Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a conversation with Lisa Marsh Ryerson on the Illumination Podcast. To hear the full discussion, listen to the episode here.
Higher education is undergoing a quiet revolution. The old assumptions—that a college student is 18 to 22 years old, living on campus, attending full time—no longer reflect the lived experiences of most learners. Today’s students include working professionals upskilling after hours, parents balancing coursework and childcare, and adults returning to complete a degree once interrupted by life’s unpredictability.
This isn’t a fringe shift. It’s a systemic reckoning. Nearly 40 million Americans have earned some college credit without completing a credential. The message is clear: our current structures, built around time-bound, location-fixed, and one-size-fits-all models, are insufficient for today’s learners.
Personalization is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. And it begins with a mindset shift. Rather than segmenting learners into categories like “non-traditional,” we must recognize that every learner is, by definition, unique. Labels rooted in outdated norms only reinforce barriers to belonging. What’s needed is a people-first philosophy—an education system that adapts to the learner, not the other way around.
Personalized learning is not merely about technology, though technology plays a crucial role in scaling it. It’s about design—creating academic pathways and support systems that meet learners where they are. That includes acknowledging prior learning and work experience, offering flexible scheduling, and delivering wraparound support at the right time and in the right way.
Human connection remains central. When advisors are empowered to build long-term relationships with students, when learners are encouraged to define their own goals and trajectories, trust and persistence grow. Layered on top, intelligent technologies—AI chatbots, predictive analytics, real-time nudges—can help institutions identify challenges before they escalate and deliver support that feels immediate and relevant.
But the call to personalize goes beyond retention metrics or enrollment growth. At stake is something deeper: equity. Learners from historically underserved backgrounds are disproportionately impacted by rigid academic systems. Designing for flexibility, responsiveness, and inclusion isn’t just smart policy—it’s a moral imperative.
The future of higher education lies in embracing this truth: education must be as dynamic as the lives of the people it serves. Institutions that lead with empathy, invest in adaptability, and prioritize the learner experience will not only thrive—they will redefine what higher education can be.
Now is the time to stop asking learners to conform to outdated models and start building models that honor their journeys. Because when learners are seen, supported, and empowered, they don’t just succeed—they transform the world around them.
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