by: Eric Simons, PHP Programmer for Knowledge to Work and HigherEd.org, Lord Fairfax Community College, VA
The Saylor Higher Education Summit 2017 took place on June 21 and 22 in Washington, DC. It was a smaller, more intimate gathering. It was nice to have so many opportunities to meet and talk with others throughout the industry. Hats off to the Saylor Academy, Jeff Davidson, and his entire staff for putting together a truly top-notch event.
Heather Hiles, Deputy Director of Postsecondary Success at the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was one of the keynote speakers. Heather was very well received and personally, someone I looked forward to hearing from. She shared her personal thoughts as well as a lot of great information. For example, based on research performed at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, they believe that by the year 2025, we can expect to see 4.3 million students dropping out of 4-year institutions, most of whom will need help completing their degrees. In addition, we can expect to see 5 million more that have chosen not to attend college and will need some form of credential. These numbers are huge and present a real need and opportunity for alternative credentials. One trend they have identified that I found particularly disturbing is that, based on their research, only 11% of the employers polled believe college graduates have the skills they need for entry-level jobs. This research paints a picture of an education system that is failing students. I see a tremendous need for offering alternative credentials to learners as well as focusing on competency-based learning to ensure we are preparing students for employment.
Are 4-year institutions going away? Absolutely not. In fact, that was the topic of discussion in a panel titled, “Alternative Credentials vs. Degrees: Entrée, Complement, or Replacement?” On this panel, Jeremiah Shifflett, Database Administrator for the Knowledge to Work project and HigherEd.org at Lord Fairfax Community College, Katie Hall, Director of Communications at Corporation for a Skilled
Workforce, and Stephanie Krauss, Director of Special Projects at Jobs for the Future, discussed competency-based learning. Panel members
discussed many topics, but I felt the most important was the need for employer buy-in to establish the competencies needed to perform their job roles. This need was also mirrored during a discussion panel that included Cody Cleverly, Manager of Academic Programs at JetBlue, in which he discussed his success with a partnership between Saylor Academy, their courses, and Thomas Edison State University. Cody also pointed out something for other well-respected employers to consider. If employers are seen as the provider of health coverage, why shouldn’t they also be responsible for personal growth through education? He made the point that it’s in the employer’s best interest to have an educated workforce, but that employers would never pay for full time, long term, and expensive educational programs (except for executive-level MBAs).
It’s clear that competency-based education, together with open educational resources, will play a strong role in preparing our workforce for the future. Based on remarks made during the competency-based assessment panel, some employers have already moved from requiring a degree as a proxy for the attainment of knowledge and have gone to a competency checklist, so those who have had to prepare a portfolio for a prior learning assessment already have a leg up.
Discover upcoming other upcoming open education events here.