Shift happens: Five critical forces that are changing U.S. higher education

Dr. Nick Allen, Provost Emeritus and Collegiate Professor in the Graduate School, discussed five forces that are changing U.S. higher education and what we must do to meet these challenges. The five critical forces discussed were: 1. An acute national need for tertiary education 2. Critical demographic shifts 3. Continued, rapid change in technology 4. Intense competition 5. Growing regulatory pressure for accountability and resultsShift Happens Five Critical Forces That Are Changing U.S. Higher Education Faculty Research Seminar Series University of Maryland University College 18 February 2010 Largo, Maryland Nicholas H. Allen, DPA Provost Emeritus & Collegiate Professor Graduate School of Management & Technology nallen@umuc.eduA Changing World What will shape U.S. Higher Education in the next 10 to 15 years? What will be the impact on our Higher Education Institutions: Especially those serving “non-traditional”students? What must we do to meet these challenges?Forces of Change in the U.S. 1. Acute national need 2. Critical demographic shifts 3. Continued, rapid change in technology 4. Intense competition 5. Growing regulatory pressure for accountability and resultsA Shift Is Underway The extent to which many educational institutions anticipate and plan for these five trends may well determine if they: Thrive and grow Struggle and decline The U.S. higher education paradigm we knew for much of the 20thcentury will not be the same for the 21st1. National Need Demand for tertiary education in the U.S. will come from four sources: Traditional baseline growth patterns The shift to non-traditional students National goals in response to global competition Rising social expectations: tertiary education will be a universal requirement *IES National Center for Educational Statistics, Sep 2008Baseline Growth Patterns Baseline enrollment growth at U.S. post-secondary, degree-granting institutions will continue over 2006-2017: Projected: +13% (20.1M students) Average annual growth: 1.18% Down from 1.64% over 1992-2006 But still healthy based on historical patterns of attendance *IES National Center for Educational Statistics, Sep 2008National Need: 2006-2017 The Baby-Boom Echo Generation moves on: Age: 18-24 +10% 25-34 +27% 35+ + 8% Level: UG + 12% G + 18% Prof + 22% *IES National Center for Educational Statistics, Sep 2008Shift to Non-traditional Students Traditional students get the attention: 18-22 years old Full-time Residing on campus But, of 17 million students enrolled in post-secondary education in 2006: Only 16% fit the definition for traditional students* *Stokes, Peter J.; Hidden in Plain Sight, Eduventures Issue Paper to The Commission on the Future of Higher Education, 2006.Shift to Non-traditional Real change has already taken place: 58% aged 22 + 40% 25 or older 40% studying part-time 40% at 2 year schools* Future growth will continue to be driven by non-traditional student patterns *Stokes, Peter J.; Hidden in Plain Sight, Eduventures Issue Paper to The Commission on the Future of Higher Education, 2006.National Attainment Goals 60-75% of fastest growing jobs in US require education at associate level or higher* Yet compared to other OECD nations, the U.S. ranks: 11thin entry rate to a tertiary degree 15thin tertiary graduation rates (1stin 1995) 18thin tertiary science graduates per 100,000 employed 25-34 year olds** *US BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-2009 **OECD, Education at a Glance, September 2008National Attainment Goals Fewer than 40% of U.S. working age adults (25-65) have a tertiary degree (2006) Nine OECD nations have set attainment goals of 55% by 2025 The President and national foundations have called for the U.S. to meet or exceed this goal To match 55% attainment, U.S. degree production must increase by 40% (16M graduates) over the period 2005-2025.* *NCHE, Adding it up: State Challenges for Increasing College Access and Success, November 2007.Rising Expectations Cross cultural belief: education offers hope for a better job, life, and role in society. Education is becoming accepted as a human right (Spellings Commission: Every citizen shall have the opportunity to earn a degree.) Universal participation in a post-secondary degree will become a 21stcentury requirement National Need: Impact The U.S. faces unprecedented need to expand capacity and raise attainment rates of a tertiary degree Opportunities will abound for both for-profit and not-for-profit providers to fulfill this need Cutbacks in public funding may limit expansion in traditional public institutions This need cannot be fulfilled through traditional bricks and mortar expansion 2. Major Demographic Shifts (U.S.) The emerging Hispanic & immigrant population The arrival of “The Third Agers”(55-79) and “Encore Careers”Hispanic & Immigrant Growth Projected U.S. population growth between 2005 and 2050:* 296 to 438 million Foreign born residents will double to 1in 5 Whites drop to 47% Blacks remain at 13% Asians grow to nearly 10% Hispanics will represent nearly a third *Pew Research Center, 2008Hispanic & Immigrant Growth By 2022 half public high school graduates will be minorities with Hispanics making up a fourth:* Many will aspire to be first time degree earners Many will come underprepared from substandard schools *Western Interstate Commission for Higher EducationImpact Projected Enrollment Increases in Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions 2006-2017 Whites5% Blacks26% Asian26% Hispanic39% *IES National Center for Educational Statistics, Sep 2008The Third Age: Tsunami Over 80 million “Boomers”born between 1945-1965 reach retirement in next 20. First to reach partial retirement (62): 2008 First to reach full Social Security ret.: 2012 Last Boomers to reach age 85: 2051 By 2030, over 20% of the U.S. will be 65 or older (70 million).* *ACE, Older Adults & Higher Education, 2007Third Age: Longevity Revolution 1950 2001 Average Retirement Age: 68 Life Expectancy: 68 62 78+The Third Age Will Continue to Work In 2004, 54.2 million adults in the U.S. were between 55-79. By 2014, 41% of those ≥55 will still be in the work force.* 66% of those now 50-59 plan to keep working 70% of those 50-70 plan to work at least part time** *Met Life Foundation & Civic Ventures survey,2005; **Merrill Lynch SurveyWhy They Won’t Retire? Fear of outliving incomes Unable or don’t want to continue current careers, but want or need to work New career interests; desire to contribute to something of value; new directions Self fulfillment.Changing Demographics: Impact No industry ignores demographic shifts that each represent 20% of the national population. Future tertiary student populations will be highly diverse in terms of: Age Ethnic/cultural background Previous educational experience Degree of preparation Economic status Technology fluencyChanging Demographics: Impact Additional pressures will be placed on HE to respond with programs and services that help these students succeed Many will come underprepared from previous educational experiences Many will be F-Gen learners Third Agers will need support services and programs tailored to their needs No one-size approach in delivery format, support services, or pedagogy will fit all.3. Technology Shift: Pervasive growth of online education, especially in the non-traditional market Interoperability revolution Breakthrough innovations in key educational applications and hardware, especially mobile devices. Impact of Web 2.0+ technologies on pedagogy, access to content, & servicesThe Online Delivery Revolution From 2002 to 2008 online enrollments grew at a annual compound rate of 19.0 % (versus 1.5% for all HE) By fall 2008, 25.3% (4.6 million) of all HE students took at least one online course* Growing acceptance of online education as good or better than f2f education** By 2020, half of all learning may be online*** *Allen & Seaman, Learning on demand (2009); **USDoE, Eval of evidence-based practice in online education (2009); ***Draves & Coates, Nine Shift (2004)Interoperability Revolution Increasing importance and use of standards so different technology systems, sites, and widgets can interact Quiet but pervasive change in way that different technologies now fit together invisibly at the user level Unparalleled access to micro and meta content and immediate functionality Breakthroughs in Key Applications E-reader technology (e-paper and e-plastic) iPhoneWeb-in-the-hand connectivity Within 5 years the typical mobile will have the computing power of today’s PC The rise of cloud computing Impact: M-learning explosion:E-reader Applications May 6, 2009 7:46 AM PDT Amazon's big-screen Kindle DX makes its debutE-reader Applications Wednesday, May 27, 2009 Plastic Logic's Touch-Screen E-ReaderE-reader Applications Dec/Jan 2010 over a dozen e-readers on the market: NookE-reader Applications QUE SamsungE-reader Applications SkiffE-reader Applications Jan 27, 2010: iPadThe Web 2.0 Revolution Internet: evolving from two dimensional theatre to a multidimensional cyber sphere The network ISthe platform Users add value Database gets better the more people use it Network is about getting the right information when you need itWeb 2.0 Culture: Openness as hallmark Open source and open content Micro content Metadata Users in charge Cloud computing Collaboration Swarm intelligence Social networking Networks of networks Spontaneity Dynamic, continuous changeTraditional Delivery ModelsTransitionAsynchronous Different Synchronous • ITV • Live Telecourses • IVN • Audio/Video Conferencing • Correspondence -Print Based -Audio/Video Tapes • Voice Mail • Online/WWW Time • Classroom • Face to face (f2f) Same • Computer Lab • Libraries P l a c e S a m e D i f f e r e n t Time The FutureOpen Content Movement Open Education Resources (OERs) Origins in the Open source movement Support from major foundations as Hewlett Foundation Philosophy: Knowledge belongs to humanity Knowledge grows when sharedCreative Commons Share, reuse, remix legally Defining the space between: “All rights reserved”and “No rights reserved”(public domain) Bringing balance between innovation and protection Non-profit: launched 2001/02 Now in 52 countries; 8 more pending 130 million objects on file Building International OER search projectTechnology Impact Technology systems will enable HE institutions to provide mass access to quality education at affordable costs Web 2.0+ technologies have the potential to change the classroom and learning opportunities as never before imagined Open content offers access to rich learning resources not before available to many institutions and studentsBut: Institutions will need to carefully assess which new technologies and approaches will be effective as opposed to fads Faculty will need to master basic Web 2.0+ technologies or become irrelevant Faculty roles must change from transferring content to transferring wisdom.4. Competitive Pressures Competition for the non-traditional student will intensify from both for-profit and not-for-profit sectors Supply may actually outpace demand Online delivery will enable competitors to leap over geographic/regulatory boundaries Online growth will come from schools that are well established and fully engaged* *SLOAN-C, Online Nation, October 2007Increasing Competition Private for-profit institutions are growing online enrollments 5 times the rate of public and private non-profit schools (2002 –fall 2006)* Public: 59% Private NFP: 49% Private FP: 340% By 2009, for-profits owned 42% of U.S. online sector** *SLOAN-C, Online Nation, October, 2007; **Perry, M. (2009)Competitive Pressures Earlier approaches to positioning and differentiation based on convenience and scheduling alone will not be enough Higher education institutions will need to take a “student centric”approach to attract and keep more students Institutions will need to move from “rhetoric toward evidence based marketing”* *Eduventures, February 2006.Competitive Impact Front door recruiting and admissions systems will become integrated with other institutional systems to reach prospective students Student success may become a competitive differentiator Student retention and persistence programs will take on strategic importance Early warning systems will become critical tools of retentionCompetitive Impact Higher education institutions will need to use the new technologies combined with process re-engineering principles to: Wrap student support and engagement systems around academic programs Gather critical operating metrics Scale delivery of programs and services Mass customize5. Regulatory Pressures Issues of cost and accountability will continue to demand attention Higher education will need to take charge of these issues or other interests will.Accountability Higher education: an industry focused too much on inputs and process, and too little on results Rising costs, public pressure, and increasing political concerns over “value for the money”will continue to push institutions toward a focus on results especially mastery of basic skills. Increasing costs Note: % growth in current dollars Source: CNNMoney.com Aug 22, 2008 from Bureau of Labor StatisticsAccountability Little more than half of all students enrolled in four years programs will graduate in 6 years* Student Retention if not addressed will become an explosive issue Large numbers of F-Gen and low income students will accentuate the problem Solutions will require “intentional”interventions designed into new student and enrollment management systems *American Enterprise Institute, 2009Higher Education Opp. Act 2008 Increased regulation & reporting Assessment of student achievement remains with institutions and accreditors: But will not go away Continued focus on: accessibility, affordability, accountability Renewal in 4 years; renewed attention in two depending on progress Regulatory Impact Retention and persistence strategies will take on critical importance with increasing numbers of low income and first degree seekers Non-traditional education programs will need to be creative in designing front door systems that help students stay connected and succeed If higher education does not address this problem others will solve it for usHow Must We Respond to Meet these Challenges? 1. Build scalable education programs that leverage technology and systems tools wisely to: Dramatically expand capacity Increase access Reduce per student costs [Now is the time for DE to fulfill its potential and its promise in the U.S.]How Must We Respond? 2. Design programs that while scalable are also customized to particular market segments and provide new inputs to the national HE pipeline: Capitalize on prior learning experiences Address language and technology fluency Link to directly with employer needsHow Must We Respond? 3. Provide technology driven, scalable support systems, wrapped around academic programs and mass customized to: Make students part of the learning community Address individual student needs Enable students to succeedHow Must We Respond? 4. Implement “intentional” persistence programs designed around academic programs and services to address the needs of high risk students: Front door systems that focus on individual students early in their academic experience Early warning systems that intervene before too late Clear paths through the curriculumHow Must We Respond? 5. Pursue realistic and systemic approaches to learning outcomes assessment: to assure students achieve or exceed baseline knowledge and skills in core areas necessary for employment and responsible citizenship in the 21stcentury.How Must We Respond? 6.Provide data-driven research that enables institutions and faculty to assess impact of new educational technologies, Web 2.0+ tools, OER, & delivery formats on: Costs Efficiency of learning Student learning outcomes Faculty productivity Institutional effectivenessHow Must We Respond? 7. Develop OER tracking systems that help faculty (and students) become aware of high quality resources that are appropriate to: The subject and pedagogical context of a particular course or program An individual student’s needsHow Must We Respond? 8. Require professional development as a condition of employment for faculty to: Enable mastery of Web 2.0+ technologies Facilitate moving from roles of transferring content to ones of transferring wisdom How Must We Respond? 9. Develop technology driven processes that reengineer and integrate institutional academic and administrative systems effectively to: Raise institutional productivity Lower the cost per student Support delivery of high quality programsForces of Change in the U.S. 1. Acute national need 2. Critical demographic shifts 3. Continued, rapid change in technology 4. Intense competition 5. Growing regulatory pressure for accountability and resultsMuch Work to Be Done Open and flexible distance learning institutions will need to be front and center to lead the changes that must take place Now is the time to fulfill the promise