Maximizing Value for Non-Traditional Students

Non-traditional students account for at least 73 percent of all students enrolled at a college or university in the United States today, but how much do higher education leaders really know about this demographic? Their expectations for how institutions should operate—both inside and outside the classroom—and their priorities are significantly different from those of 18-22 year old, ‘traditional’ students.

If institutions want to serve non-traditional students, and make them feel their educational investment was worthwhile, it’s critical to understand and meet (or exceed) these expectations.

Over the course of this Special Feature, we published articles and interviews shedding light on the expectations of non-traditional students and sharing thoughts on how to meet them.

Understanding the Expectations of Today’s Students

Outcomes and Experience Central to Non-Traditional Students’ Value Equation

Merodie Hancock | President, Empire State College

Non-traditional students have unique academic and consumer expectations of their higher education institution, and leaders would do well to adapt to meeting those demands.

Higher Ed Must Enhance Administrative Self-Service Options to Meet Student Expectations

Marie Cini | Provost, University of Maryland University College

For universities to succeed in the modern era, they must update their business processes to match the expectations of today’s students.

Five Value-Defining Priorities of Non-Traditional Students

Katrina Rogers | President, Fielding Graduate University

If a college or university wants to adequately serve the non-traditional marketplace, they need to ensure they understand the factors this group prioritizes when determining value.

Creating Value By Transforming the Higher Ed Business Model

Streamlined Business Processes Critical to Creating Value for Students

Paul LeBlanc | President, Southern New Hampshire University

Adult students have high service expectations of their postsecondary institution and will vote with their feet if an institution does not meet those expectations.

Customer-Mindedness and the Student Value Question

Sandra Woodley | President, University of Louisiana System

Complete-institution commitment to the customer experience is a critical trait for any institution dedicated to creating and maximizing value for students.

Driving Increased ROI in Higher Education By Listening to Our Customers

Lester Lefton | President Emeritus, Kent State University

To create a high-value higher education experience for students, college and university leaders need to pay more attention to the demands and needs of their customers.

Maximizing Value for Corporate Clients

Certificate Programs: The “New Black” in Professional Development

Susan Aldridge | President of Drexel University Online, Drexel University

Given rising employer focus on professional education outcomes, institutions should consider launching certificate programs.

Beyond ROI: Five Ways Universities Create Additional Value for Employers in Corporate Learning

Amy Wartham | Director of Corporate Training, UNC Charlotte

Beyond outcomes, there are some critical approaches professional education providers can take to maximize value for outcomes.

Relevance and Responsiveness: Keys to Success in the Corporate Training Marketplace

Joanne Goldstein | Associate Vice President for Workforce Development and Employer Engagement, Northeastern University College of Professional Studies

Agility and responsiveness are make-or-break aspects for universities when it comes to forming successful learning partnerships with employers.

Understanding Value from the Student Perspective

Why I’m Choosing a House Over a Degree

Jackie Lewis | Stewardship Officer, RESOLVE Campaign

Given the choice between investing in a house or a graduate degree, the decision lies on whether the degree can advance a graduate’s career as far as a professional certification.

ROI for Adult Learners: Maximizing Higher Ed’s Non-Monetary Value

Tennis Lilly | Master’s Student, Lesley University

It’s critical for universities to make more extra-curricular opportunities available for learning to enrich the non-monetary value of their postsecondary experience.

Shifting Toward an Institutional Focus on Value

Transforming an Institution with eLearning: Creating Value by Moving from the Fringes to the Core

Robert Wagner | Executive Vice Provost and Dean of Academic and Instructional Services, Utah State University

By bringing fringe units to the center of the institution, universities can leverage all the resources at their disposal to create value for all their students.

Adapting the Higher Ed Model to Suit Today’s Students

Michelle R. Weise | Senior Research Fellow, Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation

Higher education institutions need to update their offerings and processes to meet the expectations of the modern non-traditional student.

Evolving Credentialing to Meet the Needs of Outcomes-Focused Students

David Schejbal | Dean of Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning, University of Wisconsin-Extension

Higher education institutions need to communicate better with employers, both in terms of program relevance and credentialing, to create value for learners.

Creating Connection: Driving Learner Success with Smart Machines

Colleen Carmean | Assistant Chancellor for Instructional Technologies and Director of Institutional Research, University of Washington Tacoma and Darcy Janzen | eLearning Support Manager, University of Washington Tacoma

New, smart technological tools help coordinate and strengthen relationships with students at every level of the institution.

Using Data to Create a Strong Student Experience

Shannon McCarty | Dean of Instruction and Academic Affairs, Rio Salado Community College

Improving use of data analytics in courses and programs creates a more student-centered, responsive experience for non-traditional students.

Creating Value Across Different Institutional Types

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.

Using Data to Strengthen the Student Experience at Proprietary Institutions

Peter Smith | Senior Vice President, Kaplan Higher Education

Data is central to the work proprietary institutions are doing to meet student expectations in the modern era.

Creating Value By Focusing on Costs and Outcomes

Angie Besendorfer | Chancellor, WGU Missouri

Costs and outcomes are the two major concerns of non-traditional students, so addressing those issues while also providing a great experience maximizes value for this population.

Personalized Service and Labor Market Ties Enhance the Value of Small Liberal Arts Institutions

Evan Duff | Vice President of Adult and Professional Studies, North Carolina Wesleyan College and Jonathan Shores | Vice President of Marketing and Client Service, LRAP Organization

The personalized environment offered by small, liberal arts colleges can create an environment that encourages persistence and drives completion and higher-level learning outcomes.

Three Ways Proprietary Institutions Offer Students More Than They Pay For

Laura Bristow | Center Dean of the Keller School of Business, DeVry University

By serving the student as a customer and focusing on career-pertinent outcomes, proprietary institutions ensure they are maximizing value for their students.

Assessing the Value of Extracurricular Participation

Co-Curricular Participation Drives Adult Student Excellence

Stephen Cucchiara | Assistant Director of the Office of Student Activities, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Participation in co-curricular activities can provide students with networking and skill-development opportunities that can have a significant impact on their career trajectory.

Beyond Dodgeball: Tailoring Extracurricular Opportunities for Adults

Jo Emanuelson | Student, Christopher Newport University

Non-traditional students see the value in extra-curricular opportunities, but if those opportunities don’t align with their reasons for attending they won’t sacrifice their precious time to participate.

Maximizing Value for Online Students

Understanding and Meeting Needs Central to Creating Value for Online Students

Richard Novak | Vice President for Continuing Studies and Distance Learning, Rutgers University

By focusing on understanding and meeting the needs of the students, both during enrollment and after graduation, institutions can be sure they are creating real value for learners.

Minimizing Online Students’ Transactional Distance to Maximize Value

Tanya Zlateva | Dean for the Metropolitan College and Extended Education, Boston University

Constant improvement and focus on communication with online students is critical to maximizing the value of the online education experience.

Four Factors Competing with Price as a Differentiator for Online Students

Melora Sundt | Executive Vice Dean of the Rossier School of of Education, University of Southern California

Price is a key definer of choice for online students, but service, convenience, instructional quality and seamlessness of experience all play a role in institutional differentiation in the online marketplace.

The Role of IT in Maximizing Value for Students

Taking the Lead: How IT Delivers the Experience Students Expect

Joanna Young | Vice President for IT and Chief Information Officer, Michigan State University

Central IT units have a significant influence on the capacity for an institution to provide students the consumer functionality they expect from any other industry.

Four Ways Institutional IT Creates Value for Students

Paige Francis | Chief Information Officer, Fairfield University

IT departments are not only central in creating a richer student experience; they directly support skill development and employability of graduates.

Defining and Creating Value for Non-Traditional Students

Honing a Spectrum of Learner Access

Dave King | Associate Provost of Outreach and Engagement, Oregon State University

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

ROI and the Post-Traditional Learner

John Ebersole | President, Excelsior College

Meeting the value expectations of post-traditional students requires institutions to rethink how they operate and who they serve.

Meeting and Managing the Expectations of Today’s Students

Lisa R. Braverman | Chief Academic Officer, Jones International University

It’s no longer incumbent on students to simply accept the value of higher education, institutions must actively and consciously work to show students the value across their entire lifecycle.

Academic Success Coaching and Creating Return on Investment for Adult Students

Dezi Waterhouse | Director of Academic Success Coaching, Friends University

By personalizing the educational experience and ensuring students stay academically on-track, success coaching can play a pivotal role in helping create value for non-traditional students.

Higher Education Maintains High Earnings Promise for Graduates

Anthony Carnevale | Director of the Center on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University

Higher education still provides student value in its capacity to allow learners to pursue their passions while positioning them for higher earning potential.

How Students’ Focus on Value Impacts Institutions

Creating Value by Meeting Service and Outcome Demands

Cathy Sandeen | Chancellor, University of Wisconsin Colleges and Extension

Focusing on student learning outcomes and ensuring that they have access to the services they need in the ways they expect are critical to maximizing value for students.

Data Analysis and Our Capacity to Measure Higher Ed’s Value

Kristin Kennedy | Manager of Business Intelligence, Arizona State University

There’s more to measuring the value of higher education than completion rates alone.

Clearer Labor Market Links Critical to Meeting Student Expectations

Peter Stokes | Managing Director, Huron Consulting Group

Paramount among the various expectations of today’s students is the better and clearer connection between higher education and the workforce.

Learning From CE: Creating Value for All Students

Creating Value by Delivering On The Varied Expectations of Non-Traditional Students

Becky Takeda-Tinker | President, Colorado State University—Global Campus

Personalization through understanding the unique and various factors different students deem valuable, and delivering on those ends, is a defining feature of institutions that serve non-traditional students.

CE Focus on Customer Experience Would Benefit Main Campus

Carolyn Young | Director of Continuing Studies, Western University

Main campus leaders could benefit from adopting the customer service excellence focus of their colleagues in continuing education.

Marketing ROI: Communicating Value to Students

Prioritize Personalization in Marketing to Kick Off Great Student Experience

Mike King | Chief Marketing Officer of Berklee Online, Berklee College of Music

Personalizing the consumer experience is critical for gaining trust, which is turn leads to greater enrollments and better student experiences.

Contextualizing ROI as a Means of Market Differentiation: Going Beyond the Numbers

Monica Wesley | Marketing Manager for the Outreach School, University of Wyoming

Higher education marketers, before all else, need to segment their marketplace based on audience and then analyze each distinct group to determine what factors they consider valuable.

Building Value from the Start: Four Key Actions

Nicole Foerschler Horn | President, JMH Consulting

Personalizing the consumer experience is critical for gaining trust, which is turn leads to greater enrollments and better student experiences.

Learn to Earn: Communicating the ROI of Continuing Education

John DeLalla | Director of Continuing Education, University of Arizona South

There are explicit and intrinsic advantages every institution can offer its students, but translating those to prospective students and differentiating from competitors requires significant thought.

Vendor Partnerships and Maximizing Value for Students

Service Partnerships Key to Creating Value for Students

Lesley Nichols | Director of Continuing Education, UNC Charlotte

Forging partnerships with service providers helps institutions provide the best-in-class learner engagement today’s students are looking for.

In-House or Service Provider? Meeting the Expectations of Today’s Students

Robert Wensveen | Associate Director of Continuing Education, University of Calgary

Delivering the expected high-end customer experience of today’s students is a challenge, but partnerships with service providers can help to alleviate the pressure.