Graduate study provides opportunity for new and returning students. Re-thinking graduate programs … [+]
Universities are looking to the coming academic year with hope, cautious optimism, and a little fear. Reopening strategies announced thus far vary widely. Some campuses expect to be open in the fall with a return of face-to-face instruction. Some have already signaled their plans for a hybrid model that blends face-to-face and virtual class settings. Others have committed to remaining in a remote teaching and learning mode through the fall 2020 semester. Several universities have announced they are ending the fall semester early, fearing a second wave of COVID-19.
Graduate students represent a different cohort of learners from the undergraduate population. They are older, more mature, more self-directed, and less inclined to seek out large social gatherings. Their academic programs also are different. Class sizes are typically smaller and there is often more small-group and one-on-one interaction between the graduate student and her/his advisor. Many graduate students are involved in research, independently or as part of a (typically) small group. Often they work independently and typically they live off-campus. In short, graduate students (1) use the campus and its facilities differently, and (2) engage in learning and discovery differently from undergraduate students.
This suggests an opportunity for universities to phase in their campus operations with this lower risk population, focusing virtual classes (online teaching and learning) on the undergraduate population for the fall semester, and allowing graduate and professional students to be the first to return to campus for instruction and research. Beyond allowing for continuation of ongoing and time-sensitive research, this also would allow universities to learn from the experience of returning graduate students, and provide them with time to plan for the more challenging return of undergraduate students (larger classes, on-campus housing and dining, athletics, social gatherings).
But the pandemic also reveals other opportunities universities might consider and, indeed, could capitalize on the mutual benefit to their missions, their states, and the broader society.
More than 40 million Americans have filed for first-time unemployment benefits since the coronavirus pandemic forced the US economy to shut down in March. One in four American workers has filed for unemployment insurance and as many as 40% of those jobs are expected not to return. This points to a critical need and suggests new and greater opportunities for universities to provide degree, certificate, or credential-based programs to help people re-tool for new jobs. Whether the pandemic leads to the creation of new and enduring professional fields remains to be seen. However it is clear that there will be greater need for those with training in the medical professions, global and public (and community) health, computational modeling and data sciences, and technology fields that support changes in health-care delivery (e.g., telemedicine, AI). Now could be an opportune time for universities to re-think their graduate and professional offerings, what programs are offered, how they are delivered, to whom, and at what price point.
These programs need not be disconnected from the undergraduate teaching or research missions of the university. In fact, they can (and should) complement them. Undergraduate students can be encouraged and shepherded into these post-graduate offerings as they approach the end of their baccalaureate studies. And researchers and their labs can consider creating short-term applied research-based modules as part of some programs. One could even envision a pre-arranged industry internship run in parallel with the graduate program, or in a gap year between the undergraduate and graduate program. This creates programmatic continuity between undergraduate degree programs and more specialized and targeted advanced study programs, which benefits both students and employers. It would provide needed efficiencies for students (e.g., BS + advanced credentials in 5 years, packaging attractive degree and credential combinations), and ensure the fastest pathway to ensure work-ready graduates for rapidly evolving industries.
While the masters and doctoral degrees are not likely to disappear, their structure does not provide the flexibility needed for advanced education more broadly. Universities should not shy away from seeking or creating this flexibility because it does not fit their classical definition of an advanced degree, or because they fear it may diminish their institution’s reputation. Now is precisely the time for universities to broaden their thinking, find new ways to serve both traditional and new-traditional post-graduate students, and prepare a workforce for the types of jobs that are likely to be secure, well-paying, and critically needed in the years ahead. Doing so can generate needed revenue for universities, contribute directly to the institution’s mission (whether teaching, knowledge discovery, service, or workforce development), and provide new career pathway opportunities for continuing learners as well as for their undergraduate students. It can also strengthen public support for their mission and value.
Graduate students are a population often neglected by universities. While it may be true they need less supervision and oversight than their younger undergraduate counterparts, that same fact also suggest it should be easier to consider less-structured, more flexible/adaptive, and even more independent program delivery and learning models for graduate students. Refreshing and expanding offerings for this population, coupled with commitment to student support services appropriate to this group, is likely to be welcomed by graduate students.
Graduate education also offers opportunities for students to prepare for new jobs. Traditional … [+]
Finally, there may be no better time than now for students to pursue advanced study. The job market is unable to support all of the college graduates at this time. Many have lost their jobs. And it is uncertain whether and when some jobs will return. In this great national pause, universities can find meaning and opportunity by creating new and accessible graduate programs, as can employers seeking to assist their employees through a transition, as can industries seeking a new, highly skilled workforce, as can those seeking to prepare themselves for what’s next.
