The Future of Higher Education: 3 M's
According to a recent CBS report, 1/4 of all US colleges could close in the next twenty years. There are multiple factors in this estimate: a declining birth rate (affecting the no. of future college students), the growth of online 'mega-universities who market heavily to prospective students and offer flexible degree options, the prohibitively expensive costs of operating a brick-and-mortar campus, and of course, high tuition itself. How can existing schools survive, much less grow in this environment? I think the future of higher education instruction lies in 3 M's: mobile, modular, and micro.
Mobile
Mobile learning is an extension of online learning, but making sure that all content can be accessed on a mobile phone. Why? Colleges that are growing are ones that target adult learners who squeeze time in their busy schedules for a degree - such as when commuting to work on public transport or between cooking meals.
Modular
Modular learning means dismantling the traditional 15-week semesters into course of varying credit hours and shorter lengths. Virtually every online Ed.D. program I had researched had 5-10 week courses for good reason - you can take more classes in a given year without juggling multiple courses at once. Adult learners often need breaks for sanity or recuperating finances. Shorter courses translates to more on and off ramps for students.
Micro
Micro-credentials is the creation of certificate programs rather than degree programs. These credentials take much less time than a traditional degree - they can take the form of a single course or a sequence of 5-6 courses. Micro-credentials are a 'win-win' for both students, employers, and universities in that students get to study a specialized topic (ex. business data analytics) that is highly valued in the labor market, saving them the time and money of pursuing an entire degree and giving them market-ready skills. Some universities offer undergraduate or graduate certificates in a variety of topics and some are developing single courses designed to teach a granular skill or competency.
Your Thoughts?
So what are your thoughts? How do you think colleges will survive the upcoming disruption of higher education? Are their alternate forms of instruction or niches that I haven't thought of? Let me know!
#highereducation #onlinelearning #university #college #futureofhighereducation #disruption
Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Instructor at Tulane University-SoPA | USESC Sports Security Peer Mentoring | Building the Next Generation of Sports Security Leaders | Bestselling Author WYP?
5 年Nice article. Yes, I do see the aspect of distance learning becoming more mainstream with respect to student learning outcomes & accessibilities. Stackable credentials are coming to the forefront. Great job. Reach out any time for collaborative sharing initiatives. Thank you.?
Associate Professor at Oakland University
5 年Maybe make courses more effective? Use what we know about how brains learn. This is happening, but isn't standard practice yet. Making it standard is a difficult organization redesign problem.
Writer, Technologist, and Educator ??
5 年Our institution is focusing on these very things, although instead of modular we were referring to them as stackable credentials, which kind of breaks the alliteration. ??
Artist, UX Designer
5 年This is a great discussion, Seth. I can agree with you for the most part. When I left adjuncting, schools were aggressively transitioning to compressed semesters to get more tuition $ and more people through the door. This is the only way they will be able to afford the new facilities, state-of-the-art dorms, and amenities that follow. Not to mention that state funding is constantly being cut each year and school administration has to do 'more with less.' I think colleges will continue to offer compressed semesters (the jury is still out on how their curriculum matches up and what learning really takes place, especially with lab/studio classes, I feel this setup is a nightmare.) Mobile will continue to be used more and more - as a student now, I access course materials on my phone more than desktop. My mom just got a new phone and loves working on Google docs through mobile - case in point that I'm sure more and more Gen Z students are wanting to work this way with the option to pick it back up on their tablet/laptop. The only area in which I'm curious about is micro-credentials. I see this more valuable for working adults who need to 'skill up' in a certain field rather than the 18-24 yr old who has little to zero work experience in the field and would be gunning for an internship.?