21491f


 * Proposal submission #21491**

Applying the HedgeHog Principle to Online Higher Education
 * Title**

Karlyn A. Barilovits, Kaplan University, Mars Hill, North Carolina, USA, kbarilovits@kaplan.edu
 * Presenter(s)**

Online education has grown more than 10% per year in the past five years. The number of educational institutions that offer online degrees has also grown. As a result, online education has become extremely competitive. That means we must differentiate ourselves from our competitors. How do we accomplish this? In this open forum, we will discuss how the //Hedgehog Principle//, discussed in Jim Collins' __Good To Great__ (2001) which has sold 2 million copies, can be applied to online learning.
 * Description**

To apply this concept, the institution must look at three questions: 1. What do we care most about? 2. What are we the best at? 3. What do we want to contribute to education?

It is through addressing these three questions that we can move our programs and educational institutions from good online programs to great. The paths that this discussion can take include methods of learning, course development, faculty leadership, institutional mission statements, cost analysis, marketing, and learning objects.

Forum Not previously published Intermediate, Advanced Audiences
 * Notes & Comments**

A hedgehog is a small mammal covered with spines. Daily activities include building a home and finding food. Hedgehogs see what is essential and ignore the rest.

The essay by Isaiah Berlin of the hedgehog and the fox discusses their differences:
 * The hedgehog worries only of the next meal and has only one defense – roll into a ball of spines.
 * The fox is cunning and always trying to outthink his opponent.

The Hedgehog Principle gained fame with Jim Collins 2001 publication of Good To Great: “What separates those who make the biggest impact from all the others who are just as smart? They’re hedgehogs.”