Southern

Regional

Education

Board

Are We Ready for the New Realities in the 21st Century Ivory Tower?

Bruce Chaloux

Student Access Programs & Services

Southern Regional Education Board

ONLINE LIFELINE CONFERENCEValdosta State University

Southern

Regional

Education

Board

Is Online Learning Contributing to the Collapse or Will We Be Its

Savior?

Our Crumbling Ivory Tower…

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Remarks Today

· Whimsical? Moving in a different direction· Our changing higher education

environment…and you/we are part of it· The U.S. Challenge· Georgia’s Challenge· Policy Challenges· Is there a new Tower emerging?· SREB degree completion focus· A major (grave?) challenge at hand

· Q & A…or your turn to express opinions

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Education

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The Challenge in the U.S.

· Over the last generation we’ve moved

from 1st in educational attainment to 12th· Overall education attainment is projected

to decrease for the first time· Billions of dollars (federal/state)are spent on

activity that never leads to a credential· Worse: millions of students are trying,

but experiencing significant failures that

put their futures (and ours) at risk

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The Challenge in Georgia

· High marks on access· Well above regional and national averages

on enrolling high school graduates

BUT· Below regional and national averages on six

year graduation rates· On national and regional averages for adults

with degrees (imports?)· Huge annual increases in degree awards

needed

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Education

Board

Estimated College Enrollment Rates of Recent High School Graduates

Fall 1998 Fall 2008

57%63%

56%62%60%

72%

U.S. SREB GA

GA Postsecondary Certificates & Degrees

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

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Board

GA

SREB

U.S.

50%

53%

55%

Six-Year Graduation Rates in 2008for First-Time, Full-Time Freshmen Who Entered

Public Four-Year Colleges and Universities in Fall 2002

GA Postsecondary Certificates & Degrees

Source: SREB-State Data Exchange

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U.S. SREB GA

27% 25% 27%

17% 17% 19%

13% 14% 13%

29% 27%30%

All Black Hispanic White

GA Postsecondary Certificates & Degrees

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Adults With Bachelor’s Degrees or Higher 2008

College-Going Rates—First-Time Freshmen Directly Out of High School as a Percent of Recent High

School Graduates, 2006

61

.6

76

.1

44

.8

0

25

50

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irgin

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ona

Source: Tom Mortenson, Postsecondary Opportunity

Bachelor's Degrees Awarded per 100 FTE Students Public Four-Year (2006-07)

Sources: NCES, IPEDS 2006-07 Completions File; c2007_a Early Release Data File Downloaded 04-28-08; NCES, IPEDS 2006-07 Instructional Activity File; efia2007 Final Release Data File; NCES, IPEDS 2006-07 Unduplicated Headcount File; effy2007 Final Release Data File.; NCES, IPEDS Fall 2006 Enrollment

File; ef2006a Final Release Data File.

25

.52

3.9

23

.82

3.2

22

.92

2.4

22

.22

1.7

21

.32

1.2

21

.12

0.9

20

.92

0.6

20

.32

0.2

20

.12

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19

.91

9.9

19

.91

9.8

19

.71

9.6

19

.51

9.5

19

.51

9.4

19

.41

9.3

19

.21

9.2

18

.81

8.8

18

.41

8.1

18

.01

7.9

17

.71

7.6

17

.61

7.5

17

.51

7.3

17

.01

6.5

16

.41

5.7

15

.71

5.4

8.5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

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nd

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org

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xico

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tah

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Contributing to the Goal: Average Annual % Increase in Degree Production Needed

Sources: NCES, IPEDS 2006-07 Completions File; c2007_a Early Release Data File Downloaded 04-28-08; NCES, IPEDS 2006-07 Instructional Activity File; efia2007 Final Release Data File; NCES, IPEDS 2006-07 Unduplicated Headcount File; effy2007 Final Release Data File.; NCES, IPEDS Fall 2006 Enrollment

File; ef2006a Final Release Data File.

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Degree Attainment Challenge

· With this backdrop, new national goals, U.S. competitiveness and degree “gap” driving policy

· Given the percentage increases each state needs to contribute to reaching our national goals….and

· Given the time it will take to reach these percentage increases with traditional-aged students…and

· Given the changing demographics in many states…

· Opportunities for online learning

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Accountability

· Greater pressure to produce graduates (or completers)

· Our rates of completion are difficult to defend

· 40 million working age adults with some college and no degree (adding nearly one million a year to that total)

· Funding changes that focus on rewarding completion

· Challenges for the for-profit sector likely to be applied to the non-profit sector

· Online programming can reach and serve many in the degree completion market

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Tuition and Fees

· Every indication that tuition and fees will continue to rise (tax that is not considered a tax)· Redefining “public” institutions

· Seeing some interesting tuition strategies in online learning

· Increasing rates and fees for technology and “convenience” fees for online learners· Revenue replacement for fees paid by on-campus

students

· “Market pricing” · Movement away from in-state/out-of-state tuition policy

in the public sector?

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Policy “Potpourri”

· Outsourcing

· Straighter Line?

· Requirements for traditional students to complete some portion of their program online

· New competitors in the marketplace

· Emergence (re-emergence) of state regulatory efforts for online programming across state lines

· Prior Learning Assessment (CAEL’s new effort)

· Outcomes-based degrees?

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The Emerging Ivory Tower

· Greater reliance on adjunct faculty

· Emerging cadre of professional online faculty teaching remotely for multiple institutions

· The WGU Phenomena

· Competency-based degrees

· Reduced time to degree

· Break the “seat-in-a-seat” model

· WGU Indiana…is it coming to other states?

· On campus learning driven by technology, mobile devices, virtual communities

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The Emerging Ivory Tower (2)

· E-books and e-course packs

· More student ‘swirling’

· Greater workforce focus

· Self-paced learning

· More a la carte approaches to pricing

· Blended learning will become main strategy for traditional campuses

· All things virtual…but fear not, we still enjoy football on Saturday’s (and Thursday’s and Friday’s…)

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An SREB Focus on Degrees

· Full Court Press on Degree Completion as Outlined in “No Time to Waste”

· Get copy of report from SREB.org· Focus

· Better job of preparation for college· One in college, get students to a credential· If they drop out, get them back in at some point

· Growing awareness of our poor degree completion results by state legislatures suggests new accountability on success (and not just access) tied to funding

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Even if we achieve success getting traditional-aged

students to degree completion at the highest

levels in top states, we will not achieve national goals…

The Broader Challenge…

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First, if what we are doing was working, we wouldn’t have millions of young adults without degrees—our approaches need to be different.

SREB’s “Guiding Principles”

1. Online or blended delivery2. Accelerated (compressed) terms3. Institutions become “adult friendly”4. Supportive credit transfer/PLA

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Programs Built on These Principles Provide…

· More Flexible Programs that Meet Adult Needs• Time, Location, Length, Delivery Formats

· Pathways to Degrees that Give Some Hope of Completion

· Services Designed to Meet the Needs of Adult Learners (re-designed or new)

· More Adult-Friendly Policies• Credit Transfer/Acceptance• Prior Learning Assessment Opportunities• Financial Aid/Assistance for “non-traditional

learners

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Coming Soon…TheAdultLearner.org

· Four-year grant from Lumina Foundation for Education (part of a $14m initiative)

· Establish a regional and then national portal focusing on adult degree completion· Programs (initially focusing on SREB

states efforts· Services

• Advising • Career Services• Prior Learning Assessment

· Policy (state and institutional)

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Here Come the Feds…

· New federal requirements going into effect July 1, 2011 (600.9)

· Institutions serving students outside their home state must meet all state requirements· No consideration for “physical presence”· Can’t be exempted from state approval by

accreditation· Failure to have evidence of approval will

make institution ineligible for Title IV funding

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Impact/Implications

· State approval/licensure requirements are uneven (at best) and problematic

· Most public institutions have operated in an unfettered way in states, in particular those with a few students and no other presence

· Time-consuming and costly· One institution in North Dakota

• 600+ online students in 40+ states• Estimated cost of $160,000 for approval• 8 student in MA--$28,000• 5 students in TN--$29,000

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SREB’s Stance and Actions

· Since inception of Electronic Campus, we have operated in a “free trade zone”· Home state “sign-off” of programs

recognized by other SREB states· Consortial or reciprocity agreements allowable

under the new regs· Seeking clarification from feds as to our

continuing use to meet new regs· Broader campaign to repeal, amend or delay

implementation· At this point, some action by July 1…

YOU NEED TO TAKE ACTION

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What Should Institutions Do?

· Assuming we do not get clarification/clearance to continue “free trade zone” (and if you are offering programming outside the region…

· Send a letter to every state· Inform them you offer online programs and may have

now or in the future students enrolling in programs• What is there regulatory requirements?• What do you need to do?• What is there process?• How long does it take?• How much does it cost?• Request response by July 1 to meet new federal regulations

· DOCUMENT EVERYTHING.

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Some Available Resources

· SREB· Applicable federal regs (600.9)http://edocket.access.gop.gov/2010/pdf/2010-26531.pdf

· State Approval “Starter List”http://wcet.wiche.edu/wcet/advance/state-approval

· Blog (by Russ Poulin, WCET-WICHEhttp://wcetblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/629/

· Your national membership organizations (e.g. AASCU, APLU, AACC)

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Thank You…

sreb.orgelectroniccampus.org

soon…TheAdultLearner.org

Bruce Chalouxbruce.chaloux@sreb.org