New Models for University Attendance
Sixth in a series on rural universities.
Flexible learning models in universities are evolving to accommodate various student needs, work-life balance and advancements in technology, reports University Business. These models are transforming higher education to be more accessible and innovative. While many variations appeal to students in any location, these can be especially important to students and institutions serving dispersed populations in rural areas.
Hybrid or blended learning, online programs, micro-credentials, modular offerings, competency-based education, flexible scheduling, AI-powered personalized learning, experiential and work-integrated learning, flexible assessments and subscription-based learning opportunities, as well as other approaches to university study allow for scheduling, interaction and participation to fit the needs of an evolving, highly individualized student demographic. Responsive rural universities, to recruit and provide needed contemporary service to a wide range of students, will build programs to fit the needs of one student at a time, which simultaneously do not compromise quality. According to Panopto, the choice to fit needs and circumstances empowers both the student and the institution.
Hybrid learning combines online and in-person instruction, allowing students the flexibility to live, work and attend to the circumstances of their lives. Several universities have been especially strident in the pursuit of hybrid learning models. Penn State University, the University of Maryland, Drexel University, the University of Wisconsin System and Arizona State University all provide opportunities for learners locally and globally catering to a widely dispersed and ever-changing population of students. Notable for their absence in the above list are rural institutions, yet educational needs are high in rural America. The Progressive Policy Institute reports that 28% of rural Americans have a college degree, but in urban areas, 41% have completed an undergraduate degree. Access could be the difference.
Fully online programs have enhanced the opportunity for many to study at both the bachelor’s and graduate levels. Typically, there are asynchronous and synchronous class options coupled with self-paced modules and various forms of multimedia content on the desktops of learners in varied locations. WT is a pioneer in digital education, offering an online MBA program as far back as 1997 and was a national leader in distance education for several years. Additionally, online programs, especially for degrees considered to be promotion degrees like a certification of capability and commitment, allow for promotion and career advancement within a chosen enterprise or field of professional work. At the undergraduate level, degrees in business administration, computer science, psychology, health information management, liberal studies, agricultural sciences and even nursing are prospering as online programs.
The impact of online learning has been so influential that new classroom configurations to support instruction and learning are being developed. Tradeline offers an inventory of various changes that are occurring on college campuses to support online instruction. EDUCAUSE and the Society for College and University Planning also support various space and technology requirements for online teaching and learning. The effects of these changes have been responded to at West Texas A&M University with the $45 million remodeling of the Geneva Schaeffer Education Building on the Canyon campus. It will become a nerve center to reach online learners in a way that is responsive to their needs as rural Americans.
Micro-credentials are means to create short, stackable courses and certifications that will eventually lead to a ‘ ‘bachelor’s degree. Typically, such credentials focus on specific skills or competencies. In the best cases, these certifications can be combined to satisfy the requirements of traditional degree programs. Oregon State University offers micro-credentials comprising 9 to 12 credits, allowing the students to get specialized knowledge without a full-time commitment to a 120-hour ‘ ‘bachelor’s degree. At the University of Central Oklahoma, stackable micro-credentials bundle in areas such as computer science and allow people to take a stepwise approach to a ‘ ‘bachelor’s degree. Forbes reports that in August of 2023, The University of Texas System partnered with Coursera to integrate micro-credentials into its curricular offerings related to technology degrees. The University of Arizona provides professional credentials as a free, self-paced, co-curricular opportunity as part of its career readiness efforts covering topics from social media marketing to data science.
At WT, we have recently launched a significant commitment to micro-credentials by awarding an ‘ ‘associate’s degree to every student completing the core curriculum and who is 18 hours from a specified major. This provides a stop opportunity for students who may want to pay down indebtedness incurred in the first two years of study by recognizing a milestone on the way to a ‘ ‘bachelor’s degree. WT is the only university in Texas to offer this option, according to the Dallas Morning News. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System worked together with the office of the Chancellor to create this innovative approach to a certificate of value recognizing the importance of the core curriculum.
At WT, we are working diligently to be responsive to the changing needs of students as we complete one-quarter of the 21st century as a rural serving university. Rural universities must be responsive with specialized offerings that meet the needs of individual students in pursuit of their educational aspirations, or the university will go the way of “your father’s Oldsmobile.”
Walter V. Wendler, President of West Texas A&M University. His weekly columns, with hyperlinks, are available at https://walterwendler.com/.
