{"id":37,"date":"2021-08-15T23:08:02","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T04:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketingsi.com\/insights\/?post_type=insight&p=37"},"modified":"2021-10-12T13:16:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-12T18:16:00","slug":"the-acceleration-of-change-in-higher-ed","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.marketingsi.com\/insights\/insight\/the-acceleration-of-change-in-higher-ed\/","title":{"rendered":"The Acceleration of Change in Higher Ed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The
\nAcceleration
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\nin Higher Ed<\/p>\n

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Trends in Higher Ed today generate many more questions than answers. Teachers, students, parents\u2014truth be told, we\u2019re all figuring it out as we go, and at breakneck speeds. As our questions demonstrate, the \u201cwinds of change\u201d are upon us, and the need for institutions to rise and meet this change is essential for success.<\/b><\/p>\n

For students, assuredly every educational institution\u2019s top concern, the changes witnessed in colleges and universities\u2014and those changes still to come\u2014are a big driver of anxiety and doubt. Online learning in the U.S. jumped from 35% to essentially 100% at a point in 2020, and since then the fate of in-person learning experiences has majorly hung in the balance. Students worry about a depreciated level of learning when online and feel their efforts have also payed forfeit; as one student surveyed said, \u201cI am concerned that I will not be prepared for college because classes have been made easier and it has been harder for me to retain information without the in-class experience.\u201d Others worry about how the outside world will portray a \u201cpandemic degree,\u201d fearing a unique sort of job market prejudice. And further still, many students\u2014especially those of color who have been historically disenfranchised in academia\u2014wonder if the high cost of attending school measures up to its value. With recent college enrollment rates declining by 16.4% and 32.6% in low- and high-poverty schools respectively, many have questioned Higher Ed\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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KEY
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\nCHANGE<\/p>\n

\u2022 What will student community look like in the future? What can we do to facilitate that school spirit and belonging? <\/b><\/p>\n

\u2022 What can we do to foment professional networks that will serve our students for a lifetime?<\/b><\/p>\n

\u2022 How do we serve all members of our community including teaching staff, administrative staff and others?<\/b><\/p>\n

\u2022 What mix of degree vs. shorter term certificate\/focused career study should we be offering?<\/b><\/p>\n

\u2022 How do we remain \u201cwhole\u201d in the midst of these financial challenges?<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Institutions also have a litany of questions in this era of change. What mix of online, on-campus, and hybrid classes should we offer? What new skill sets do we need to incorporate in our educational offerings given our \u201cnew normal\u201d to ensure our students are \u201cjob ready\u201d? How do we ensure ALL students are heard, recognized, and provided the educational options they need to thrive? Many universities have struggled with the velocity of change they have experienced in the last 11 months, with technology, teaching methods, enrollment drops, and cost shifts all in play. Already, we are seeing likely long-term shifts at institutions in attempts to combat this, such as a greater focus on helping students find work; some smaller colleges, like Unity College in Maine, even ponder the idea of selling their physical campus, a massive overhead.<\/p>\n

However, if there is one silver lining, it is that we have been forced to change, forced to adapt, forced to learn, and forced to become proficient. Although the changes we grapple with found their genesis in an unfortunate and unprecedented situation, some see this as the acceleration of change. On the topic of change in Higher Ed, Adam Weinberg of Ohio\u2019s Denison University stated, \u201cWhat COVID has done has accelerated them [changes], so we\u2019re getting a decade\u2019s worth of change over the next six to 18 months.\u201d Many believe this means there is good change mixed in with the uncertainties. For example, some see virtual learning as an opportunity to learn globally, others to glean more supportive educational artifacts, and others, like non-traditional students, to gain alternatives to synchronous, physical classes. Additionally, many marginalized students of color have benefitted from the cancelation of standardized tests at some institutions, an action that many have long pleaded for since before the pandemic.<\/p>\n

In looking at the present and pondering the future, the conversation turns to \u201cFuture Casting\u201d\u2014without the crystal ball\u2014and how institutions must become comfortable with change since change is already here. At Marketingsi<\/sup>, this means employing trend analysis of landscape dynamics to feed into strategies that effectively address the needs of the institution as well as the communities they serve.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no wonder educational institutions often benefit from an experienced, objective voice, helping them find the answers to their questions in ways that are authentic to them, enlisting tools such as:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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