Higher education is feeling good about itself these days because it remains in
demand. Why offer classes at more convenient times when you’re getting a
record number of applicants? Why hold the line on rising costs when students
are willing to take on more debt? Why collect better job-placement data to
provide to prospective students when they’re still flocking to mediocre graduate
programs? As Brian Kelly, the editor of the much-maligned rankings at U.S.
News, put it that day, “colleges seem immune to the pressures facing every
other sector of the economy.”
Jeffrey Selingo, College (Un) Bound
RESPONDING TO DECLINING ENROLLMENTS
Investing in Programs with Strong Student Demand
 Design
 Counseling
 Social Work
 Engineering and Robotics
 Criminology
Exploring Alternative Delivery Modes
 Weekend Marriage and Family Therapy
 Off-site Criminology Program
RESPONDING TO DECLINING ENROLLMENTS
Redesigning Existing Programs
 MS in STEM Education
 Exercise Science
 Early Childhood
Developing New Programs
 DNAP
 MS in Gerontology
Developing Five-year Enrollment Management Plan
IMPROVING STUDENT SUCCESS RATES
Increase use of data analytics
 Expand use of Early Alert and mid-term grades
 Expand use of BlueTrack card swipe technology
 Expand analysis of BlackBoard Learn data
 Establish electronic record of student advising
Align work study employment with learning outcomes
Promote efforts to graduate students in four years
IMPROVING MINORITY STUDENT
SUCCESS RATES
Increase number of students served by cultural centers
Support students who are not served by dedicated programs
Increase support for students through junior and senior years
Engage more students in high impact practices
Connect with students in the classroom
Indeed, few other issues in higher education have sparked as much heated
debate in recent years as those surrounding the quality and rigor of
courses delivered digitally. Professors who have spent their whole lives
teaching in a classroom think the face-to-face method is the
established and verified mode of instruction and any other way
depersonalizes education, is uncontrolled, and most of all, ineffective.
. . . Despite their scholarly credentials, a vocal slice of professors and
administrators remain skeptical of the research into the strength of
online programs. This persists even as every new study of online
learning arrives at essentially the same conclusion: Students who take
all or part of their classes online perform better than those who take
the same course through traditional instruction.
Jeffrey Selingo, College (Un) Bound
Integrating technology into education requires a new approach to
educational change that infuses new technologies with teaching and
learning. How can any educator not be inspired to develop new and
exciting ways to bring learning to life and connect the classroom with a
whole world of knowledge? Educators must understand the power of
this technological transformation and apply it in redesigning
institutions that meet the needs of today's learners for tomorrow's
technological workforce.
Dr. Robbie Melton, Appologist, Tennessee Board of Regents
http://emergingtech.tbr.edu/
Navigation is the literacy of the twenty-first century.
John Seely Brown
THE CHANGING PARADIGM OF INSTRUCTION
Meeting the learning needs of “digital natives”
 Expect immediate feedback and frequent rewards
 Accustomed to multimedia-rich environments
 Eager to engage with material—hands on
Mobilization—Apps as the new academic content
Differentiated instruction
 Out-of-class learning as “warm ups”
 Just-in-Time teaching
Free online instruction (MOOCs)
Gamification of Learning Experience
ENHANCING STUDENT SUPPORT AND SERVICE
THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
ConnectEDU
Degree Compass, Phase II, Austin Peay
ASU’s eAdvisor (https://eadvisor.asu.edu/)
METRICS OF THE CONNECTICUT BOARD OF
REGENTS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
Successful First Year
 One-year retention
 Completion of college-level English and math
Student Success
 Completions
 Graduation rates
 Time to degree and post-graduation outcomes
Affordability and Sustainability
Innovation and Economic Growth
 Faculty and student research
 Completions in STEM, health, and education
Equity
 Eliminate achievement disparities
FEDERAL STANDARDS OF
ACCOUNTABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY
Tie financial aid to institutional performance—College Scorecard
• Access
• Affordability
• Outcomes (graduation rates, earnings, advanced degrees)
Paying for “value” (versus enrollment and seat time)
 Accelerated learning opportunities & degree paths
 Smooth transitions among high school, community college, 4-year college
 Students must complete % of classes to receive continued funding
Foster innovation and competition
 MOOCs, hybrid & flipped courses
 Prior Assessment of Learning (PAL/CAEL)
 Dual enrollment
A credit system based on seat time was adequate when there were few
alternatives to classroom learning, when most college students were
eighteen- to twenty-two year olds who had plenty of time on their
hands, when the price tag of a degree was a lot smaller, and we trusted
the rigor of courses offered on most campuses. None of those
principles holds true today. . . . The competency-based model allows
students to demonstrate mastery of a subject through a series of
assessment tools, instead of following a prescribed set of courses
Jeffrey Selingo
COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION
Competency-based programs traditionally linked to credit hour (Western Governors
University)
NEASC approved Southern New Hampshire University competency-based associates
degree in general studies
 Direct assessment (ETS Proficiency Profile)
 120 competencies in 20 task families (modeled on Lumina DQP)
 Online instruction supported by tutors
 Primarily geared to adult learners
 Support from employers (ConAgra, City of Memphis)
 Plans to launch bachelors degrees: College for America
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR
HIGHER EDUCATION
Prepare for implementation of Common Core State Standards
Consider online credentials for remediation and general education
Individualize instruction
Educate students for mastery
Collaborate with employers in developing alternative models of certification
Consider alternative academic timelines
Unbundle institutional services
A ROADMAP TO THE FUTURE FOR CCSU
Instill financial and information literacy
Explore course redesign to incorporate online component
 Flipped classroom project at CCSU
 Instructional design and digital resources support
Implement measures to ensure quality
 Quality Matters certifications
 Pittsburg State Univ. eLearning Academy
Institute ePortfolios to assess student learning
Increase number of online courses
Explore feasibility of developing more wholly online programs
Despite the evidence to the contrary, some colleges still think the
tough times are a temporary inconvenience—that eventually
they will again be able to pass on their additional costs to
students or get more money from the state and federal
governments. But the most informed and realistic of highereducation leaders realize they are now living in a new normal.
Jeffrey Selingo
PURSUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION
Ways to attract new students
Ways to improve student success
Ways to reduce the time to degree
Ways to reduce expenses
Ways to generate new revenue
REFERENCES
John Seely Brown, “Growing Up Digital: How the Web Changes Work, Education, and
the Ways People Learn,” USDLA Journal, Vol. 16, No. 2), February 2002, cited in
Selingo, 174.
Paul Fain, “Competency-based education may get a boost.” Inside Higher Ed
(www.insidehighered.com), October 1, 2012.
Jeffrey J. Selingo, College (Un)Bound. The Future of Higher Education and What it
Means to Students. Boston/NewYork: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.