Today’s Learner
The age of the 18- to 22-year-old residential student as higher education’s main demographic is over. Today, higher education institutions must serve a rich student population with unique demands and specific needs. Colleges and universities must work harder than ever to understand and serve today’s students.
Are We Doing Enough to Serve Returning Adult Learners?
Vistasp Karbhari | President, The University of Texas at Arlington“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn” – Alvin Toffler For decades higher education—especially…
The Case for Income-Share Agreements
Daniel Pianko | Co-Founder and Managing Director, University VenturesAt a time when a college degree is table stakes for the information economy, our backward-looking system of private lending presents a daunting barrier for low-income students who are faced…
Supporting Students: Making Models of Success the New Norm for Non-Traditional Students
Michael Baston | Vice President for Student Affairs and Associate Provost, LaGuardia Community CollegeJoey Fernandez is in his final semester at LaGuardia Community College. He plans to transfer to a four-year institution to pursue his dream of international relations. Joey’s story is just…
Intense and Illuminating: My Adventure Teaching Humanities 101
Karen Southall Watts | Contract Trainer, Pacific Community Resources Self-Employment ProgramTwo years ago, I wrote an article called We Are the Humanities as part of my research and personal preparation for launching the first ever online Humanities 101 course at…
Shifting the Focus of Postsecondary Policy for the Sake of the Knowledge Economy
Pamela Tate | President and CEO, Council for Adult and Experiential LearningFor the past 20 years, the American economy has been in a state of transition towards the knowledge economy—a truth that was made immensely apparent during the recent recession. Today’s…
Adult Learners, the NALC and Achieving the 60-Percent Attainment Goal
Amber Garrison Duncan | Strategy Director, Lumina FoundationHelping the Unites States achieve its 60-percent attainment target is a central priority of the Lumina Foundation. Goal2025 is a cornerstone of the foundation’s work, and on top of publishing…
Driving Innovation and Supporting Non-Traditional Access and Success
Kathleen Ives | Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Online Learning ConsortiumThough non-traditional students make up the majority of learners enrolled at colleges and universities across the United States—and that’s without including students enrolled in non-credit offerings—they are still broadly underserved…