As colleges across the country grapple with the realities of COVID-19 and the impact it will inevitably have on their ability to serve existing students and attract new ones, a growing number of institutions are exploring innovative ways to kill two birds with one stone. To explore this trend, we need only look at one state that is getting hit particularly hard by the virus: Florida.
While most Florida schools are doing their best to reestablish some level of normalcy this fall, it’s no secret that students aren’t particularly happy with the transition to remote learning. Let’s take a look at how one Florida university is finding an innovative way to provide added financial support via flexible employment for their own students, while simultaneously giving back to the community.
Florida Polytechnic University’s STEM Nation
It is well known that STEM occupations are in urgent demand. Despite this, the talent pipeline is narrowing and COVID-19 significantly derailed academic momentum in crucial gateway courses. Without progress along these critically sequenced course pathways, the road to STEM disciplines is dramatically at risk, especially for minority populations.
As the newest member of the State University System of Florida, and the first STEM-focused institution in the state, Florida Polytechnic University or “Florida Poly” has already established a strong reputation for taking an innovative approach to higher education. And now, in the midst of a pandemic, this new institution is embarking on a new initiative to combat the STEM learning loss brought on by COVID-19.
Florida Poly, ranked in the top 40 in the country among engineering colleges without a doctorate according to US News, is partnering with a Florida-based educational technology company to build out a virtual network of peer tutors to help high school students enrich their academic experience this fall. While helping their own students is the top priority, Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, Dr. Ben Matthew Corpus, dared to dream a little bit bigger.
“We knew that we needed to provide additional support for our students but we also saw that the surrounding community was in need of high-quality tutoring resources as well. That’s why we decided to partner with Knack to build a network of tutors who could provide support for both. Not only will this help us ensure that students in our local community have access to the resources they need to be successful, and also provide impactful job opportunities for our top students serving as peer tutors for the community; it may even result in some of these high school students matriculating to our institution in the next few years. In the end, everyone benefits from this partnership.”
By intentionally partnering with high schools, this innovative partnership will increase academic preparation, develop a much-needed STEM pipeline, provide high-impact peer support, and assist teachers with additional learning support during a time of immense complexity. Florida Polytechnic University seems to be leading the way for its peer institutions by leveraging technology to unify student communities via educationally purposeful peer interactions, something that’s missing while we are socially distanced.
