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Mission & Vision

Affordable, relevant, and flexible education

The mission of IU Online is to support student-oriented learning that provides access and opportunity to a diverse student body. We provide a world-class education and services while supporting data-driven innovation. We strive to support affordable, relevant, and flexible education.

IU Online's vision is to be a leader in educating students anywhere, anytime as they pursue their own success.

A collaborative model for online education

IU’s collaborative approach to online education allows the university to protect the academic integrity and enhance the value of an IU degree, share the opportunities presented by online education, and take advantage of IU’s scale, resources, reputation, and diversity of offerings.

Learn more about IU’s approach to online education by reading IU Online: A Collaborative Model for Online Education at Indiana University and Moving Forward 2.0: IU Online Implementation Plan.

Several faculty members interact at a workshop.

Operating principles

  1. There will be no internal competition between, or duplication of, fully online degrees unless they are readily distinguishable by potential students on terms such as price, subject matter, admission requirements; most fully online degrees will be collaborative among campuses that choose to participate.
  2. The collaboration requirement applies to fully (i.e., 80 percent or more) online degrees only; campuses may offer independent hybrid degrees (21 percent or more in-person) and individual online courses. Campuses are encouraged to consider a portfolio of delivery formats.
  3. Participation in fully online degrees is open to all campuses with capacity to offer relevant courses; participation is required for none.
  4. No campus shall prevent another campus with capacity from offering or participating in a fully online degree.

  1. Students are assigned a home campus of enrollment for the purposes of registration, enrollment data, general education requirements, tuition and fees, and the granting of the degree. Online students may transfer among campuses on the same terms as other students.
  2. IU Online works with the campus academic officers to develop the administrative elements of collaborative programs.
  3. IU Online works with the academic officers to convene the faculty of participating campuses to develop the shared curriculum. The disciplinary curriculum for fully online degrees is developed by the disciplinary faculty of the participating campuses; students meet the general education requirements of their home campuses.
  4. Collaborative online programs go through the normal curriculum approval processes in place at each participating campus. The Academic Leadership Council will grant final approval of online curricula, subject to further approvals by the Board of Trustees, Commission for Higher Education, and Higher Learning Commission, as needed.

  1. Online students will receive a seamless, user-friendly experience in a shared services environment supervised by IU Online; IU Online will use existing campus administrative and support capacity whenever feasible.
  2. IU Online has established and will maintain a system (Quality Matters) of assuring a quality, highly engaging educational experience and transferability among campuses; online courses with the same course name and number are equivalent to in-person courses for the purposes of academic credit and intercampus transfer.

The role of IU Online

IU Online helps facilitate collaboration among the university units that are involved in online education. Its main areas of responsibility are academic program development, marketing and recruitment, student services, and compliance.

Learn more about IU Online’s role