Asking Big, Existential Questions about Higher Ed: Eduvation Insider May 20
Good morning from Saskatoon (virtually), where I’m presenting to the Saskatchewan Polytechnic board of governors. It’s great to see forward-looking institutions are ready to start thinking about the long term again, after months of crisis response.
Speaking of which, uToronto and 4 other institutions finally announced a blended fall term, on the heels of 15 others yesterday, and the Ontario government’s decision to keep K-12 closed until September. Two-thirds of the institutions on my list have now decided – see the updated graphs below.
Also today: students in Quebec are launching a class-action lawsuit, college-bound seniors in the US are still hoping for a traditional campus experience, and we need to reimagine “no-frills” online education if we want to attract them… or do we instead pursue more adult education?
Big Questions
We Need to Ask the Big Questions
José Bowen, former president of Goucher College, argues that COVID19 will disrupt PSE for years to come, and asks: “How might we cope with one, two or five years of no vaccine? How might we realign our products, budgets and delivery for a radically different world where people’s behavior is changed – perhaps forever? How might we use this disruption as an opportunity for more equity? Are we willing to sacrifice… some of our sacred traditions… to preserve our most fundamental goal of changing minds and realizing potential?” IHE
Fall Plans
Updating my analysis of Fall 2020 announcements, Canada’s colleges are almost three times more likely to be still deciding, and twice as likely to be primarily in-person this fall. Universities are considerably more likely to make no mention of Fall plans yet on their website, or to opt for a fully online term.
Those graphs include 5 new announcements in the past 24 hours…
Fanshawe College will offer a blended fall semester in which half of full-time programs will be delivered fully online, the rest through a mix of online and F2F delivery. Student services will continue to be delivered virtually, and the campus will reopen in a limited capacity so that Winter term students can complete remaining in-person labs in late July, and Summer term students in August. Fanshawe
uLethbridge announced yesterday that it will be using a hybrid delivery model this fall, “maximizing the quality of a primarily online experience.” Where possible, “select labs, studio sessions, practicum experiences and clinical placements” will be delivered in-person, and uLeth is planning “small group gatherings, the opening of the library for restricted in-person services and the utilization of residence spaces and food services to support the full student experience.” uLeth
Mount Allison U is targeting May 25 for the first researchers to return to campus, as part of a phased approach. WFH continues. For fall, MTA is planning a blend of online/alternate delivery with some on-campus classes, labs, and studios, subject to PHO restrictions. Residences will be open. More details will be shared by June 1. MTA
NAIT announced yesterday afternoon that its Fall courses will be delivered virtually wherever possible. “We anticipate we will be able to deliver limited in-person learning in labs and shops in the fall, as provincial guidelines permit.” Decisions about which courses cannot be offered will be forthcoming. NAIT
uToronto “is preparing for a gradual, safe return to our campuses, with as much on-campus activity as is practicable, sensible, and safe,” but UofT’s 3 campuses may well experience unique conditions, and the fall term will mix “smaller, on-campus courses, seminars, labs, and experiential learning, with larger online and remote courses and lectures.” “We expect the University’s research mission to return to full force in the fall.” UofT
Campus Updates
Tuition Lawsuits Come to Quebec
Quebec students are reportedly launching Canada’s first class-action lawsuit for partial tuition refunds, against 15 universities over the pandemic migration to online delivery this spring. CTV
Enter Med School by Lottery
McMaster U’s DeGroote medical school has highly selective admissions. From >5,000 applicants, about 500 are short-listed for a series of ten mini-interviews (MMI), a method pioneered at Mac in 2002 to eliminate bias. Because of concerns about technology and access for virtual MMIs, and because most of the interviewers are working overtime on COVID19, McMaster has opted for a lottery process this year, for all but the top 100 applicants. CBC
Assiniboine Community College is one of very few institutions in the country allowing students and the public to visit its campus as needed to access services, such as the registrar’s office. Some students are on-campus for labs, but “study groups and socializing on campus is not permitted.” ACC
Carleton U is ready to start broadening the scope of research activities on campus. Instructors are encouraged to start preparing fall courses early, in order to spread demands on T&L staff. Carleton
Student Experience
Incoming US students want Dorm Life
In the US, where the public and most campus leaders seem to believe the worst of COVID19 is past, a longitudinal survey of 4,800 HS seniors (mid-March to mid-May) found that more than half would be less likely to commit to an entirely online program, and 33% of committed students might still cancel or defer their studies if they were online. 95% felt even a partial shift to online delivery would require a change to tuition fees. A third were more interested in staying close to home, but nearly 50% said on-campus housing is all they would consider. Carnegie Darlet
Reimagine Online Learning
Recessions drive adult learners, but traditional-age undergrad enrolment is driven primarily by demographics. The downside risk this fall, if online programs are not “compelling,” is up to 30% decline in traditional enrolments, according to forecasts from Eduventures. Institutions need to reimagineonline learning, usually aimed at “no-frills adults,” to include extracurriculars and cohort bonding if they want to justify traditional tuition fees. Regardless, post-COVID students will be more likely to enrol at less expensive institutions closer to home. Eduventures
Virtual Summer Internships
Trent U announced a Summer Work Experience Program to provide experience and paid employment to returning students with demonstrated financial need. Full-time and part-time work opportunities across the university include “research, data analysis, completing independent projects, assisting departments in the transition to online learning, developing supports, and more.” Trent
New Adult Learner Markets
The COVID19 recession may prompt a “market shift” for universities, breaking their reliance on 18-21 year olds and international students, and turning their attention to adult learners, who have been the traditional focus of colleges. This may mean more short-term, flexible, modularized distance learning. Harvard’s Extension School admits more students than the rest of the university put together. Stanford and Dublin City University have programs aimed at those in “the third age,” to help them “transform themselves for roles with social impact.” THE
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Ken Steele is Canada's leading higher ed futurist and strategic consultant, through his company Eduvation. He delivers virtual presentations and facilitates virtual retreats or workshops centred on emerging trends, enrolment management, pedagogical innovation, and strategic planning. [email protected]