An OPM Decision Framework for Universities
Should You Build Internal Teams, Use and OPM or Go Hybrid for Online Learning?
In a recent post, I asked the question: Does your university need to work with an OPM to go online? That piece explored the trade-offs involved in partnering with an Online Programme Management (OPM) provider versus doing everything in-house.
Since publishing that blog, I’ve had more conversations with colleagues in the sector about what the realistic options are for universities wanting to scale their online presence—without handing over revenue or control. And increasingly, it’s clear that the choice isn’t just “OPM or not.” For many, the real question is: What parts can we do ourselves, and what do we need support with?
To help with that, I’ve created a simple decision-making framework for universities considering how to structure their online education teams—whether that’s building entirely in-house, adopting a hybrid model, or partnering externally.
Why a Framework?
Universities across the UK are under increasing pressure to grow digital provision—fast. But while the ambition is there, the implementation is often where things fall down. Questions crop up like:
Do we have the internal expertise to design and deliver high-quality online courses?
Can we scale recruitment and student support without an OPM’s infrastructure?
What’s the cost difference between doing it all ourselves vs. outsourcing some parts?
How do we avoid building an internal model that becomes unmanageable or underused?
This framework helps answer those questions by providing a structure to assess your institution’s readiness, capabilities, and priorities.
We've seen this need for structured evaluation first-hand. When we worked with Glasgow Caledonian University, we carried out a strategic readiness review to assess their capacity to scale online programmes. That process helped surface key questions about internal capability, alignment, and long-term delivery models—the same questions this framework is designed to support.
What’s in the Framework?
The decision framework walks through four key steps:
Defining strategic priorities – Is online a core mission or an exploratory venture?
Assessing internal capabilities – Where do you already have strong teams, and where are the gaps?
Evaluating financial and operational viability – Can you afford to go it alone?
Considering long-term risks and trade-offs – What are the implications for control, cost, scalability and dependency?
There’s also a breakdown of the major workstreams involved in delivering online learning—such as marketing, recruitment, student support, and instructional design—and prompts to help identify which you might keep in-house versus outsource.
Internal, Hybrid, or OPM?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Some universities are in a strong position to develop robust internal teams. Others will benefit from hybrid approaches that mix internal leadership with external specialist services. And for a few, especially those seeking rapid market entry without upfront investment, an OPM may still be the right fit.
The goal of this framework isn’t to dictate a single solution—it’s to help university leaders and digital teams make informed, strategic choices based on their own context.
Read the Framework
I’ve made the full decision-making framework available here.
If you’re in the process of building or rethinking your digital education model, I hope it gives you a useful starting point for discussion.
Let’s Work Through It Together
At Learning Design Solutions, we specialise in helping universities build sustainable, scalable models for digital education. We can work with you to apply the decision-making framework to your specific context — whether you’re testing the waters, preparing to scale, or transitioning from an OPM partnership.
If you're making strategic decisions about your digital future and want a clear-eyed view of your options, book a consultation with us.
Whether you're just starting out or rethinking an existing setup, we’ll work with you to design a path that aligns with your goals, resources, and ambitions.