Sarah
Jennifer
Jaden Bernard Communications Lead
Rebecca Cochran Senior Learning Designer
Taylor Wooten Administrative Assistant
Kemi Jona
Vice Provost for Online Education and Digital Innovation
We have just completed our first full academic year since launching OEDI in November 2023, and, as you will see on the following pages, there is much to share.
When OEDI began our team consisted of one person – me! The time since has been marked by tremendous growth in terms of our team, our partnerships, and our impact.
To advance our work in support of UVA’s mission, the OEDI team has built a strong bench of top talent. We were fortunate to welcome Sarah Cochran, one of the top online learning designers in the field, as our Senior Director of Learning Experience and Digital Innovation, and then further expanded our team’s expertise and capacity with the addition of Rebecca Cochran as our Senior Learning Designer. Jennifer Herrera joined us this past August as OEDI’s Managing Director of Online
Education, bringing a substantial track record of leadership and partnership development in ed tech innovation and online education. We are grateful to have Jaden Bernard contribute to our growing portfolio of project management and communications functions (including this report) and Taylor Wooten support the administrative needs of our growing team. And last on the list, but first in our hearts, OEDI welcomed Rowan as our unofficial mascot and “Director of Employee Engagement & Loyalty” (Look for a picture of Rowan on the last page!)
As this report documents, the OEDI team has worked tirelessly to deliver meaningful impacts on behalf of our partners on Grounds. To date, we have worked to support eight schools and centers across the university and engaged with six external partners (and counting) to enhance our capacity and impact. I invite you to read through the following pages to learn more about this work, the scope of the services we have provided, and the foundational pillars that guide our work.
The year ahead promises even more exciting growth! We recently supported the provost’s office in launching a new funding program to support online and hybrid program development, and we expect the first new programs to launch in the 2025-26 academic year. We will also be expanding our partnerships with leading AI companies to bring the latest and most powerful tools to our university community in collaboration with ITS and other UVA stakeholders. Finally, we intend to further develop our UVA Career Academies in response to enthusiastic student demand.
I invite you to reach out if OEDI can support your online education or digital innovation goals or if you have ideas for new digital tools, technologies, or programs you think would enhance the UVA experience and deepen our impact on our community and the Commonwealth
Regards,
OUR MISSION
1
The Office of the Vice Provost for Online Education and Digital Innovation (OEDI) advances the University’s 2030 Strategic Plan commitments to “expand accessible, affordable, and high-quality learning beyond Grounds” through online and hybrid offerings. We champion digital innovation to enhance the experience of UVA’s community of learners.
Streamlining proces knowledge base to i
The following foundational pillars broadly inform our work:
Enablement
Capacity Building
Innovation via Emerging Technology
OEDI is proud to support UVA schools and centers on a wide variety of ongoing online learning initiatives. We are also excited about the growing impacts of our digital innovation pilots across Grounds.
In partnership with colleagues at Batten, OEDI helped to launch two online graduate certificates (Graduate Certificate in Public Policy and Graduate Certificate in Public Leadership), enabling policy professionals to advance their careers without having to relocate to Charlottesville.
We also supported the School of Nursing in implementing their recently approved hybrid Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) expansion. This program enables working nurses to obtain their graduate degree in three years to prepare for careers as advanced practice nurses. Coursework is completed both asynchronously in an online format and via a once-per-month synchronous, in-person class. With this pathway, the School of Nursing is better able to support nurses in reaching their full potential while minimizing scheduling and financial stress.
Our UVA CareerConnect platform engaged over 200 students and alumni, 50 of whom were graduating fourth-year students in search of career opportunities. Between December 2024 and July 2025, nearly 150 students participated in our UVA Career Academies, connecting with vital skills-building opportunities and virtual internships with real-world employers. This work embodies our holistic approach to enhancing the UVA experience – one that prepares learners to reach their full potential both in and out of the classroom, before and after graduation. We are grateful for our partnership with the University Career Center in guiding these efforts.
Our work extends well beyond Grounds. We help advance UVA’s position as a leading voice in innovation by engaging in thought leadership with higher education peers, media outlets, and at industry convenings. Over the past year, our work has been featured in over 20 media engagements, publications, and higher education conferences across the country. These include various interviews and podcasts, including ASU’s “Voices of Technology” podcast, which foregrounds the perspectives of leaders in education technology including Kemi Jona.
Vice Provost Jona also advances UVA’s national presence through leadership roles in the national online learning community. He serves as a member of the Coursera Council and as the co-Chair of UPCEA’s Council for Chief Online Learning Officers (C-COLO). Dr. Jona advocates for the transformative potential of online learning
to make high-quality education accessible and engaging for all learners. For more information on this component of our work, see pages 23-24.
Given our impact this past year, we are energized to continue this important work in collaboration with our partners. In doing so, we seek to help fulfill the vision of The 2030 Plan to “cultivate the most vibrant community in higher education” and “equip our students with the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind that will enable them to pursue meaningful and productive careers.”
OUR SERVICES
OEDI offers a variety of services to support schools and other units at UVA to expand access to online and hybrid course offerings. We also seek to enhance student engagement, experiential learning, and career-connected learning via innovative digital tools and platforms.
Vision and product recommendations
Budgeting and pricing support
Design infrastructure setup
Quality assurance and product excellence
Agile support for design and development needs
Using tools and technology to optimize efficiencies in the design and development of learning product
Market research and evaluation
Investment modeling
Go-to-market planning
Program positioning evalulation
Enrollment management assessment and optimization
Operational best practices
Piloting career readiness technology
Working with vendors to offer virtual internship and projects, both co-curricular and curricular-embedded
Collaborating across schools to promote virtual experiential learning opportunities
Vendor identification, onboarding, and management
OEDI is proud to partner with schools, institutes, and centers across the University to advance their online learning and digital innovation strategies.
See the following pages for examples of our work with select partners.
Purposeful design. Real-world impact.
A key part of OEDI’s mission is to provide UVA schools and centers with a streamlined process for expanding their reach and impact by creating high-quality online and hybrid learning experiences. Our Design & Development team plays a central role in this work, offering support with course design, vendor management, quality assurance, and more. This work ensures that our UVA partners deliver engaging, cost-effective, and academically rigorous learning experiences.
In FY25, OEDI supported the design and launch of various pilots in the School of Nursing aimed at expanding the school’s online learning options and equipping faculty with the tools they need to succeed in online and hybrid environments. OEDI provided hands-on instructional design support for courses such as GNUR6121: Diagnostics and Therapeutics Seminar, whose new format debuted in Summer 2025. To provide students with valuable insights into the clinical setting, we introduced AI-powered avatar videos (as illustrated below) that provide students with greater exposure to potential patient scenarios. These videos help students to better prepare for in-hospital clinicals. Click below to see more!
OEDI supported the McIntire School of Commerce in launching COMMence, an online, asynchronous program designed to support second-year students as they begin their McIntire journey. Launched in July 2025, the program includes pre-conference modules, an in-person kickoff conference, an eight-module guided curriculum in the fall, and a self-guided curriculum in the spring. At its core, COMMence integrates traditional learning models, including student success competencies, and promotes meaningful engagement with McIntire resources to ensure that students are equipped to thrive.
OEDI provided end-to-end support for course design, ensuring that all materials met both key accessibility and University brand identity standards. We also created AI-generated video avatars representing various student personas to enhance the learning experience, streamline production, and capture the full breadth of student experience at McIntire.
Building capacity. Empowering progress.
OEDI helps to build UVA’s capacity to support high-quality online and hybrid program growth. In the past year, OEDI provided strategic services to eight schools and centers at the University. Examples include:
Investment Modeling
We developed a shared program financial model for launching or growing online and hybrid programs to enhance transparency and facilitate program design decisions.
Market Research and Evaluation
We conducted vital market research and needs assessment for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), the McIntire School of Commerce,
the School of Data Science (SDS), and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy to support enrollment growth planning and create actionable market recommendations.
Program Positioning Evaluation
We developed a comprehensive framework to support McIntire’s MSMIT program review process. With this, we provided the committee with the insight needed to competitively market the program and refine messaging to prospective applicants. We also shared a process to optimize marketing performance, allowing McIntire to be more efficient with their marketing budget.
Performance Analytics and Optimization
We implemented a tracking system for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) that offers clear, measurable information regarding its marketing efforts. This system provides marketing directors with insight into how well each campaign attracts prospective students and follows their progress through the enrollment process. It also indicates whether marketing funds are being used efficiently.
Rhodes Advisors has been an embedded strategic partner since OEDI’s inception. As key thought partners, Rhodes Advisors complements and extends OEDI’s in-house expertise to deliver unparalleled strategic services, operational excellence, and capacity building to our partners across Grounds. With their broad national experience, Rhodes Advisors supports the growth of online education at both the school and University-wide portfolio levels by aligning programs with market demand and strengthening the operational systems needed to sustain that growth.
OEDI empowers UVA schools and centers with the tools and processes they need to advance their strategic goals and educational missions.
In FY24, OEDI worked with the School of Data Science (SDS) over a three-month period to craft a seamless user experience that guides prospective MS in Data Science students through the enrollment process. We also created a custom analytics report that enabled the SDS team to accurately measure new engagement metrics. Based on this assessment of the applicant journey, we provided recommendations to optimize SDS’ text message and email communications, thus ensuring that applicants received timely and informative updates.
To guarantee that these improvements are repeatable and scalable for all schools at UVA, we created training materials, documentation of updates, and staff training that will support sharing these improvements with other schools at UVA.
Partners in Digital Innovation
In the past year, we have engaged with the following partners to explore pilot projects that enrich the student experience at UVA and advance the priorities of our schools and centers.
1Mentor’s Learner Platform provides real-time labor market skills demand data and personalized learning resource recommendations. These insights are crucial in helping students and advisors navigate an ever-changing labor market.
Riipen is a leading work-based learning platform connecting educators and employers to integrate real projects into courses and co-curricular programs. This model then enables students to access exciting career exploration and resume-building experiences.
CodeSignal provides access to research-backed assessments used by major technology employers that identify proficiency levels in coding, data science, and similar skill areas. Learning paths are available to help boost skill development.
Google Career Certificates are popular online programs that offer skill-building experiences and professional certificates aligned with in-demand fields. The program is designed and taught by Google experts in the areas of AI, data analytics, cyber security, project management, and more, and combines skills training with hands-on practice.
Stage18 is a consulting firm that works with universities and enterprises to identify strategies that drive growth in line with mission. In 2025, Stage18 partnered with OEDI and the Miller Center to explore ways to leverage its vast archives of presidential oral histories, presidential recordings, and publications on the American presidency, as well as its faculty and fellows network. As part of this work, Stage18 informed force-multiplying programming and AI-powered digital applications and created a rubric that other university centers and institutes can benefit from.
Tradition meets innovation.
In support of the goal of the The 2030 Plan to provide students with an unparalleled experience on Grounds and off, OEDI advances the University’s broader commitment to educational access and innovation. We continuously identify and research promising emerging technologies with the potential to improve student access, engagement, learning outcomes, and employment success.
Our model: Source. Evaluate. Test.
We identify promising digital tools and platforms, pilot solutions with partners across Grounds, and deliver data-informed recommendations to university leadership on how to scale or refine initiatives. This year, we conducted a number of exciting pilots, including:
In the rapidly changing job market for new graduates, many struggle to keep up with the most in-demand skills required for their internship or career goals. To address this need, we piloted a tool called UVA CareerConnect, powered by the 1Mentor Learner Platform. UVA CareerConnect aims to help students visualize and execute clear, accessible, and actionable steps to realize their professional goals. In using this platform, students receive personalized, data-driven career guidance based on their skill profile and interests. Students can then strengthen their skills through tailored learning resources and employer-sponsored projects. In the past year, the UVA CareerConnect platform engaged over 200 total users, including UVA alumni and graduating fourth-year students.
Experiential learning helps students deepen understanding and prepares them for careers, but many students are unable to access the internships or work-based learning projects they need to develop valuable skills and build their resume. Through our partnership with Riipen, OEDI provides dedicated support to source and manage employer projects that are high-quality, aligned with learning outcomes, and impactful for students’ career readiness. Faculty can embed employer-sponsored projects into courses or capstones, while program leaders can integrate them into co-curricular initiatives. For example, OEDI embedded Riipen-powered employer projects in our Career Academies (see p. 21). Because these projects are online and asynchronous, students can participate from wherever they are (including study abroad) and fit them into their schedules during and outside of the academic year. In the past year, OEDI and our university partners provided 143 learners with virtual internships or work-based learning projects.
Developing industry-relevant skills outside the classroom can be both time-intensive and financially burdensome for students. To help address this challenge, we partnered with Grow with Google to offer no-cost access to Google Career Certificates. These self-paced online programs cover a wide range of in-demand skills, including data analytics, AI, cyber security, digital marketing and e-commerce, and UX/UI design. As part of our ongoing UVA Career Academy pilot initiatives, 145 students have been provided with access to these certificates, resulting in over 6,804 learning hours among participants.
In Fall 2024, we partnered with the Alumni Association’s Young Alumni Council to pilot UVA CareerConnect for young alumni and those undergoing career transitions. The vision behind this pilot is to foster a lifelong learning culture that empowers Hoos to thrive in an ever-evolving job market by providing access to the latest labor market intelligence, upskilling resources and certifications, and learning resources after graduation. By fostering a lifelong learning culture and providing networking opportunities, UVA CareerConnect allows Hoos to remain competitive and advance in their careers long after they leave Grounds.
The pilot kicked off with a webinar on November 12, 2024 as part of UVA Alumni Association’s Career Development Week and attracted over 70 participants. Over the following months, 140 alumni logged on to the platform. We received promising feedback that the platform empowers alumni in their efforts to advance in their careers.
We welcome collaboration.
We are continuously seeking to pilot promising new technologies that advance the UVA mission. If you have ideas for new digital tools, we welcome your suggestions. We look forward to working together to ensure that UVA stays at the forefront of innovation!
On December 9, 2024, 55 students from Women in Computing Sciences (WICS), the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and the Data Science and Analytics Club (DSAC) launched our first career pilot program Representing all undergraduate years, participants began a Google Career Certificate to build industry-relevant skills across three tracks: UX/UI, data analytics, and AI & web development They were asked to complete the first course in their chosen certificate throughout the month of December
By the end of the program, 60% of participants had completed at least one course, with 32 students remaining active in their Google Career Certificates beyond the program’s close Since access to the certificates extends through July 1, this continued activity signals ongoing interest in career-aligned learning beyond the J-Term pilot
In January 2025, students formed teams to complete employer projects through Riipen, collaborating with small businesses to gain real-world experience and engage directly with company leaders Although projects were designed for J-Term (January 2–11), participants could continue work through February 1
All 10 teams completed their projects, working with employers such as MyEdMaster, Toyz Electronics, and El Locale Participants expressed appreciation for the program’s ability to offer “insight into the realworld application” of their skills and help them “rapidly grow and develop abilities that would typically take months to learn.”
Student Spotlight: Namitha T.
I feel like the format of using Coursera to match me with learning content before I started the employer project was a great move In J-Term, I participated in a data science project but had no prior data analysis experience I appreciated that we had free access to the Google Data Analytics Certificate, and I am now planning on pursuing that, too!
The employer project definitely sparked an interest within me for a possible career in data analytics! I feel like it is still possible for me to pursue a career in data science.
The online career experience allowed me to work from the comfort of home and was super flexible in terms of time, which I appreciated. I was able to save the time and money that it would take to go to an in-person office!
The Year in Numbers
In The Media
“Rethinking Learning in an AI Era: UVA’s Digital Education Revolution,” HOOS in STEM Podcast, 7/3/25 https://research.virginia.edu/podcast/hoos-instem/rethinking-learning-ai-era-uvas-digital-education-revolution
“Kemi Jona (University of Virginia): A new approach to career readiness,” interview with Lev Gonick, ASU Enterprise Technology, 5/7/2025. https://youtu.be/pIU2ft0 dWs
“The Edge: What AI could mean for art colleges,” by Scott Carlson, Chronicle of Higher Education, 4/9/25. https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/theedge/2025-04-09
3 Questions for UVA’s Sarah Cochran,” by Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed, 4/8/25. https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/columns/learninginnovation/2025/04/08/three-questions-uvas-sarah-cochran
“The Edge: Why the Discussion About 'Skills' in Higher Ed Is So Complicated,” by Scott Carlson, Chronicle of Higher Education, 4/2/25 https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/the-edge/2025-04-02
“The Online Overhaul: Virtual courses used to be the exception. Now, they’re an expectation,” by Taylor Swaak, Chronicle of Higher Education, 3/7/25. https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-online-overhaul
“Lifetime Learning: Georgia Tech and WGU go big with moves to reach more working learners,” by Paul Fain, The Job, 9/12/24, https://thejob.beehiiv.com/p/lifetime-learning
“Not Calling the Shots with Kemi Jona,” Leading Learning Podcast, 7/30/24, https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode-420-kemi-jona/
Publications & Conference Presentations
Yoo, S., Harteveld, C., Wilson, N., Jona, K., & Moghaddam, M. (under review). Multimodal Assessment of Expertise in AR-Guided Psychomotor Tasks. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems.
Phadke, V., Harteveld, C., Jona, K., & Moghaddam, M. (under review). Effects of Sequential AR/VR Exposure on Skill Acquisition in Industrial Training. Advanced Engineering Informatics. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5071264
Jona, K. (2025, March). Moving Past the Finger Pointing on the Career Readiness of College Graduates, The Evolllution, 3/27/25. https://evolllution.com/moving-past-the-finger-pointing-on-the-careerreadinessof-college-graduates
Sonbudak, M. F., Narayan, U., Nasri, M., Simonson, A., Sivak, M., Donati, J., Kosa, M., Jona, K., Moghaddam, M., & Harteveld, C. (2025, in preparation). The best of both worlds: Combining AR and VR for industrial training. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2025).
Yoo, S., Harteveld, C., Wilson, N., Jona, K., & Moghaddam, M. (2024). Exploring Dimensions of Expertise in AR-Guided Psychomotor Tasks. In 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality Adjunct (ISMAR-Adjunct) (pp. 55-63). IEEE. doi: 10.1109/ISMARAdjunct64951.2024.00023, https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10765197
Phadke, V., Harteveld, C., Jona, K., & Moghaddam, M. (2024). Exploring the distinctive and synergistic affordances of AR and VR for complex psychomotor training. In 23d IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality Adjunct (ISMAR-Adjunct) (pp. 537–540)
Invited Talks & Panels
“Thinking outside the box: Innovative models for partnering with universities to build the talent ecosystem we need today.” CeDMA Workforce Development/Academic Programs SIG, 4/2/25. https://cedmaenterprise.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1949483&group=
“Human-Centered AI: The Key to Effective Next-Gen Courses,” with Joana Jebsen, Shuba Kumar, Stuart Vanorny. WCET Webcast, 2/13/25. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPE8JP1y9qA
“The Landscape of Higher Education: A Distance Learning Perspective,” Virginia SARA Advisory Committee (V-SAC) 2024 Meeting, Richmond, VA, 11/14/24.
“The Innovation Imperative in Higher Education,” with Ozlem Kilic, Shawn Benner, Carrie O’Donnell. Alchemy Leadership Series webinar, 10/27/24.
“Rebooting Higher Education for Lifelong Upskilling,” with Valerie Singer, Simon Nelson, HolonIQ Back to School Summit, NY, NY 9/11/24.
“Alternative Credentials,” with Helen Chen. Duke Emerging Pedagogies Summit, Durham, NC, 10/10/24.
This past year has been both an exciting one and a challenging one. It has been an honor to have partnered with our incredible colleagues across the university to expand access to UVA education and develop creative new programs that leverage cutting-edge technology to enhance the learner experience. We continue to proudly share the innovative work we are doing at UVA in the media and at industry conferences.
We are also cognizant of the challenges that our graduates face navigating a rapidly changing labor market shaped by AI and macroeconomic trends. Our work in piloting new programs such as UVA Career Academies is intended to help our students and new graduates prepare for and navigate this environment. We will continue to innovate with new tools and programs to address these challenges and enrich the opportunities that UVA provides.
We invite you to join us in this important and meaningful journey. Please reach out so we can support your ideas for new online and hybrid programs at UVA. Further, we would be happy to discuss ideas and suggestions for new tools and technologies that we can help bring to life across the UVA community.
We are excited for the work that lies ahead and invite you to follow our progress by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on social media sites like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
See you on Grounds or online!
-Kemi & the OEDI team
Graphic Design by Jaden Bernard and Jackie Temkin