Health, Education & Government
›
Higher Education
›
Online Programs & Partnerships
Academic & OPM Partnerships
Multi-stakeholder institutional decisions where academic mission, student outcomes, and financial sustainability converge.
Example organizations in this space:
Coursera for Campus
2U/edX
Wiley Education
Pearson
This interactive experience is the shipped product itself — the same application code customers run in production, mounted read-only in your browser over a real sample journey. Not a video, not a mockup: because the demo and the product are one codebase, it can never drift from the real thing.
Inside this journey
-
Pre-Sales
Qualify and diagnose fit before investing in a detailed partnership evaluation.
-
Qualification
Confirm budget window, decision authority, timeline, and whether a board mandate or competitive pressure is driving the initiative before investing in full discovery.
Qualification Questions
Drivers and Mandate
- So we make the best use of your time: what is the primary driver behind exploring an online program partnership right now?
- If helpful, briefly describe why this is a priority now (one or two sentences).
Budget Window
- Is there an allocated budget or financial range for this partnership?
- If a budget range exists, is it intended to cover upfront development, marketing, both, or something else?
Decision Authority
- Who is the primary approver for a partnership like this?
- Which roles will materially influence the decision (select all that apply)?
Timeline & Readiness
- What is your target timeline to have a program live or actively recruiting?
- Are there any must-meet milestones or approvals (for example academic approvals, accreditation steps, budget cycle dates) that could determine go or no-go?
-
Executive Discovery
Map institutional goals, enrollment targets, academic priorities, stakeholder roles, and constraints that will shape program design and commercialization.
Discovery Questions
Why this moment matters
- How long have you been discussing expanding online offerings across your campus?
- Which event or data point created urgency at the leadership level, board mandate, competitor movement, enrollment declines, or other?
- Identify the executive owner who will be accountable for an online program's outcomes, title only.
- Tell me about the conversations you've had so far with faculty and trustees about program partnerships.
- Give the timeline leadership expects for a live program from kickoff, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, or longer.
- Describe the downside the university would face in three years if enrollment declines continue unchanged.
What success must look like for your campus
- Name the enrollment or net revenue target in year one that would make your board call this a success.
- Explain how meeting or missing that target shifts your budget, hiring, or academic priorities.
- Walk me through nonnegotiable academic priorities any new program must respect, such as faculty governance, accreditation constraints, or brand language.
- List the people or committees who must sign curriculum and learning outcomes and typical approval lead times.
- If we met your year-one target, what single cultural or governance concern would still make you stop the partnership?
Where launches have tripped up before
- Describe the single most persistent operational failure you've seen in past program launches in enrollment, marketing, or delivery.
- Estimate how often new programs miss enrollment targets, per year, most, some, few, or none.
- Provide a concrete example of an underperforming launch, what went wrong, and what you tried to fix.
- Itemize the main costs you incurred from that underperformance, both hard and soft.
- If a partner guaranteed 200 qualified applicants per month, which internal constraint would still block you from proceeding?
The other paths you are weighing
- Outline the alternatives you are actively considering, for example building internally, staying with an incumbent, or working with a new external partner.
- If you choose to keep development internal, specify the hires, budget, and timeline that would need to be approved.
- Who inside your institution has proposed the do-it-yourself route and what reasons did they give?
- Clarify the conditions that would have to be true for you to stay with your current approach rather than switch.
- Name the single proof point or assurance that would make you switch from internal or incumbent to a new partner within 90 days.
Practical gates we cannot ignore
- Identify any integration, data access, or governance gap that would force you to pause or stop a launch.
- Select the core systems that must integrate for the program to operate, CRM, LMS, SIS, financial system, or other.
- Provide the owner or team for each required integration point and whether APIs or credentials exist today.
- Choose whether student data is centralized and exportable within four weeks, fully, partially, or not at all.
- List the internal roles you can commit to during development and launch, admissions, instructional design, IT, registrar.
- Explain any regulatory or accreditation reviews that could delay approvals and their typical cycles in months.
- Point to the single gating approval, board signoff, accreditation clearance, IT security certification, or budget release that would stop the project if not obtained on your timeline.
How this deal would have to be structured to win
- Specify the three contractual acceptance criteria that would allow your leadership to sign a revenue-share deal within 30 days of a successful pilot.
- Rate how critical transparent marketing cost reporting is to your finance team, not important, somewhat important, important, or critical.
- Choose the minimum contract duration you are comfortable with for a revenue-share model, 3 years, 5 years, 7 years, or other.
- Who in finance or procurement will need to review commercial terms and how quickly can they turn approval?
- If a pilot meets enrollment targets but revenue split is below expectations, which commercial structures would you consider, graduated share, fixed fee, or time-limited guarantees?
- If the pilot hits agreed targets, what single signoff or budget release would trigger full commercial commitment that same week?
When could this move from idea to action?
- If every internal approval aligned today, when is the earliest realistic date your institution could commit to a development kickoff?
- Select which first deliverable would most convince you to proceed to pilot, market validation, a curriculum draft, or a signed MOU.
- Which titles should attend an executive kickoff from your side, list titles only.
- Explain which meeting or committee ultimately makes the go no-go decision and when they next meet.
- How do you prefer to receive program progress updates, monthly written reports, weekly scrums, or executive reviews?
- If we proposed a single semester pilot with a capped marketing spend, what would enable you to sign within 30 days?
-
-
Partnership Evaluation
Mutual assessment of fit across marketing, enrollment, instructional design, operations, and academic brand alignment using defined acceptance criteria.
- desired_state
- current_state
- stakeholders
- gaps
- success_criteria
- decision_readiness
- desired_state
- decision_readiness
- current_state
- success_criteria
- gaps
- stakeholders
- desired_state
- success_criteria
- stakeholders
- gaps
- current_state
- decision_readiness
- decision_readiness
- decision_readiness
- decision_readiness
- decision_readiness
-
Partnership Scope
Define program model, deliverables, revenue-share structure and duration, marketing and enrollment commitments, timelines, and responsibilities.
Scope Configuration
- Design and Build Online Course Content
- Develop Program Brand and Marketing Assets
- Launch Paid Student Acquisition Campaigns
- Operate Lead Management and CRM Nurture Flows
- Provide Enrollment Coaching and Admissions Call Support
- Develop and Host Program Microsite and Application Portal
- Build LMS Course Shells and Platform Integrations
- Train Faculty on Online Instruction and Facilitation
- Deliver Student Onboarding and Orientation Programs
- Provide Ongoing Student Success Coaching and Support
- Migrate Prospect and Student Records to Source CRM
- Establish Revenue-Share Agreement and Payout Operations
Scope Questions
Design and Build Online Course Content
- Describe the primary degree or certificate learning outcomes that every course module must map to (list program-level outcomes and any accreditation standards referenced)
- Which development model do you prefer for course production?
- Specify the desired assessment types for core courses (for example: proctored exams, timed quizzes, project portfolios, competency demonstrations)
- Provide the target cohort size and ideal class cap per course for the first two launch terms
- Identify any third-party content or textbook licensing that must be incorporated into course shells
- What acceptance criteria will confirm course content readiness for development handoff (examples: complete syllabus per course, learning objectives mapped to assessments, at least one sample module peer-reviewed)
Develop Program Brand and Marketing Assets
- Outline the brand guardrails and academic positioning that must appear on all marketing assets (for example: tone, accreditation statements, logo usage, faculty credentials)
- Which marketing assets do you require before campaign launch?
- Indicate the number of distinct landing pages or program microsite templates needed for launch cohorts
- State the approval workflow and named approvers for creative and copy (for example: marketing director approval then dean approval)
- Provide the target search or social creative formats you expect (short video, long-form video, static images, carousel) and any institutional restrictions on video use
- What conversion rate and click-through benchmarks should marketing creative be measured against in the first 90 days (provide numeric targets if available)
Launch Paid Student Acquisition Campaigns
- List the program-level enrollment goals for paid acquisition in the first two recruiting cycles (applicants, enrolled students)
- Which acquisition channels should be included in the initial media mix?
- Provide the maximum acceptable cost per acquisition (CPA) or cost per enrolled student for budgeting purposes
- Indicate any geographic or programmatic targeting restrictions (for example: in-state only, excluding specific markets, international eligibility limits)
- Which marketing tracking parameters and campaign identifiers must be present on landing pages to satisfy your analytics and attribution needs
- Estimate the monthly ad budget range you are committing to for the ramp phase
Operate Lead Management and CRM Nurture Flows
- Identify your current CRM and marketing automation endpoint that will receive leads (name your source CRM and your marketing automation platform)
- Specify the lead stages and required fields that must be populated on each inbound lead record in your CRM (for example: program, lead source, prospect phone, next contact date)
- Which lead assignment rules should be applied (examples: round-robin to enrollment coaches, territory by program, priority by lead score)
- Provide the target response SLA for first contact to an inbound lead (for example: outreach within 1 hour, within 24 hours)
- Describe the nurture paths required for leads who are not immediately eligible to apply (for example: 6-email drip, webinar invites, content downloads)
- Which dashboards or lead reports must be available at launch for weekly enrollment standups (for example: lead volume by source, conversion to application, contact attempts)
Provide Enrollment Coaching and Admissions Call Support
- Describe the preferred enrollment coaching model you want for prospective students (phone-first, video consultations, asynchronous messaging)
- Who will define the admissions decision criteria and admissibility thresholds we should apply during screening calls?
- Specify scripts or compliance statements that must be used during admissions calls (examples: financial disclosure, accreditation language)
- Provide the expected contact-to-application conversion target for coached leads in the first recruiting cycle
- Identify the training or certification requirements for enrollment coaches prior to them handling live prospects
- What reporting cadence and quality metrics will you require for admissions call performance (for example: calls per coach per week, conversion rate, NPS)
Develop and Host Program Microsite and Application Portal
- List the core pages required on the program microsite at launch (for example: program overview, curriculum, tuition & fees, admissions requirements, faculty)
- Which application portal features are mandatory for intake (for example: document upload, conditional questions, program selection, recommendation letters)
- Provide the expected volume of initial applications per month so portal capacity and form throttling can be configured
- Specify any single sign-on (SSO) or identity requirements for the portal and the system that will issue user accounts
- State the review and approval workflow for application form changes and who must sign off on enrollment terms
- Which analytics events must fire from the microsite to your analytics endpoint (examples: apply-start, form-complete, CTA-click)
Build LMS Course Shells and Platform Integrations
- Indicate the learning management system (LMS) you will use as the destination for course shells or whether you require hosting on our platform
- Which integrations are required between the LMS and your student information system (SIS) or CRM (for example: roster sync, grade passback, enrollment status)
- Provide the file formats and packaging required for content upload to the LMS (for example: SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004, LTI tools, HTML5 ZIP)
- Specify user roles and permissions needed in the LMS for faculty, instructional designers, graders, and observers
- What acceptance criteria will validate LMS readiness and integrations (examples: roster sync success rate 99%, grade passback tested, single sign-on verified)
- Identify any accessibility or institutional compliance standards that course shells must meet (for example: WCAG level, captioning for video)
Train Faculty on Online Instruction and Facilitation
- List the faculty roles that require training (for example: lead instructor, adjunct facilitators, teaching assistants)
- Which training formats do you prefer for faculty development (examples: live workshops, on-demand modules, co-teaching with a mentor)
- Provide the minimum completion requirements for faculty certification to teach (for example: completion of 4 training modules plus one observed live session)
- Identify any faculty compensation or workload constraints that affect synchronous facilitation commitments
- Which instructional outcomes will you measure to approve faculty readiness (examples: rubric scores on facilitation, student interaction metrics, grading turnaround time)
Deliver Student Onboarding and Orientation Programs
- Describe the mandatory onboarding elements every enrolled student must complete before course access (for example: identity verification, orientation module, tech-check)
- Specify the timeline for onboarding completion relative to term start (for example: complete 7 days before first class)
- Which channels will you allow for orientation delivery (examples: synchronous kickoff webinar, on-demand orientation, phone-based welcome)
- Provide the acceptance metric for onboarding completion you will require prior to awarding course access (for example: 95% completion rate or instructor discretion)
- Identify any technology checks required during onboarding (for example: bandwidth test, browser compatibility, webcam test)
Provide Ongoing Student Success Coaching and Support
- Outline the scope of student success services required (examples: weekly coaching touchpoints, academic tutoring, career services)
- Which student success KPIs must be reported monthly (for example: retention by cohort, course pass rate, average time to completion)
- State the target response SLA for student support tickets or outreach messages
- Identify the escalation path for academic or conduct issues that require university intervention
- What coaching load per success coach do you expect at scale (for example: 1 coach per 75 active learners)
Migrate Prospect and Student Records to Source CRM
- Provide the estimated volume and record types for migration (for example: 250,000 prospect records, 10,000 active student records, enrollment history)
- Which fields are mandatory to map during migration to your current CRM (examples: name, email, program interest, application status, admit term)
- Specify the acceptable data accuracy threshold post-migration (for example: 99% email deliverability, 95% matched program interest)
-
Mutual Commit
Finalize commercial and legal terms, governance cadence, data-sharing agreements, and operational readiness for program development.
Agreement Modules
- Partnership Agreement (Master)
- Statement of Work (SOW) — Program Development
- Revenue Share & Financial Schedule
- Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
- Governance & Escalation Agreement
- Operational Readiness & Go/No-Go Checklist
- Intellectual Property & Branding Addendum
- Confidentiality Agreement (NDA)
- Transition & Termination Plan
- Regulatory & Compliance Addendum (conditional)
-
Deployment
Lock readiness facts and configuration values before execution begins.
-
Pre-Deployment Readiness
Lock the concrete readiness facts — named owners, data access permissions, academic approvals, and go/no-go milestones needed before development begins.
Pre-Deployment Questions
Environment and site access
- Is the buyer's production learning environment (LMS) approved and available for vendor integrations? (This tells us whether integrations can target production or must use sandbox.)
- If production is not ready, what is the confirmed availability date? (so we can schedule cutover and integration windows)
- Which buyer systems will the deployment integrate with? Select all that apply — we'll capture exact endpoints in DeploymentConfig.
- Are named integration owners or admin contacts already assigned for the systems listed? (This indicates whether we can begin credential coordination.)
Data and configuration
- Who is the agreed source of truth for student and enrollment records? (select one — ownership determines mapping and reconciliation responsibilities)
- Will any historical student or enrollment data be migrated into the launch environment before go-live? (Knowing this affects timeline and test cycles)
- If migration is required, who is the named data owner responsible for extracts and approvals? (Name and role — used to schedule transfers)
- Are data access and permissions approvals (for the seller to receive required datasets) completed?
People and ownership
- Who is the primary deployment owner at the buyer organization (name and role)? This person will receive milestone updates and be the single escalation point.
- Which buyer-side workstreams already have named owners? Select all that apply.
- If any selected workstreams do not yet have a named owner, list which ones and who will appoint them (role or committee).
Timing and constraints
- Is there a locked academic-governance or faculty approval date required before development can begin?
- If an approval date is confirmed, what is that date? (so we can align milestone sequencing)
- Are there blackout windows, peak admissions cycles, or maintenance windows the deployment team must avoid? Select all that apply.
- Based on current facts, do you authorize the deployment team to begin development on the proposed start date?
- If you selected 'Approve with conditions', 'No', or 'Undecided', list the specific outstanding conditions or blockers (named owner, approvals, or dates) that must be resolved to greenlight development.
-
Configuration & Integrations
Capture exact configuration values the launch team will use — CRM/LMS mappings, marketing tracking tags, integration credentials, and campaign parameters.
Configuration Details
Environments & Endpoints
- Production CRM instance canonical name (enter the exact org name as shown in the CRM UI; e.g., Production-Org-1)
- Production LMS instance base URL (enter public base URL used for API calls; format: https://<host>[:port]/)
Options & Features — connectors and auth
- Which platform connectors should be enabled for this program? (select all that apply)
- CRM connector authentication method (choose one). Note: do not paste secrets here — the secret will be exchanged via your secrets manager or secure channel at kickoff.
- Enter the CRM connector non-secret identifier (OAuth2 Client ID or integration user name). Leave blank if 'None' selected above.
Mappings — exact source field names the integration will read
- Source CRM field for primary contact email (exact field path; format: Object.Field, e.g., Lead.Email)
- Source CRM field for application/enrollment status (exact field path; format: Object.Field, e.g., Application.Status)
- Target platform field name used to store the student ID (enter exact field/column label in the platform; leave blank if not applicable)
Marketing & Tracking — campaign parameters and channel mapping
- Primary campaign tracking parameter name (Default: utm_campaign — confirm or specify another parameter name)
- Default marketing channel mapping for unknown/unspecified sources (select one)
-
Program Launch
Execute the development and launch plan with clear owners, milestones for curriculum build, marketing activation, enrollment coaching, and go-live sequencing.
-
-
Student & Program Success
Monitor enrollment volume, retention, student outcomes, and operational KPIs while tracking issues and enhancement requests through a shared cadence.
Success Reviews
- Technical Health Check
- Commercial Metrics Review
- Bilateral Obligations Audit
- Roadmap Alignment Review (Quarterly)
Issues & Enhancements
- Provide the next quarter's metric targets mapped to the commitments recorded in Partnership Scope for use in the next review.
- Confirm the incumbent system is decommissioned or formally retained-read-only and that data migration or archival is verifiable.
- Agree remediation actions and firm resolution dates for all conditional or failed obligations.
- Publish the obligations fulfillment evidence package including screenshots, logs, and signed checklists for audit trails.
- Complete and verify data migration or archival procedures and publish the confirmation report with storage locations and retention policy.
- Create a remediation tracker listing each conditional item, required steps to pass, and target completion dates.
- Operational KPI review
- Agree the prioritized enhancement list for the next quarter with expected delivery windows and the metric each enhancement is intended to move.
- Confirm that enrollment and retention trajectory meets expectations or document a corrective action plan tied to specific metrics recorded in Partnership Scope.
- Reduce the open operational ticket backlog by specifying the top issues to close before the next quarterly review.
- Publish the prioritized enhancement backlog with estimated delivery quarter and the target metric each item is expected to improve.
- Deliver a status update on the top three operational tickets including remediation steps and expected close dates.
- Integration go-live confirmation
- Confirm integrations meet the uptime and error-rate targets recorded in Partnership Scope or record deviations with remediation timelines.
- Document all critical technical blockers with a proposed remediation action and target resolution date.
- Establish the next technical checkpoint and required deliverables for follow-up verification.
- Provide a time-stamped incident log for all integration errors since go-live covering error type and payload examples.
- Produce a connectivity and credential verification report for each integration endpoint and schedule a retest window.
- Publish the agreed technical remediation plan with target resolution dates for each critical blocker.
- Revenue-share calculation and payment timing
- Confirm revenue-share calculations are accurate for the period or document specific reconciliation items and timelines.
- Determine whether enrollment volume and marketing cost per enrolled student meet the targets recorded in Partnership Scope and list root causes for any shortfalls.
- Agree the evidence package and delivery dates required to resolve any commercial disputes or attribution gaps.
- Deliver a source-level enrollment export for the reporting window including lead source, application date, and enrollment date.
- Publish the revenue-share workbook with supporting invoices and reconciliation notes for the period under review.
- Document proposed attribution rule changes and the expected impact on marketing cost per enrolled student for the next review.
- Restate documented obligations
- Produce a documented pass/conditional/fail outcome for each contractual obligation recorded in Partnership Scope.
- SLA adherence and error review
- Evidence presentation and pass/fail per obligation
- Enrollment delivery vs targets
- Enhancement requests and backlog triage
- Marketing cost efficiency
- Adoption and usage signals
- Open operational issues and ticket burn-down
- Incumbent system wind-down confirmation
- Quarterly priorities and next steps
- Remediation plan and acceptance path
- Discrepancies and documentation
- Technical defect triage and blocker log