Properly preparing learners for their careers means dismantling higher education and reimagining it completely. An Experimental University uses data and research to analyze its student body and faculty and adapt…
Educator
New Workforce Data Points Toward Big Opportunities for Colleges and Universities
Walter Pearson | Editor, Journal of Continuing Higher EducationThere are currently more job openings than candidates, and higher education needs to train students to fill these employment gaps. By focusing on sectors of opportunity, institutions can prepare their…
Microcredentials may very well be paving the way forward in higher education, but successful implementation depends on a common definition, stackability and industry relevancy. The Non-Degree Credential Network (NCRN) and the…
How Do Microcredentials Stack Up? Part 2
Holly Zanville | Research Professor and Co-Director of Program on Skills, Credentials and Workforce Policy in the Institute of Public Policy, George Washington University Jackie PichetteAs some people caution their concerns around stackable credentials, it’s important to recognize them as bite-sized education that complements a learner’s lifelong learning journey. The Non-Degree Credential Network (NCRN) and…
Higher ed institutions need to focus on retaining the students they have just as much as (if not more than) acquiring new ones. By engaging their students, providing credit for…
Access to Learning Opportunities Throughout Life is a Social Justice Issue
Peter Smith | Orkand Chair and Professor of Innovative Practices in Higher Education, University of Maryland University CollegeCreating a model of higher education adapted to current needs means opening access to learning opportunities for all, taking into account social issues of racial, gender and sexual privilege. My…
Our current higher education system is built on historical inequity that often makes marginalized students feel like they don’t matter. Designing learning for the future means ensuring accessibility and affordability. …
The New Frontier for Learning and Work
Peter Smith | Orkand Chair and Professor of Innovative Practices in Higher Education, University of Maryland University CollegeAs higher ed looks towards a post-pandemic normal, it’s critical to recognize the challenges underserved learners have faced to provide more equitable access to educational opportunities. This article is excerpted…
A common complaint of students in higher education is that their programs and assessments lack personal and professional meaning. It’s critical for institutions to extend beyond just career placement, to…
Where Is the Biden Administration Taking the Community College?
Terry O'Banion | Senior Professor of Practice, Kansas State UniversityThe community college plays a central role in re-skilling the workforce and revitalizing the American economy, which the government recognizes. However, funding must be allocated to liberal arts programs to…
In its second year of virtual instruction, it’s important for higher education to rethink the learning environment and innovate within it, to better engage students and prevent as many technological…
The Importance of Incremental Credentialing: An Employer’s View
David Leaser | Senior Program Executive of Innovation and Growth Initiatives, IBM Holly ZanvilleA four-year degree is losing relevance among potential employers. A higher education must not just provide the skills students need, but in a format that offers flexibility and quick access…
Microcredential has been a buzzword in higher education for the last few years, but it gained renewed importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Establishing them properly within higher education requires collaborating…
Addressing Demographic Shifts with Recruitment
Robert A. Scott | President Emeritus and University Professor Emeritus, Adelphi UniversityAlthough birth and high school graduation rates have fallen over recent years, institutions of higher education must improve their own retention and graduation rates by collaborating with their local communities…
Although the pandemic forced many instructors into a completely new-to-them learning modality, the best ones saw the change as an opportunity to re-imagine their teaching in a new environment. I’ll…
University/Industry Partnerships for Locally Based Global Engagement and Understanding
Vistasp Karbhari | Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The University of Texas at ArlingtonAs travelling remains limited in today’s world, institutions need to find alternatives for students to provide the internal and cultural understanding that studying abroad provides. The increasing convergence of information…
The higher ed learning community at-large has been turned on its head by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rebuilding a learning community requires actively listening to everyone’s needs and examining the contexts…
The Crises Facing Today’s Colleges and Universities
Robert Hill | Professor Emeritus, Nova Southeastern UniversityWith the many crises facing higher ed today, it’s important to take a look at these emerging issues from a faculty standpoint to begin developing a stronger relationship with their…
Flexible, accessible learning is the way forward in higher education, as non-traditional students become the dominant population. Institutions need to define pathways, create stackable degrees with entry and exist points…
Engaging the Disengaged College Student: Whether Learning is Online or In-Person
Karen Gross | Senior Counsel, Finn PartnersAs we enter the second year of the pandemic, it is vital for educators to recognize the trauma their students have experienced. Prioritizing engagement, connection and emotional regulation is a…
Non-degree credentials have gained a lot of traction in the higher education space, but much remains unknown in this relatively new space. The Non-Degree Credentials Research Network (NCRN) at George…
Massive Mission Match: A Simple Modern Learner Revolution Manifesto
Daniel Dolan | Professor of Professional Communication, Waseda UniversityProperly serving the modern learner in higher education requires innovative and thoughtful collaborations between institutions and organizations that help students meet workforce needs. The age of the modern learner is…
Higher education has long confused the roles of advisor and coach, when they each serve different but equally necessary roles in helping students succeed both in school and after graduating. …
WorkRise: New Initiative to Transform the Labor Market
Holly Zanville | Research Professor and Co-Director of Program on Skills, Credentials and Workforce Policy in the Institute of Public Policy, George Washington UniversityIn a floundering labor market that is especially hitting low-wage workers hard right now, we need bold initiatives that confront issues of systemic inequity head-on. WorkRise is an innovative new…
Student engagement is paramount, especially in the world of online learning. Initiatives don’t have to be effortful or time-consuming, even the small things like daily emails are a great way…
Teaching in the Virtual Classroom: An Instructor’s Perspective
Elizabeth Wood | Business Instructor in the Center for Continuing Education, McMaster UniversityTeaching in the virtual classroom means prioritizing student needs above all else. Remain flexible, open to adapting, and willing to listen as we navigate these unprecedented times. On March 11th,…
Despite having been studied since 2010, and institutions having many assessment tools at their disposal, prior learning assessment (PLA) is still largely underutilized. In the next decade, it will be…
How Competency-Based Education Contributes to a Healthy Democracy
Margaret Moodian | Tutorial Assistant Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences, Brandman UniversityThe pandemic has brought many shifts and innovations to the higher ed space. One of the most significant is the more widespread adoption of competency-based education, which gives students the…
Integrating certifications into degrees may seem antithetical to some academics, higher ed institutions that do are primed to better serve their students and set them up for successful employment post-graduation. …
Coaching Practices in Higher Education: Coaching for Performance and Coaching for Growth
William Johnson | Student Success Navigator, University of North Carolina at Greensboro Alicia SepulvedaThe best and most effective academic coaches are the ones who combine both performance and growth approaches. Outline the goals of your practice to determine which elements of each approach…