WGU Labs on LinkedIn: 4 Things to Know about How Students View Community College AI Education (2024)

“Four years ago, as the world braced for a global pandemic, the College Innovation Network (CIN) was just taking its first steps, fueled by a vision of a more connected, tech-enabled higher education system,” writes Omid Fotuhi, Director of the CIN at WGU Labs, in our latest report. “As COVID-19 reshaped the educational landscape, pushing many under-resourced brick-and-mortar institutions to the brink of survival, CIN’s work became more critical than ever. Throughout this time, we have helped over 15 member institutions — with their diverse student bodies totaling 180,000 — adapt to a world where technology was suddenly at the forefront of learning.”As CIN approaches funding sunset after four impactful years, we reflect on our progress and the impact we’ve made across various areas in the hope that our collective wisdom — a repository of innovative strategies, robust relationships, and in-depth research — will continue to light the way for educational communities at WGU Labs and beyond.Through our work together, we’ve surfaced a number of key lessons and insights that have transformed our understanding of education:1️⃣ Belonging is a fundamental influence of the student experience2️⃣ Collaborative network models are crucial for under-resourced institutions3️⃣ Peer learning is even more powerful across diverse institutions4️⃣ Funders are an inexricable part of the cycle of innovation in higher education5️⃣ Convenings are an essential lever in ongoing innovation6️⃣ Ongoing exploration is vital moving forwardAccess the full report: https://lnkd.in/gNvM88ZR

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A couple of years ago, documentary filmmaker Jaye Fenderson met a young woman who had been accepted to Columbia while pregnant. As a former admissions officer at the university, Fenderson offered to help her navigate the unique situation, only to discover how little support and resources there were for student parents. “And so, of course, I’m a filmmaker. And whenever I encounter something where I’m like, ‘This system is not right,’ or ‘This needs to be elevated in some way,’ I’m like, ‘How can we tell this story?’” Fenderson shared in an interview with Inside Higher Ed.Parenting students make up at least one-fifth of U.S. undergraduates, roughly 3.8 million students, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research and Ascend at The Aspen Institute, a program focused on social mobility.Fenderson’s new five-part docuseries, called Raising Up, follows four student parents as they navigate the unique barriers they face in higher education. We hope stories like these illustrate the need for more wraparound support and a reimagining of the higher education experience to be more accessible for all students.https://lnkd.in/ezN2CxU5

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In the world of higher education, we sometimes fall into the trap of focusing more on speculative theories than practical student-centered solutions. WGU Labs Research Scientist Anudhi Munasinghe, PhD attended the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP) annual conference to learn more about the practical side of things. In our latest blog post, Anudhi shares her top takeaways around education, finance, and policy issues for students from childhood through adulthood — as well as thoughts on future areas of exploration and improvement for the conference: https://lnkd.in/geYNdwrS

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Our Accelerator client Protopia enables social capital at scale. Students ask a question, then Protopia’s AI-based platform combs through the participating college’s database to find alumni with the knowledge to answer that question. AI dramatically increases the odds that questions from students yield answers from alums, says Max Leisten, Protopia’s founder and CEO. “If I ask you the right thing at the right time, I know I can get you to help.”Read more about the growing interest in scalable mentorship solutions via Paul Fain’s The Job from Work Shift: https://lnkd.in/e7ug6bqv #alumni #artificalintelligence #mentorship

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We are thrilled to be a supporting sponsor for the inaugural Human Potential Summit! As we’ve stressed in the past, the pathway between learning and earning is broken, and we desperately need new systems and solutions that better serve both individuals and employers to advance our collective human potential. Join us in Denver from October 14-16 alongside employers, educators, startups, investors, non-profits, and policymakers to help build the future of work and learning. #HigherEducation #EdTech #Leadership #FutureofEducation #FutureofLearning #FutureofWorkhttps://lnkd.in/gEyw2CrM

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Internships have long been critical experiences on the path from college to a career. However, access to internships remains limited to students who can take time off work, temporarily relocate, and work for free. “Nationwide, slightly more than 60% of students graduating in 2023 completed an internship during college, according to survey data collected by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. At elite universities, that figure was much higher — almost 90% at the University of Pennsylvania, for example, according to the school’s career services office. But at the City College of New York, where two-thirds of students receive Pell Grants, only 35 to 40% of students typically complete an internship before graduation, school administrators said.”Learn how some organizations are working to broaden access to internships while diversifying the talent pipeline for employers via The Hechinger Report: https://lnkd.in/ewPmpW3U #internships #DEI

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When we talk about declining college enrollment rates, we often talk about the cost of education. While affordability is certainly a factor, the “time trap” also plays a role: All those years spent studying are years that could be spent working — and making money. So some students choose to skip higher education and enter the workforce sooner instead. But forgoing college also means forgoing the long-term earning power and career progression that come with a degree. In this article for Forbes, Lumina Foundation President and CEO Jamie Merisotis discusses the need to redesign curriculum using evidence-based practices that support solid learning. Now, some colleges are experimenting with accelerated programs — an effort known as College-in-3.As proponents of competency-based education (CBE), which allows students to progress at their own pace, we couldn’t agree more that using seat time to measure academic progress is an outdated approach. https://lnkd.in/g2nXNEy7#competencybasedeeducation #CBE #collegein3

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According to a recent Jobs for the Future (JFF) report, Black and Latine students were more likely to need food, housing, utility, and medical assistance, plus reported having more difficulty covering a $500 emergency compared to their white peers. That’s concerning in and of itself, but more so because financial insecurity is one of the primary reasons students unenroll from postsecondary education.In our research on the impact of Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) on student outcomes, we found that unrestricted emergency aid can have measurable benefits in terms of students’ sense of belonging, financial burdens, and, possibly, graduation rates (https://lnkd.in/eETNr33d). Taken together, these findings suggest an urgent need for more basic needs assistance, wraparound support, and college affordability.Read more via Inside Higher Ed: https://lnkd.in/ggUQMRNE #financialaid #HEERF #collegeaffordability

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