CE as the Relationship Hub: Defining the Direction of the Modern (and Future) University

Non-traditional divisions sit in a unique position for today’s colleges and universities. They are the relationship hub that connects students, employers and the institution, ensuring each group is getting what it needs from the other. However, as the commoditization of higher education has continued, main campuses have fallen behind in meeting the needs of learners and employers.

In this new environment, where the expectations of students and employers are rapidly evolving, non-traditional units can play a new role in helping their home institutions evolve and grow to meet the needs of the other key stakeholders in the equation. These articles shed some light on the different facets and areas where CE divisions can play a leading role.

How Process Streamlining Supports the Student Experience

Carolyn Young | Director of Continuing Studies, Western University

Back-end efficiency is critical for institutions that want to give their students a modern customer experience.

Student-Centricity and the Amazon Experience: Evolving IT to Meet Students’ Expectations

Jack Chen | Chief Information Officer, Adelphi University

Today’s students behave more like customers than ever before, and rather than trying to ignore or reverse this trend, institutions that can adapt and create an Amazon-like experience for their learners will improve student satisfaction while at the same time reducing operating costs and staff efficiency.

Student Experience and Efficiency Go Hand-in-Hand

Marie Cini | Senior Academic Innovation Fellow, University of Maryland University College

Operational efficiency is central to providing a strong student experience for today’s postsecondary institutions, especially when it comes to serving non-traditional learners.

The “Zero Moment of Truth” and Marketing in the Commoditized Higher Education Marketplace

Julie Corwin | Executive Director of College Marketing and Communications, Northeastern University

As students begin to behave more like customers when choosing programs, higher education marketing practices must adapt to capture the market.

Marketing Online Education Today: A Look At Strategy

Mike King | Chief Marketing Officer of Berklee Online, Berklee College of Music and Emily McInerney | Associate Director of Marketing for Berklee Online, Berklee College of Music

Higher education marketers today must be strategic about their efforts, using data to define positive and negative efforts and working to create an experience for students that matches what they have become used to outside the academy.

Brand Is Not Enough: Innovation Critical for Elite Institutions

Hunt Lambert | Dean of Continuing Education and Extension, Harvard University

Brand may bring people to the door, but innovation is what gets students to enroll and ensures that they graduate and succeed in the workforce.

Big Names Don’t Trump Good Service When it Comes to Student Satisfaction

Diana Wu | Dean of Extension, UC Berkeley

Even at institutions like Berkeley, creating a high-end customer experience has a massive impact on a student’s perception of value.

Alternative Credentialing Can Add Value to Degrees

Richard DeMillo | Director of the Center for 21st Century Universities, Georgia Institute of Technology

As traditional postsecondary education costs continue to rise, microcredentials and other alternative approaches to higher education are providing affordable and accessible solutions that likely won’t replace, but will complement traditional degrees.

Stackable Credentials Meet the Needs of Students and Society

Doug Shapiro | Executive Research Director, National Student Clearinghouse

The number of students earning multiple credentials is already rising—colleges and universities need to do more to formalize the non-conventional pathways students are already taking to earn their degrees.

The Differentiating Power of Alternative Credentials

Cathy Sandeen | Chancellor, University of Wisconsin Colleges and Extension

Institutions can use microcredentials as a platform to stand out from the crowd, but their offerings must be verifiable and of the maximum quality possible in order to serve as an effective differentiator.

Normalizing Certificates and Certifications for Today’s Learners

Monty Sullivan | President, Louisiana Community and Technical College System

The focus on improving student outcomes starts with ensuring that institutions are directly meeting the needs and expectations of their students. In many cases, this means moving away from the bread-and-butter degrees towards high-demand non-degree certificate and certification programming.

Honing a Spectrum of Learner Access

Dave King | Associate Provost (Retired), Oregon State University

Ultimately, creating value for students across the Spectrum of Access requires institutions to demolish silos that exist across the institution.

Closing the Skills Gap One MOOC at a Time: How Google is Transforming the Lifelong Learning Environment

Natalie Van Kleef Conley | Senior Program Manager of Diversity, Inclusion & Outreach, Corporate Engineering, Google

Creating opportunities for individuals to gain critical, labor-market relevant skills through a sub-degree credential program is one example of how corporations can make a difference in supporting lifelong learning.

Accrediting the Bootcamp: The Transformational Impact of Career College Status

Rachel Greenspan | General Manager, Lighthouse Labs

Achieving career college status does more than broadly legitimize the work of bootcamps—it opens up new educational markets and broadens student access to existing programming while also allowing the bootcamp to bring their concerns about workforce preparedness directly to the government.

Assessing the Long-Term Potential for Bootcamps: How Do They Truly Stack Up?

Richard Garrett | Chief Research Officer, Eduventures

Though alternative credentials have yet to overtake traditional degrees in value—perceived or otherwise—their focus on short-term benefits and demand responsiveness could lead to a longer-term shift in the powers of each respective credential.

Bootcamps No Longer Outside Scope for Higher Education Institutions

Nick Ducoff | Vice President for New Ventures, Northeastern University

By launching its own bootcamp, Northeastern University is creating a pathway to serve specific employer demands and create accessibility for new demographics while leveraging its existing partnerships and pedagogical excellence.

Leveraging Technology to Know and Serve Students Better

Karen Thomson | Vice President of Marketing, Student Life and Alumni, George Brown College

Technologies that support and drive student intelligence help institutions serve them better both inside and outside the classroom.

Rallying Behind the Data: Building a Data-Backed Culture

Melissa Vito | Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and Senior Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives and Student Success, University of Arizona

Developing a data-backed culture starts with top-to-bottom belief in the value of data and then connecting that data to results for administrators, staff and faculty across campus.

Student Centricity and the Modern University: Rooting the Student Experience in Data

James Broomall | Associate Provost for Professional and Continuing Studies, University of Delaware

Leveraging data can help an institution become more student-centric at every level, from guiding the way they interact with students to designing the bureaucracy to fit with student tendencies.

Take the Hint: Shifting from Anecdotes to Analytics

Chad Rowe | Director of Technical Product Management, Destiny Solutions

By leveraging power data visualizations, institutions can make data-driven decision making a reality and move away from the anecdotal and tradition-steeped approach to organizational management that has dominated the postsecondary space for decades.

Driving Student Satisfaction and Institutional Revenue by Investing in the Staff Experience

Kevin Currie | Chief Executive Officer, Continuing & Professional Education Consulting Group

Investing in and delivering a great staff experience is central to any college or university’s capacity to be truly student-centric.

Foresight and Commitment: What It Takes to Deliver a Leading Student and Staff Experience

Michelle Fach | Director of Open Learning and Educational Support, University of Guelph

When higher education leaders begin thinking of themselves as executives managing organizations that serve thousands of customers, it becomes increasingly clear that investing in the student and staff experience should be immensely high priorities.