Important Challenges, Part 2

This week, I am continuing my commentary on the most important challenges in higher education.

Is college worth it?

Versions of this question, about the value of college education, have always existed.  But people who chose not to go to college in the past could still have successful livelihoods by working on the farm, going into a trade, starting a small business, etc.  However, these alternatives are disappearing; it’s difficult for small business owners to compete against franchises and online businesses like Amazon.  Meanwhile, jobs for many professions that don’t require much education remain unfilled.  Yet, college graduates are having trouble finding meaningful work.  They can make it work eventually with networking, creativity, and continued professional development, but many academic programs don’t have a clear school-to-work program; even some high-demand fields like medicine and nursing have high drop out and failure rates (in some programs, the failure rate is 30% or higher, and licensing exam rates for graduates can drop below 80%).

For many students who are academically prepared, have financial resources, have the stability to attend school and do homework, college turns out to be a good financial investment and a memorable experience.  But there are also many people for whom college is still not an option (because of cost, academic preparedness, access to educational programs, family needs, or lifestyle choices), and many people who attend college don’t see immediate benefits.  Somehow, higher education has to win over hearts and minds, and align academic programs with student career/life goals, whether corporate employment, self-run businesses, quality of life decisions, etc…  Higher education cannot limit its appeal to small groups of academically- and financially-prepared students.

Lack of academic preparedness.

Students are not coming in as prepared as they could be, so schools are having to provide a lot of support services to help them succeed.  At community colleges, up to 60% of students require remediation in English or math, and several of these students require help with the most basic-level math, reading, and writing skills.  Students are also needing more counseling services and academic accommodations for testing and studying.  These services put a financial and resource burden on higher education.  Many of these services are difficult to fill (there are many job openings for testing coordinators and academic advisors, for example), and they can be low paying, temporary, or part-time positions, yet they are clearly needed, and the need for these services will continue to rise.

Effective higher education that both appeals to a wide range of students and also provides sufficient support services to everyone is difficult to design and expensive to maintain.  The solution will probably be some ideal combination of effective instruction, high quality of academic programs at all levels, and effective support services.

Need for Innovation.

The whole higher education system (which depends on development and delivery of content by a limited number of permanently-contracted faculty to small groups of students) could be disrupted by a company like Apple or Amazon that can create many self-paced online programs and convince the Dept. of Education to provide financial aid and the equivalent college credit, certification, accreditation, or licensing that students and employers are willing to accept.

If this happens, it will be difficult for colleges to respond.  High-impact learning experiences (internships, service-learning, research labs, health care clinicals) and individualized attention (small class sizes, interactive classes, hands-on practical learning with recognized professionals) have been some strategies for dealing with the threat of impersonalized online curricula, but these features may eventually be too expensive for programs with low enrollment numbers to maintain, or they may be incorporated into online courses through interactive video and extension centers that provide tutoring or laboratory spaces.  (Imagine online programs that provide in-person lab spaces and tutoring centers in major cities like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, etc.!)

Recent articles about possible deregulations from the Dept. of Education (which are aimed to promote innovation and encourage competency-based learning) suggest that financial aid could be used for non-traditional academic programs.  If this happens, it will be devastating for the current higher education system (and for many struggling colleges and universities), but it may also create a rush of innovation in higher education – one that will focus on individual learning needs and learning processes, and not on educational programs, courses, degrees, grades, credit hours, etc.

Feedback

What do you think are the most important challenges in higher education?  Post your comments in the “leave a reply” section below, or click on “Contact” and send me a private email.

Lirim Neziroski, Ph.D., MBA is an academic leader and an assessment and technology expert at a liberal arts university in the Chicago area. Contact Lirim directly for additional resources and speaking, consulting, and writing opportunities.