October was a jam-packed month for the WGU Labs team. In addition to publishing new work on innovation, inclusivity, and artificial intelligence in higher education, we released new research on Rising Talent
— the millions of working adults in the U.S. with limited postsecondary education who are stuck in low-wage jobs. Check out everything we published below, and leave us a comment with your thoughts!
- Analyzing the Path of Rising Talent
: Over the past year, we’ve been analyzing longitudinal data to better understand the unique characteristics of this population, which we have named Rising Talent. We define Rising Talent as working adults with limited postsecondary education and low career resiliency. By unlocking Rising Talent’s hidden potential, we can help millions of individuals advance into better-paying, more fulfilling careers and fuel economic growth. Because of the circumstances in which this population exists — unstable work, challenging home responsibilities, poor health, and an often negative relationship with the educational system — this underutilized talent pool requires us to think differently to help them acquire the skills needed to seize new opportunities. We can’t rely on existing solutions to serve them; we have to rethink career pathways and education systems. And doing so requires a concerted effort from policymakers, educational institutions, employers, and technology providers to create an inclusive and supportive environment for Rising Talent.
- Unlocking the Human Potential of Rising Talent
: How can we unlock the latent abilities of individuals who have been overlooked by traditional career and educational pathways? At our recent panel at the inaugural
Human Potential Summit
held in Denver, Colorado, leaders from education and industry convened to tackle this critical question. Moderated by WGU Labs Director of Learning Innovation
Omid Fotuhi
, panelists included Youngki Hong (WGU Labs),
Chelsea Barnett
(WGU Academy),
Jeff Bulanda, Ph.D.
(
Jobs for the Future (JFF)
), and
Amanda Willard MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
(
亚马逊
). Read a recap of the session on the blog.?
- Rising Talent and the Digital Skills Divide
: For Rising Talent — working adults with limited postsecondary education who are stuck in low-resilience jobs —?to access the full benefits of higher education, the experience must be redesigned to fit their needs, particularly by recognizing their current level of computer use and emphasizing building digital skills. By leading these changes, higher education administrators can empower Rising Talent to unlock their potential, foster career growth, and achieve greater social mobility and economic stability.
- Here's how higher ed can win 20% more students
: “Higher education has been historically structured to limit access to members from the U.S. workforce in low-wage jobs and limited postsecondary experience. By understanding their personal, professional, and socioeconomic circumstances, the sector can expand its reach to 20% more prospective students,” writes University Business staff writer Alcino Donadel in this article covering our Rising Talent research.?
- Unlocking Human Potential at the Inaugural Summit
: We sat down with WGU Labs Executive Director
Jason Levin
and Founder of the Human Potential Summit
Taylor McLemore
to discuss the motivations behind the summit, the challenges and opportunities in today’s workforce, and how they envision the future of work and learning.
- Overcoming the Demand Cliff with Competency-Based Education
:? There is no “typical” college student anymore. More and more 18-year-olds are bypassing college and entering the workforce immediately after high school. Meanwhile, more adult learners are enrolling in postsecondary education for the first time or resuming their studies after stopping out. In our latest white paper, we explore these trends — and why it’s imperative for higher education institutions to adapt now to better serve post-traditional learners. It’s clear that both young adults and working adults value affordability, flexibility, and relevancy — all hallmarks of competency-based education (CBE) — when it comes to their education.?
- Why Education Philanthropies Need to Fund Time
: “As higher education faces a looming demographic cliff, lingering disruptions from the rapid shift to remote learning, and growing skepticism around the value of a college degree, the day-to-day demands on institutional leaders are only intensifying. These challenges are particularly severe at under-resourced institutions, which are ironically the least equipped to handle them. Many administrators are caught in a relentless crisis management cycle, with scant time left to think about, much less resolve, the underlying issues. Moreover, the siloed nature of higher education means that these crises are often tackled in isolation, leading to redundant efforts and inefficient solutions,” writes WGU Labs Business Strategy and Incubation Manager
Erika Wandsneider
in this blog post on why philanthropic organizations need to invest in more intimate and targeted gatherings that enable collaborative problem-solving.
- Harnessing AI to Expand Access to Success in Computer Science
: We provided free access to ChatGPT Team to a select group of students enrolled in the Introduction to Programming in Python course within
Western Governors University
’s School of Technology to study the impact on their learning. We found that students' use of AI is goal-directed and oriented toward learning; students use AI as a reference, teacher, and coach; and, anecdotally, students reported improved learning and experience with AI. Read more in WGU Labs Senior Learning Experience Designer
Tadd Farmer, Ph.D.
’s latest contribution to our [work in] Progress series — an effort to share our preliminary findings on the impact of artificial intelligence in higher education to help the field move at the pace of technology.
- 4 Strategies to Create Equitable and Effective AI-enhanced Learning Experiences for Students
:?Our latest Student EdTech survey revealed several barriers institutions must overcome to effectively and equitably integrate AI into the student experience. WGU Labs Senior Research Scientist
Stephanie Reeves, PhD
outlines four strategies institutions can use to address these barriers and create inclusive and effective AI-enhanced learning experiences for students.
- WGU Labs Invests in Doowii to Accelerate AI-Driven Insights in Education
: Meet
Doowii, Inc
, our newest Accelerator client. Doowii’s AI-powered data integration platform aims to democratize higher education data. By integrating data from various EdTech platforms, Doowi empowers non-technical users to access, analyze, and act on insights quickly and effectively, leading to more precise and proactive interventions.?
- Beyond the Model Minority: Improving Research and Support for AAPI Students in Higher Education
: “Despite the prevailing ‘model minority’ myth, which suggests that all AAPI students achieve academic excellence, research reveals a more complex picture. This myth not only obscures the diverse experiences within the AAPI community but also contributes to flawed data collection and research methodologies. These shortcomings prevent educators and policymakers from fully understanding and addressing the needs of AAPI students. To foster more inclusive and effective educational experiences for these students, it is crucial to dismantle these misconceptions and refine our approaches to data collection and analysis,” write WGU Labs Senior Research Scientists
Stephanie Reeves, PhD
and
Anudhi Munasinghe, PhD
in their blog post about the flaws in AAPI data collection and research methodologies — and how to address them.
- Empowering Talent with Disabilities
: In this blog post, WGU Labs Senior Consultant
Ramah Jihan Malebranche
highlights several systemic obstacles that help explain why individuals with disabilities face higher rates of unemployment and poverty — only 22.5% of people with disabilities are employed compared to 65.8% of those without disabilities. Supporting our mission of identifying and scaling solutions that address the biggest challenges in higher education, Labs is leading a pilot program with
Making Space
, a talent acquisition and learning platform dedicated to creating a more equitable and accessible future of work for Disabled talent.?
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.?
