And students in 2023 will be taking some of these courses long before they are even in college.
David Palumbo, the vice president of personalized learning company Compass Learning, said the bureaucratic gulf that sometimes exists between a K-12 education and a college education will shrink over the next decade.
With access to free, or discounted, online courses, students will graduate high school having had greater access to knowledge normally preserved for introductory college classes. Students will graduate with more AP credits and from high schools with stronger community college partnerships, Palumbo said.
This could change the way colleges think about accreditation.
Academia is notoriously loathe to stray from the traditional credit hour, but experts said that the student body of 2023 will have come of age in a time where digital badges and course certificates are more common.
Students will expect college to be faster, cheaper, and more customizable, Palumbo said.
Similarly, more and more employers, particularly in computer science fields, are coming to accept online course certificates as legitimate means of demonstrating learning. By 2023, universities could be feeling pressure to rethink the system as their incoming students and the alumni looking to hire those students will be on the same page.
“I think institutions are slow-moving, but that individuals are fast-moving,” Palumbo said. “What we’re seeing now is students taking command of their learning experience. I think students can more accurately map their needs. Students will be more in the driver’s seat than ever before.”
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