There is a massive debate around the safety of having kids return to school, but all too often, universities and colleges are left out of the discussion. Though it is far easier to get a group of young adults to socially distance in their classrooms, this doesn’t address the fundamental changes to the structure of education.
To succeed, institutions must turn to their digital counterparts for inspiration and guidance. There are many great online degrees out there that are not just being converted for online learning but were designed for that very purpose. Their structure and format are what make them so successful and so popular. What do these online degrees have that’s different? Four major traits:
1. Flexible Learning Experience
As this Boston College Online MHA proves, flexible education is essential when it comes to the online degree format. Not only will this allow students to take up jobs or internships, it will also help accommodate education with a study-from-home approach. Coordinating with multiple students who may now live in different time zones or have additional responsibilities to help make ends meet is a nightmare without that flexibility. Taking a flexible approach to the timetable will provide more support to all of your students.
2. Employer-Aligned Curriculum
Theory and philosophical-based degrees are going to hurt the most attempting to translate to an online model. These degrees work best through open discussion and debate, which can be severely hampered when attempting to recreate on a zoom call. That is why all degrees need to start to work with employers to create either new courses, or update existing ones, to be practical based. Theoretical courses should be pushed back on the timeframe for when students and faculty can reconvene.
In the digital world, that Master’s in Healthcare Administration is going to be far easier to complete, and far more rewarding to its students than a degree in philosophy. Online, value is paramount, and all accredited schools offering online human services degrees need to reassess to prove every day that their degree is valuable.
3. Combination of Live and Digital
Online degrees need to be more than just a collection of digital resources. There needs to be a combination of live resources, like lectures, to accompany digital resources. Instructor-led sessions and ongoing support is still a must. In fact, without these live services and support, the cost of tuition will be a waste. Institutions need to do more now than ever before to provide an excellent level of services to students, or else be deemed a waste of time, energy, and funding.
Existing digital-first degrees have already circumnavigated this issue by providing key information in a flexible format designed to be completed quickly.
4. Focus on Digital Services
Digital support services will be more important than ever. This could mean having a student advisor available on chat as well as email. It could also mean investing in additional access to online learning resources. Universities will need to figure out how they can replace the value of a library, career services, and departments and translate those benefits into an online setting that isn’t clunky or difficult to use.
