fractional COLO, I'm embedded in your institution's actual operations. I attend your leadership meetings, work alongside your staff, and am accountable for outcomes, not just outputs. Your enrollment goals become my enrollment goals. Your launch dates keep me up at night. When something goes wrong, the response isn't an email explaining why it happened. It's sleeves rolled up to fix it.
How is this different from an OPM relationship?
An Online Program Manager (OPM) is a vendor that typically provides a bundle of services, often including marketing, recruitment, and instructional design, usually in exchange for a revenue share. A fractional COLO is a leadership role, not a vendor. My job is to help your institution build the internal capacity to manage and grow online programs, including the capacity to evaluate and manage OPM relationships on your terms. I have no financial interest in which vendors you choose.
What kinds of institutions does Fractional COLO work with?
Primarily small to midsize colleges and universities that are serious about growing their online programs but not yet generating the revenue to support a full-time COLO hire. That includes institutions launching their first online programs, those with existing programs that need to be scaled or restructured, and those somewhere in between who have the ambition but not the internal bandwidth to get there.
What does an engagement actually look like?
Engagements are tailored to what the institution needs. Typically I work with an institution on a defined set of priorities: program portfolio strategy, vendor selection and management, faculty development, online operations infrastructure, or enrollment alignment. Sometimes it's all of the above. The engagement length, hours per week, and specific focus areas are worked out before any work begins. There are no surprises on scope.
How long do engagements typically last?
Most engagements run between three and twelve months, depending on the scope. Some institutions bring me in for a focused project with a defined end point. Others find ongoing strategic leadership more valuable and extend the engagement as the work evolves. Either way, the goal is always to build your institution's capacity, not to create a dependency on outside expertise.
What does it cost?
Pricing is structured around the scope and hours of the engagement. I don't publish a rate card because the right scope varies too much from institution to institution. If you'd like to have a straightforward conversation about what makes sense for your budget and goals, reach out directly and we'll figure it out together.
Figuring Out If It's a Fit
How do I know if my institution needs a COLO?
A few honest signals: your online programs feel fragmented, with different departments making decisions independently and nobody accountable for the whole picture. You're investing in online learning but not seeing the enrollment or retention results you expected. You're about to make a major investment in a new program and want experienced guidance before you commit. Or you've recognized the gap in leadership but don't have the internal capacity to fill it. If any of those ring true, it's worth a conversation.
Do you work with institutions outside the U.S.?
My experience is primarily in U.S. higher education. The challenges around online learning leadership are largely universal, but the policy environment, accreditation landscape, and market dynamics are pretty specific to the U.S. context. If you're outside the U.S. and want to explore whether the work could be a fit, reach out and let's talk about it.
How do I get started?
The best first step is a no-commitment conversation. Reach out at jeremiah@fractionalcolo.com or connect on LinkedIn and describe what you're working on. I respond personally to every inquiry.