{"id":89347,"date":"2023-11-01T21:39:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-02T01:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/?p=89347"},"modified":"2023-11-01T22:49:46","modified_gmt":"2023-11-02T02:49:46","slug":"growing-enrollment-shrinking-future-knox-other-items-re-whats-happening-within-higher-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/2023\/11\/01\/growing-enrollment-shrinking-future-knox-other-items-re-whats-happening-within-higher-education\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Growing Enrollment, Shrinking Future&#8221; [Knox] + other items re: what&#8217;s happening within higher education"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidehighered.com\/news\/admissions\/traditional-age\/2023\/10\/26\/undergraduate-enrollment-first-time-2020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Growing Enrollment, Shrinking Future<\/strong><\/a> &#8212; from insidehighered.com by Liam Knox<br \/>\n<em>Undergraduate enrollment rose for the first time since 2020, stoking hopes for a long-awaited recovery. But surprising areas of decline may dampen that optimism.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">There is good news and bad news in the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center\u2019s latest enrollment <a href=\"https:\/\/nscresearchcenter.org\/staying-informed-embargo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">First, the good news: undergraduate enrollment climbed by 2.1\u00a0percent this fall, its first total increase since 2020. Enrollment increases for Black, Latino and Asian students\u2014by 2.2\u00a0percent, 4.4\u00a0percent and 4\u00a0percent, respectively\u2014were especially notable after\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidehighered.com\/news\/2022\/10\/20\/enrollment-declines-continue-slower-rate\">last year\u2019s declines<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The bad news is that freshman enrollment declined by 3.6\u00a0percent, nearly undoing last year\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/app\/profile\/researchcenter\/viz\/CTEE_Fall2022_Report\/CTEEFalldashboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gain of 4.6\u00a0percent<\/a>\u00a0and leaving first-year enrollment less than a\u00a0percentage point higher than it was in fall 2021, during the thick of the pandemic. Those declines were most pronounced for white students\u2014and, perhaps most surprisingly, at four-year institutions with lower acceptance rates, reversing years of growth trends for the most selective colleges and universities.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aft.org\/sites\/default\/files\/media\/documents\/2023\/Contingent_Faculty_Survey_2022_interactive.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>An Army of Temps: AFT Contingent Faculty Quality of Work\/Life Report 2022<\/strong><\/a> &#8212; from aft.org (American Federation of Teachers) by Randi Weingarten, Fedrick C. Ingram, and Evelyn DeJesus<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aft.org\/sites\/default\/files\/media\/documents\/2023\/Contingent_Faculty_Survey_2022_interactive.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-89355 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/ContingentFac-QualOfLife-Oct23.jpg\" alt=\"An Army of Temps: AFT Contingent Faculty Quality of Work\/Life Report 2022 -- from aft.org\" width=\"338\" height=\"546\" srcset=\"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/ContingentFac-QualOfLife-Oct23.jpg 338w, http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/ContingentFac-QualOfLife-Oct23-93x150.jpg 93w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 338px) 100vw, 338px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This recent survey adds to our understanding of how contingency plays out in the lives of millions of college and university faculty.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>More than one-quarter of respondents earn less than $26,500 annually. The percentage of faculty respondents earning below the federal poverty line has remained unchanged through all three reports, which is not surprising with real wages falling behind inflation throughout the academy.2<\/li>\n<li>Only 22.5 percent of respondents report having a contract that provides them with continuing employment, even assuming adequate enrollment and satisfactory job performance.<\/li>\n<li>For 3 out of 4 respondents, employment is only guaranteed for a term or semester at a time.<\/li>\n<li>Two-thirds of part-time respondents want to work full time but are offered only part-time work.<\/li>\n<li>Twenty-two percent of those responding report having anxiety about accessing adequate food, with another 6 percent reporting reduced food intake due to lack of resources.<\/li>\n<li>Only 45 percent of respondents have access to employer-provided health insurance, and nearly 19 percent rely on Medicare\/Medicaid.<\/li>\n<li>Nearly half of faculty members surveyed have put off getting needed healthcare, including mental health services, and 68 percent have forgone dental care.<\/li>\n<li>Fewer than half of faculty surveyed have received the training they need to help students in crisis.<\/li>\n<li>Only 45 percent of respondents believe that their college administration guarantees academic freedom in the classroom at a time when right-wing legislators are passing laws removing control of the curriculum from educators.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800000;\">From DSC:<\/span><br \/>\n<strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">A college or university&#8217;s adjunct faculty members &#8212; if they are out there practicing what they are teaching about &#8212; are some of the most valuable people within higher education. They have real-life, <em>current<\/em> experience. <em>They know which skills are necessary to thrive in their fields. <\/em>They know their sections of the marketplace.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/education\/2023\/09\/27\/rural-america-needs-skilled-workers-is-higher-education-adapting\/70912130007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Some parts of rural America are changing fast. Can higher education keep up?<\/strong><\/a> &#8212; from usatoday.com by Nick Fouriezos (Open Campus)<br \/>\n<em>More states have started directly tying academic programming to in-demand careers.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Across rural America, both income inequality and a lack of affordable housing are on the rise. Remote communities like the Tetons are facing not just an economic challenge, but also an educational one, as\u00a0changing workforce needs meet a critical skills and training gap.<br \/>\n&#8230;<br \/>\nEarlier this month,\u00a0Montana announced\u00a0that 12 of its colleges would establish more than a dozen \u201cmicro-pathways\u201d \u2013 stackable credential programs that can be completed in less than a year \u2013 to put people on a path to either earning an associate degree or immediately getting hired in industries such as health, construction, manufacturing and agriculture.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201cDespite unemployment hitting record lows in Montana, rural communities continue to struggle economically, and many low-income families lack the time and resources to invest in full-time education and training,\u201d the Montana University System announced in a statement with its partner on the project, the national nonprofit Education Design Lab.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edsurge.com\/news\/2023-10-23-colleges-must-respond-to-america-s-skill-based-economy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Colleges Must Respond to America\u2019s Skill-Based Economy<\/strong><\/a> &#8212; from edsurge.com by Mordecai I. Brownlee (Columnist)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">To address our children\u2019s hunger and our communities\u2019 poverty, our educational system must be redesigned to remove the boundaries between high school, college and careers so that more Americans can train for and secure employment that will sustain them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">In 2021, Jobs for the Future outlined a pathway toward realizing such a revolution in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.jff.org\/resources\/the-big-blur-an-argument-for-erasing-the-boundaries-between-high-school-college-and-careers-and-creating-one-new-system-that-works-for-everyone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The Big Blur<\/a>\u00a0report, which argues for a radical restructuring of education for grades 11 through 14 by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.edsurge.com\/news\/2021-08-17-it-s-time-to-blur-the-boundaries-between-high-school-college-and-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">erasing the arbitrary dividing line between high school and college<\/a>. Ideas for accomplishing this include courses and work experiences for students designed for career preparation.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/jeffselingo.com\/newsletter-archives\/the-new-arms-race-in-higher-ed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>The New Arms Race in Higher Ed<\/strong><\/a> &#8212; from jeffselingo.com by Jeff Selingo<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong>Bottom line:\u00a0<\/strong>Given all the discussion about the value of a college education, if you&#8217;re looking for &#8220;amenities&#8221; on campuses these days be sure to find out how faculty are engaging students (both in person and with tools like AR\/VR), whether they&#8217;re teaching students about using AI, and ways institutions are certifying learning with credentials that have currency in the job market.<\/p>\n<p>In that same newsletter, also see Jeff&#8217;s section entitled, &#8220;<strong>Where Canada leads the U.S. in higher ed.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/jeffselingo.com\/newsletter-archives\/the-new-arms-race-in-higher-ed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/hs-14576223.f.hubspotemail.net\/hub\/14576223\/hubfs\/Screenshot%202023-10-31%20at%206.39.23%20PM.png?upscale=true&amp;width=1004&amp;upscale=true&amp;name=Screenshot%202023-10-31%20at%206.39.23%20PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"502\" height=\"506\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/hechingerreport.org\/college-uncovered\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">College Uncovered<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>&#8212; from hechingerreport.org<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Thinking of going to college? Sending your kid? You may already be caught up in the needless complexity of the admissions process, with its never-ending stress and that \u201cyou\u2019ll-be-lucky-to-get-in\u201d attitude from colleges that nonetheless pretend to have your interests at heart.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">What aren\u2019t they telling you? A lot, as it turns out \u2014 beginning with how much they actually cost, how long it will take to finish, the likelihood that graduates get jobs and the myriad advantages that wealthy applicants enjoy. They don\u2019t want you to know that transfer credits often aren\u2019t accepted, or that they pay testing companies for the names of prospects to recruit and sketchy advice websites for the contact information of unwitting students. And they don\u2019t reveal tricks such as how to get admitted even if you\u2019re turned down as a freshman.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">But we will. In College Uncovered, from The Hechinger Report and GBH News, two experienced higher education journalists pull back the ivy on how colleges and universities really work, providing information students and their parents need to have before they make one of the most expensive decisions in their lives: whether and where to go to college. We expose the problems, pitfalls and risks, with inside information you won\u2019t hear on other podcasts, including disconcerting facts that they\u2019ve sometimes pried from unwilling universities.<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hechingerreport.org\/college-uncovered\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-89384 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/College-Uncovered-Nov2023.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"433\" height=\"1006\" srcset=\"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/College-Uncovered-Nov2023.jpg 433w, http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/College-Uncovered-Nov2023-65x150.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 433px) 100vw, 433px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highereddive.com\/news\/fall-2023-enrollment-trends-5-charts\/697999\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Fall 2023 enrollment trends in 5 charts<\/strong><\/a> &#8212; from highereddive.com by Natalie Schwartz<br \/>\n<em>We\u2019re breaking down some of the biggest developments this term, based on preliminary figures from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Short-term credentials continued to prove popular among undergraduate and graduate students.\u00a0In fall 2023, enrollment in undergraduate certificate programs shot up 9.9% compared to the year before, while graduate certificate enrollment rose 5.7%.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Degree programs didn\u2019t fare as well. Master\u2019s programs saw the smallest enrollment increase, of 0.2%, followed by bachelor\u2019s degree programs, which saw headcounts rise 0.9%.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highereddive.com\/news\/president-speaks-higher-education-must-adapt\/698000\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>President Speaks: Colleges need an overhaul to meet the future head on<\/strong><\/a> &#8212; from highereddive.com by Beth Martin<br \/>\n<em>Higher education faces an existential threat from forces like rapidly changing technology and generational shifts, one university leader argues.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Higher education must increasingly equip students with the skills and mindset to become lifelong learners \u2014 to learn how to learn, essentially \u2014 so that no matter what the future looks like, they will have the skills, mindset and wherewithal to learn whatever it is that they need and by whatever means. That spans from the commitment of a graduate program or something as quick as a microcredential.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Having survived the pandemic, university administrators, faculty, and staff no longer have their backs against the wall. Now is the time to take on these challenges and meet the future head on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Growing Enrollment, Shrinking Future &#8212; from insidehighered.com by Liam Knox Undergraduate enrollment rose for the first time since 2020, stoking hopes for a long-awaited recovery. But surprising areas of decline may dampen that optimism. There is good news and bad news in the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center\u2019s latest enrollment report. First, the good news: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[322,356,224,61,473,174,115,302,823,210,141,3,74,7,449,130,855,480,20,38,321,214,253,299,824],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adjunct-faculty","category-artificial-intelligence-agents-llms-and-related","category-augmented-reality","category-business-side-of-he","category-canada","category-career-development","category-colleges","category-community-colleges","category-credentialing","category-emerging-technologies","category-engagement-engaging-students","category-higher-education","category-leadership","category-learning-ecosystem","category-marketplaces","category-podcasting","category-skills","category-society","category-strategy","category-uk","category-united-states","category-universities","category-virtual-reality-worlds-learning","category-workplace","category-xr-extended-reality"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89347"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89396,"href":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89347\/revisions\/89396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}