At WGU Labs, we are driven to make an impact with our research, recognizing that pervasive inequity remains embedded within the education system. That’s why we define our work through a set of Wicked Problems. These issues — preparation and access to higher education, the learning experience, and the leap from learning to opportunity — are the lens through which our team considers solutions in learning design, the education technology marketplace, and policy. We believe that by focusing on these specific challenges, we can help to elevate the voices of those historically silenced and connect our work to the larger systemic context.
We decided to launch this newsletter to highlight the work we’re doing to advance and create solutions for our Wicked Problems. Each month, we’ll feature some of the rigorous design, responsible analysis, and impactful reporting our team has produced. We’ll also share where we plan to focus our future efforts, as well as articles and resources that have piqued our interest.?
In October, members of our team attended
EDUCAUSE
2023, where we presented key takeaways from our Faculty EdTech Survey with
Northern Virginia Community College
(NOVA) and attended several inspiring sessions on the future of EdTech. We also published our updated Inclusive Language Guide and several new blogs and articles.??
- Inclusive Language Guide: Now interactive and filled with new and updated terms that reflect our commitment to advancing equity in higher education, our Inclusive Language Guide is accessible directly on our website, so anyone can leverage it.
- 5 Takeaways from EDUCAUSE 2023: AI was the talk of the conference, but we thought that many of the sessions lacked tangible takeaways, case studies, or actionable use cases. Find our other takeaways in the article.?
- How Clusiv Is Powering the Future of Blind and Low-Vision Employment Skills Training: Blind and low-vision individuals often lack accessible employment training. Learn how Clusiv, the world’s first e-learning platform built specifically for the blind community, is meeting that need.
- Improving Online Belonging Through Better Student Resource Navigation: Students can often feel overwhelmed, defeated, and stigmatized when searching their institutions’ websites for resources, but wayfinding tools can help. This blog unpacks findings from our research on NavigateU, an AI-based platform that offers customized support service recommendations to students, which we developed in partnership with the
University of Pittsburgh
.?
- Scaling Peer Support Training with User-Centered Learning Design: Flourish Labs: Rather than relying on third-party solutions,
Peers.net by Flourish Labs
, a platform that trains young adults to provide mental health support to their peers, saw the opportunity to create its own peer support certification program. The startup partnered with WGU Labs’ Learning Experience Design team to modernize and scale its peer support training while also creating a more engaging experience for busy college students. Read more about the user-centered design approach we leveraged in our latest case study.
- Higher Ed Emergency Aid Boosts Student Success: In partnership with the
Western Governors University
Advanced Analytics team, we studied the impact of Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) on student success. One of the most exciting findings from our research was that students who received HEERF III aid experienced 11% higher graduation rates. Learn more via the WGU Impact Blog.?
- What Microcredentials Look Like at 3 Colleges and Universities: Microcredentials are gaining traction as postsecondary institutions aim to better meet learner — and employer — demands for speed and flexibility. But with so many types of microcredentials in the marketplace, it can be hard to know where to start. In this blog, we provide an overview of how three members of our College Innovation Network (CIN) —
Marshall University
,
Rio Salado College
, and
Northern Virginia Community College
— have successfully implemented these programs at their institutions.
We’re nearly ready to share new insights and research on the student experience with EdTech, how to improve pathways between higher education and the workforce, and fresh perspectives on creating a good startup data room, the state of student loan repayment, and designing courses for equity. Stay tuned!
Collaboration, diverse perspectives, and ideas that challenge the status quo are critical to solving higher education’s Wicked Problems. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a comment to let us know what’s on your mind. And consider sharing this newsletter with your network to help us maximize our impact.?
?? Excited about your initiative for an equitable education ecosystem! ?? "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela. Can't wait to see the insights and transformative ideas your newsletter will share! ???