As colleges and universities adapt to new demands from families and policymakers, accreditation processes are evolving alongside them, says Maria Toyoda, CEO of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, on this episode of the University Business Podcast.
One way is how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will force higher education to focus more on post-graduation outcomes. “We have a responsibility to provide our institutions with tools and guidance to meet accountability requirements set by the federal government, Department of Education and, in some cases, the Department of Labor,” says Toyoda.
Harnessing data that measures post-graduate income across market sectors will be a challenging task for higher education. Nontraditional students, who enter and exit college at different intervals than the typical high school graduate, add further complexity.
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“To ensure our institutions remain student-centered, it may be time to rethink how we serve our learners and reassess whether we are lowering the barriers to education,” Toyoda says.
Toyoda believes things like flexible class schedules, more online options and new infrastructure supporting student credit transfers could help institutions keep busy students balancing work and studies.
Furthermore, the accreditation agency is developing new data tools and dashboards to help colleges capture new student outcomes data. However, higher education must remain flexible in how it evaluates student success as AI continues to reshape markets, the economy and society at large, Toyoda expressed.
“I hope that at some point we have a national conversation about accountability in terms of things that may be difficult to measure, such as critical thinking. I can’t think of a more important skill in this brave new world of AI.”
