Recap

What It Takes To Scale Digital Learning At Community Colleges

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Scaling digital learning at community colleges takes more than adding online courses. Whether the work is happening across one institution, a multi-college district, or an entire statewide system, sustainable growth requires leaders to think differently about infrastructure, governance, collaboration, data, and ultimately, the learners they are trying to serve.

In our recent webinar, Alchemy’s Carrie O’Donnell sat down with three leaders who have helped build and lead digital learning initiatives across some of the country’s largest community college systems.

The conversation featured Dr. Luke Dowden, Vice Chancellor for Digital Learning and Transformation at Alamo Colleges District; Dr. Tina Parscal, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the Colorado Community College System; and Dr. Jory Hadsell, Executive in Residence for Strategic Technology Initiatives for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

Together, they shared lessons from scaling online and digital learning across systems ranging from 13 colleges in Colorado to 116 colleges across California. While each system’s journey has looked different, several common themes emerged for community college leaders navigating digital learning at scale.

1. Relationships and trust are the foundation for scaling digital learning.

One message came through again and again: sustainable change starts with relationships.

Faculty, administrators, system leaders, academic senates, staff, and other stakeholders all need opportunities to participate in the process. Luke emphasized the importance of listening before leading and giving faculty and staff opportunities to communicate the value of an initiative themselves.

As he put it, “The biggest barrier buster [is] relationships and trust.”

That trust becomes especially important when community colleges are asking people to change established processes, adopt common systems, or think beyond the needs of an individual course or campus.

2. Digital learning governance has to be intentional and adaptable.

Scaling online learning across multiple colleges introduces complexity. Tina described Colorado’s approach as “go slow to go fast,” investing early in governance and decision-making structures that included voices from across the system.

Jory shared a similar lesson from California, where policy and implementation conversations were intentionally separated. One group could focus on strategy, policy, and the roadmap, while another brought together the people responsible for actually implementing the work.

The goal isn’t to create more process. It’s to build governance structures that allow institutions to make decisions, respond to feedback, and adapt as their digital learning strategy evolves.

3. Stay focused on the problem, not the solution.

As digital learning evolves, the right solution today may not be the right solution tomorrow.

Luke encouraged leaders to “fall in love with the problem” rather than becoming too attached to a particular solution. Jory added that sometimes the problems institutions expect to encounter aren’t the ones they ultimately have to solve.

That makes adaptability essential. Scaling digital learning is an iterative process, and community colleges need to continually return to the underlying question: What problem are we trying to solve for our learners?

4. Use data to move from information to action.

Data can help institutions build support for change, but simply having the numbers isn’t enough.

Luke challenged leaders to move from being data-informed to data-fluent. That means understanding what is underneath the numbers, interrogating the data, identifying meaningful insights, and then using those insights to take action.

Most importantly, the conversation repeatedly brought the focus back to learner outcomes. Enrollment and course delivery matter, but institutions also need to understand what happens after completion and whether programs are creating meaningful educational, career, and economic opportunities.

5. Scale should improve the learner experience.

Common digital learning infrastructure can create efficiencies, but centralization itself shouldn’t be the goal.

Jory described the opportunity as creating “a gift and not a burden” for colleges and faculty: shared systems and resources that make their work easier while creating a more consistent experience for learners.

That can mean common technology and professional development, but it can also mean thinking more holistically about how learners move across institutions, access services, and navigate their educational pathways.

6. Digital learning should connect to workforce pathways.

The conversation also extended beyond online course delivery to the growing connection between digital learning and workforce opportunity.

Tina discussed Colorado’s work to take a more programmatic approach to online learning, including micro-credentials and collaboratively offered Bachelor of Applied Science degrees that smaller colleges may not have the resources to offer independently.

In California, regional workforce consortia are bringing industry perspectives into conversations about how education should be packaged for adult learners. Jory also encouraged institutions to ask not simply what can be offered online, but what can be done particularly well online, including hybrid models when hands-on learning is essential.

Across each example, the goal was the same: use the flexibility and reach of digital learning to create clearer, more accessible pathways toward learners’ educational and career goals.

Scaling Digital Learning Starts With the Learner

There is no single blueprint for scaling digital learning at community colleges. A 13-college system and a 116-college system will inevitably approach the work differently.

But the fundamentals remain remarkably consistent: build relationships, create thoughtful governance, use data well, stay adaptable, learn from peers, and keep the learner at the center of every decision.

As community colleges continue responding to changing learner needs, workforce demands, and new technologies, those foundations can help institutions move beyond simply offering more online courses toward building digital learning ecosystems designed to create greater opportunity at scale.

If you’re interesting in exploring the topic more, you can watch the full recording on our YouTube channel.