Getting a job or improving career success is a primary reason why many students pursue a postsecondary degree or other credential. So it’s logical to assess the performance of colleges and universities – at least partially – by how their students fare after they leave. This week’s episode of The Key examines a new way of judging colleges and universities based on how quickly their students recoup what they spent out of pocket for their degree or certificate. (Spoiler alert: students at one-fifth...
Apr 14, 2021•30 min•Season 44Ep. 44
Merger is something of a dirty word in higher education, given that most of them are takeovers in which one college usually disappears. But as financial, demographic and other changes force many colleges to consider significant changes in how they operate, a cross-institutional collaboration of one sort or another – be it sharing of back-office operations, cooperation on academic programs or a merger – is likely to grow. In this week’s episode of The Key, we discuss the Transformation Partnershi...
Apr 06, 2021•45 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Adult students are key to meeting the postsecondary attainment goals in many states and the U.S., given the projected enrollment declines in traditional college-age Americans. Yet adults remain underrepresented in higher education, and they’ve been disproportionately hurt by the pandemic and ensuring recession. This episode of The Key explores the landscape of current and prospective adult learners, examining why they often struggle to find their way to and through college, the institutional pra...
Mar 30, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Use of free, openly licensed textbooks and other curricular materials have been on the rise amid growing concerns about college affordability. But uptake stalled last year as professors and students struggled with the transition to digital learning and the tumult of their lives, a new annual report on usage of OER finds. This week’s episode of The Key examines the state of open educational resources and other affordable textbook options with Jeff Seaman, co-director of Bay View Analytics and the...
Mar 23, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Inequality in digital access is not a new problem in higher education – but COVID-19 has spotlighted just how much some students struggle to stay connected to their colleges and universities because they lack adequate technology, sufficient internet access or safe, quiet places to study. This week’s episode of The Key delves into topics such as digital inequity, broadband access for online education, and digital literacy with Lindsay McKenzie, Inside Higher Ed’s technology reporter and author of...
Mar 09, 2021•42 min•Season 2Ep. 40
This episode explores Inside Higher Ed's news hub featuring student polling data, news and analysis to ensure that the perspective of college students is heard on the issues that matter in higher education. Student Voice's editor, Melissa Ezarik, discusses the goals of the new collaboration between Inside Higher Ed, College Pulse and Kaplan, and shares the findings of the first survey, which examines whether students feel "heard" in their classrooms and on their campuses. And Matthew To, a senio...
Mar 02, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Many colleges are seeing increases in reports of academic misconduct. In this episode, North Carolina State University’s Bradley Davis discusses a nearly three-fold increase in academic violations, what’s causing it, and how university officials are responding to it. And two national experts, David Rettinger and Kate McConnell, explore steps faculty members and administrators can take both to minimize cheating and to build a culture of academic integrity – with the goal of improving student lear...
Feb 16, 2021•45 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Do professors believe their virtual teaching improved with more time to prepare? Did institutions step up their training and support for instructors? And did some students fare better than others in the online and blended classroom? This week’s episode explores those questions with Kristen Fox of Tyton Partners and Jessica Rowland Williams of Every Learner Everywhere – with answers both heartening and troubling.
Feb 02, 2021•35 min•Season 2Ep. 37
This episode features Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, and Juana Sánchez, senior associate on the HCM Strategists postsecondary team. We analyze the national data on postsecondary enrollment, with a focus on the particularly damaging impact the pandemic and the recession have had on the most vulnerable students – those from underrepresented minority groups and low-income backgrounds, working learners and adults.
Jan 19, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 36
This episode looks back at 2020 and the podcast's eight months of discussions about the impact of the pandemic on higher education and vulnerable college students. Erin Hennessy , a vice president at TVP Communications, joined us to talk about what we learned during this unprecedented year. The episode also features portions of interviews from the previous 34 episodes, including discussions about the pivot to distance education, the difference between "toxic positivity" and trying to be hopeful,...
Dec 30, 2020•45 min•Ep. 36
This episode features leaders from Purdue Global University and Broward College in Florida, two institutions that are focused on offering credentials that work for under-served student groups, including students who hold down jobs while pursuing credentials. Gregory Adam Haile , Broward's president, talked about the college's work to add short-term credentials that are stackable and feature embedded professional certifications. He also talked about how the college travels into its community to h...
Dec 15, 2020•38 min•Ep. 35
Many colleges and universities have partnered with ed tech companies to help expand their online offerings. This episode looks at two different approaches to partnering online. We spoke with Andrew Clark , the founder, president and CEO of Zovio, a publicly traded education technology services company that just closed on the sale of its online Ashford University to the University of Arizona. Clark talked about the partnership between Zovio and the new University of Arizona Global Campus as well ...
Dec 08, 2020•35 min•Ep. 34
Many colleges and universities wrapped up their fall terms before Thanksgiving. We spoke with officials from two institutions -- Paul Quinn College and the University of Notre Dame -- about their efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of students this fall. Michael Sorrell , Paul Quinn's president, talked about how the work college sought to stay connected with students during an online term. He also described his take on how college leaders should look out for students' best interests. Chr...
Dec 02, 2020•40 min•Ep. 33
Joseph I. Castro , Fresno State's president, will become chancellor of the California State University System in January. The system is one of the nation's largest , enrolling roughly 500,000 students across 23 campuses. Castro talked about his top priorities as he steps into the new role, including to continue Cal State's push to improve student completion rates while cutting achievement gaps. He also discussed the need for state, federal and philanthropic investment to help Cal State students ...
Nov 24, 2020•19 min•Ep. 32
This year has been filled with challenges for college athletics, as programs wrestle with safety protocols, COVID-19 outbreaks, game cancellations and the elimination of some team sports amid widespread financial pain. To help get a handle on where things stand -- and where they're headed -- we spoke with Amy Privette Perko , CEO of the Knight Commission, a nonprofit organization of college leaders focused on reforming athletics. Perko spoke about big-time college football's season so far, budge...
Nov 17, 2020•29 min•Ep. 31
Some experts think competency-based learning could get a boost amid the pandemic, in part because of the flexibility CBE programs offer to students. To get the lay of the land, we spoke with Charla Long , executive director of the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), a national consortium of colleges and systems. Long talked about the outlook for CBE and what might take it to the next level. We also spoke with Dick Senese , the president of Capella University. Senese described how Capella...
Nov 10, 2020•35 min•Ep. 30
A growing body of evidence finds high student anxiety and uncertainty about what comes after college. To get a better sense of how students are feeling, we spoke with Livia and Julia Morris, recent UC Davis grads who conducted a survey of college students around the country. The survey featured questions about career exploration. We also spoke with Kai Drekmeier, the founder and chief development officer at InsideTrack , which offers coaching and other supports to students. Drekmeier talked abou...
Nov 04, 2020•38 min•Ep. 29
Student transfer is down this fall, with new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center showing the anticipated influx of students transferring to community colleges from four-year institutions didn't happen. To make sense of these numbers, we spoke Iris Palmer , a senior advisor for higher education and workforce with the education policy program at New America. Palmer talked about state policies and incentives to help students transfer more seamlessly. We also spoke with Alis...
Oct 27, 2020•29 min•Ep. 28
As higher education faces a potential exodus of students -- particularly lower-income students who attend community colleges -- what role could creative financing play in helping students bridge the gap from college to a career? Chris Keaveney thinks Meritize can be part of solution. The private lender focuses on reducing risk and friction for students, colleges and employers. Keaveney, the founder and CEO, talked about what the model could mean for skills-based learning. We also spoke with Carl...
Oct 20, 2020•33 min•Ep. 27
A growing body of research has shown that anxiety and mental health issues have become primary concerns for college students. To get a leadership perspective on this challenge, we spoke with Elfred Anthony Pinkard , the president of Wilberforce University, who talked about how his students have been coping with the nation's racial reckoning as well as the pandemic. We also spoke with Dr. Alan Dennington , the chief medical officer at TimelyMD, a telehealth provider focused on college students, w...
Oct 13, 2020•30 min•Ep. 26
Amid fears about a possible exodus of lower-income students from postsecondary education, and community colleges in particular, what can policymakers do to help vulnerable students stay on track? For answers, we spoke with Morna Foy , president of the Wisconsin Technical College System. Foy spoke about barriers faced by students across the system and why she and other two-year college leaders want more federal stimulus help for part-time students. Also featured in this episode is Lexi Barrett , ...
Oct 06, 2020•33 min•Ep. 25
The pandemic has brought new urgency to the creation of a learner record system, which could help students more smoothly transfer between colleges and find a job. We spoke with Scott Cheney , the CEO of Credential Engine, to hear about the potential for such a system, as well as how his organization is seeking to bring transparency to credentials while creating a marketplace for them. Also featured in this episode is Kendall Bailey , who leads SEI Labs. She spoke about how interoperable learner ...
Sep 29, 2020•36 min•Ep. 24
The College of Health Care Professions is the largest producer of allied health graduates in Texas. Most of its students are Latino, Black and from lower-incomes backgrounds. We spoke with Eric Bing , CHCP's CEO, to hear how the college and its students are holding up during the pandemic. Bing talked about how the college has designed its credentials to be stackable, and how higher education can better serve adult students. This episode is sponsored by Cengage , from online to hyflex learning, C...
Sep 22, 2020•28 min•Ep. 23
Community colleges and their students are wrestling with plenty of challenges this fall, including obstacles related to affordability, childcare and the digital divide. We spoke with two community college leaders to hear what their institutions are doing to help keep students on track. Sue Ellspermann is president of Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana's statewide two-year system. She spoke about how Ivy Tech used its CARES Act funding and what she'd like to see in a future federal stimulus. We ...
Sep 15, 2020•32 min•Ep. 22
Amid growing evidence the pandemic and recession are worsening equity gaps , Excelencia in Education last month released an analysis on Latino representation in higher education, as well as on degree attainment and completion rates. We spoke with Deborah Santiago , Excelencia's co-founder and CEO, about the report's findings and to hear about key data points it identified. She also spoke about what some institutions are doing right with Latino students and where opportunities exist for colleges ...
Sep 08, 2020•21 min•Ep. 21
Consumers and employers increasingly are turning to short-term, online alternatives to the college degree , and alternative credential pathways are projected to grow in popularity. To help make sense of this complex issue, we spoke with Paul Freedman , a veteran of innovations in online education and president of the Learning Marketplace at Guild Education, a major player in employer-connected online learning. We also spoke with Jane Oates , president of WorkingNation and a former official at th...
Sep 01, 2020•32 min•Ep. 20
Earlier this month the University of Arizona announced a deal to acquire Ashford University, a fully online, for-profit institution enrolling roughly 35,000 students. The arrangement, which in some ways resembles Purdue University's 2017 acquisition of Kaplan University, quickly drew lots of attention, and controversy . To help make sense of the news, we spoke with Kelly McManus , director of higher education for Arnold Ventures and formerly director of government affairs for the Education Trust...
Aug 24, 2020•35 min•Ep. 19
Michael Yarbrough, an assistant professor of law and society at the City University of New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and his students in a senior colloquium this spring documented the pandemic's impact on CUNY, students in the class and their families. Marjorie Valbrun, a senior editor at Inside Higher Ed, wrote about the group project. And Yarbough wrote about it in a powerful opinion piece in the New York Daily News. For this episode, Valbrun spoke with Yarbrough and Paula-C...
Aug 06, 2020•33 min•Ep. 18
Many colleges were facing financial pressure before the pandemic. But the crisis has exacerbated those challenges and stoked more questions about the sustainability of colleges with shaky finances. Nick Ducoff is cofounder and CEO of Edmit , a college financial education company. He has weighed in on this issue with projections of when private colleges are likely to run out of money. We spoke with Nick about those analyses and the gaps he sees in what students and their parents can find out abou...
Jul 28, 2020•34 min•Ep. 17
Many questions loom about remote learning in coming months. Will online offerings from colleges be more sophisticated? What steps need to be taken to ensure academic quality in online learning? And will short-term credentials be more popular? To get some answers to these tricky questions, we spoke with Lori Williams , president and CEO of NC-SARA. Williams discussed ideas from an opinion piece she wrote for Inside Higher Ed on the role for states in quality assurance in online education. We also...
Jul 21, 2020•32 min•Ep. 16
