In my 25 years in and around higher education, I have always subscribed to the “fix and disrupt” school of innovation. With this mindset, I try not to wring my hands at the fact that millions fewer learners are enrolling in college now than in 2010—the disruption is forcing higher education to innovate.
The latest numbers show that enrollment is starting to recover, but the real growth areas are not for four-year degrees. More than 2.4 million students came to college last fall for certificates or “non-degree” credentials, part of a shift in consumer and employer demand for “just-in-time” learning. Plus, 1.6 million high school students signed up for classes to get a jump on or skip the degree gauntlet. Learners are asking for new models even before those models are well understood, well publicized, well-funded or well evaluated.
I’ve spent the last decade speaking with learners who have broken out of the traditional four-year college route, and their work-arounds presage the future. Consider the story of Patrick, who used the industry certifications he earned in high school to catapult himself to a six-figure salary by age 23, without college. Patrick had not seen himself as college material and didn’t even get into the one university to which he applied.
Read more at MinnPost.
