Even at a venerable (and yes, traditional) institution such as Penn State, only 20 percent of its student body actually conforms to the old-school definition of “typical student,” the kind of student who moves to campus, lives in the dorm, attends ground-school classes Monday through Friday, and parties on the weekends. With the rising cost of education and reduced public funding, more students have to work to pay for school, which makes scheduling even more problematic. If they can’t get into a class at the time they want, Penn State knows its students may go online to seek out alternatives, possibly at another institution.
2. How can institutions adapt?
Just as with the retail industry, institutions like Penn State are providing more than convenience or alternatives through online engagement. They are adding value. Presently, more than 50 percent of Penn State students take at least one online course to complete their curriculum. Programs at its World Campus, which is ranked in the top 25 for online undergraduate and graduate programs by U.S. News & World Report, offer value-added resources for students and faculty that help improve learning outcomes across a wide range of academic and career goals. Faculty members are paired with learning designers to improve the quality and consistency of online instruction, which benefits their ground-school classes as well.
In fact, hybrid programs that combine online and ground-school formats are yielding tangible results as well. At Penn State Berks, analysis of hybrid courses has shown improved student learning and student retention, including:
- Overall increase in student class grade point average in the course
- Greater number of students who now receive a passing grade (C or better)
- Overall increase in student class grade point average for each test
- Greater number of students who now receive a passing grade (C or better)
- Decrease of number of student withdrawals from the course
Other new models and support mechanisms are emerging to help students succeed. Arizona State University is gaining national attention for teaming up with Starbucks to create a pioneering new approach to help students who are unable to complete their degrees due to work-life or financial obstacles. The Starbucks College Achievement Plan will enable Starbucks employees throughout the country, who are in their junior or senior year of college, to finish a bachelor’s degree through Arizona State’s top-ranked online program with full tuition reimbursement.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sees the Starbucks-ASU partnership as a fantastic program that reflects the kind of innovative programs and models needed to serve today’s students. He notes that in tough economic times, states typically cut back their funding and universities jack up tuition to cover the difference, so having the private sector step up with programs like this is important if we want to make higher education accessible to everyone and be the world leader in higher education graduation rates again.
(Next page: Can technology help institutions adapt?)
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- #3: 3 big ways today’s college students are different from just a decade ago - December 27, 2017