Even before the coronavirus pandemic rocked higher education, colleges and universities were facing immense challenges that required them to change their traditional way of conducting business.
Competition has increased both from universities expanding their markets and from non-traditional organizations offering just-in-time training at very low costs, such as Google’s newly launched career certificates. Students began demanding faster time-to-completion, expanded evidence of outcomes, and relevant skills to prepare them for today’s workforce—all of which strained the typical program-management playbook. And the evolution of local markets and national industries accelerated as they integrated more technology into their workflows and sought different-in-kind talent.
These external forces, combined with COVID-19, have elevated the importance of designing programs that not only attract and retain graduate, online, and adult students, but also prepare students to meet newly emerging academic and professional goals.
Below are three principles to consider when developing new programs or reformatting existing programs to appeal to today’s professionals.
1. Eliminate false barriers to entry
While admissions requirements can convey selectivity or encourage persistence among students, many institutions list extraneous admissions criteria that they have little intention of enforcing.
Across our research, we heard of countless program administrators waiving admissions requirements on an ad hoc or by-request basis, including GPA minimums, required graduate admissions tests, and application fees. But determined applicants can often find their way around these false barriers to entry. And these publicized requirements may needlessly deter other applicants and ultimately narrow the admissions funnel.
After all, adult students typically spend less than two hours on program applications. Many are hesitant to take expensive, time-consuming graduate admissions tests. They also typically apply to two or fewer schools, so stringent application requirements could reduce program inquiries, applications, and enrollments as students choose other programs with less visible constraints.
2. Create inviting on-ramps into time-intensive programs
Bootcamps are far from a new offering. From 2014 to 2019, the number of students graduating from coding bootcamps alone increased 954 percent. And it’s no wonder enrollment in bootcamps has grown. Bootcamps allow students to gain concrete skills within weeks or months instead of years, which is something most traditional certificate and degree programs cannot deliver.
However, bootcamps are usually offered as a standalone credential. They are an island unto themselves. They may provide a professional pathway for participants, but any student looking to stack them into further academic or educational pursuits at a college or university will find themselves out of luck.
3. Offer curricular customization to meet shifting labor market needs
As the skills that companies seek continue to grow more nuanced, colleges and universities must find more ways for students to personalize their education. Yet at the same time, colleges must also resist the urge to develop programs that are too niche and limit their prospective student audience.
Institutions can thread the needle between personalization and scale by ramping up elective courses and concentration options within larger, “catch-all” programs. Some institutions go so far as to recognize master’s students’ work within their concentrations with formalized certificates.
As the landscape for professional career education becomes more crowded, student demand evolves, and the economy requires more specialized and diverse skills, colleges and universities must innovate their current offerings to remain effective. By reevaluating admissions requirements, developing educational and professional pathways within programs, and offering personalization options through degrees, institutions can design innovative credentials that not only attract students but also prepare them for both educational and professional success.
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