A 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…
Educator
The Rapidly Changing Global Landscape of Microcredentials
George Lorenzo | Editor, Workforce Monitor Holly ZanvilleMicrocredential 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…
Although 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…
Learning and Unlearning What It Means to Teach Virtually
Martin Lee | Adjunct Professor of Biostatistics, University of California Los AngelesAlthough 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…
As 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…
Thoughts on Rebuilding a Learning Community
Robert A. Scott | President Emeritus and University Professor Emeritus, Adelphi UniversityThe 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…
With 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…
Enhancing Economic Mobility Through Credential Pathways Integrated into Degrees
Vistasp Karbhari | Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The University of Texas at ArlingtonFlexible, 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…
As 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…
Coming Together to Understand Non-Degree Credentials
Stephen Crawford | Research Professor, George Washington University Kyle AlbertNon-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…
Properly 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…
Coaching is Not Academic Advising
Alicia Sepulveda | Academic Life Coach, Make College Yours, LLCHigher 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. …
In 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…
Improve Your Teaching by Looking at it From the Student’s Perspective
Zoë Cohen | Assistant Professor in the College of Medicine Tucson, University of ArizonaStudent 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 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,…
Prior Learning Assessment: 2010, 2020, 2030
Holly Zanville | Research Professor and Co-Director of Program on Skills, Credentials and Workforce Policy in the Institute of Public Policy, George Washington UniversityDespite 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…
The 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…
Embedding & Integrating Certifications in Degrees
Vistasp Karbhari | Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The University of Texas at ArlingtonIntegrating 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. …
The 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…
Higher Ed Deserts–Actions to Attenuate Their Spread
Vistasp Karbhari | Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The University of Texas at ArlingtonRemedying the issue of education deserts starts with taking stock of the geographical and economical inequities that affect students’ access. Rosenboom and Blagg[1] estimated that nearly 41 million adults in…
Purpose Pathways offer students the help they need to articulate their individual pathways on their own terms. College is a very expensive undertaking. The most important and stressful endeavor for…
Why Student Veterans Need to be a Part of the Conversation
Kay Yoon | Associate Professor, University of Colorado – Colorado Spring Katie SullivanStudent veterans are willing and wanting to be a part of the higher education conversation—leaders need to give them the platform on which to share their experiences. Coming out of…
If higher education wants to serve its entire learner population optimally, it needs to remove the barriers to credit, offer transfer-specific services and communicate with other institutions. Stories abound of…
Legally Bland: Harvard Law School in the 20th Century
John Thelin | Professor of Higher Education and Public Policy, University of KentuckyHarvard Law School maintained such an illustrious reputation despite its unfit deans, homogenous student population and a questionable teaching approach known as “Spartan culture.” Today Harvard Law School is prominent…
It’s critical that institutions recognize the additional workloads, responsibilities and pressures on faculty to support them as much as they support their students and communities. Looking back at the months…
Student Growth and Lifelong Learning: It’s Just Not for the “Mature”
William Johnson | Student Success Navigator, University of North Carolina at GreensboroIn academia, we often apply the term “lifelong learner” to mature or non-traditional students, but all students should reframe their higher education experience to include explorative, self-directed and self-initiated learning…
Active Learning is often linked to Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development wherein the learner builds an understanding, and Dewey's theory of progressive learning through experiential assimilation. As described by…
To Stand a Chance at Survival, Higher Education Needs Creativity
Nathaniel Barr | Professor of Creativity and Creative Thinking, Sheridan CollegeIn the face of the present disruption and unknown future ramifications wrought by a global pandemic, higher education faces a reckoning of revolutionary proportions. In many ways, this revolution is…
“What now? What’s next?” Surveys show that 16% of high school seniors (The Hechinger Report) and 20% of college students (American Council of Education) plan to take a gap year…
Unpacking Mixed Messages: Bridging the Institutional Messaging Gap
Ned Khatrichettri | Internship Coordinator in the College of Humanities, University of UtahAdvancements in technology have unequivocally influenced the nature of work and continue to contribute to the conversation surrounding the value of a bachelor’s degree and its necessity for employment. Higher…