Innovation comes slowly to institutions that have been around for a very, very long time. The first university opened its doors more than 1,000 years ago with teaching by lectures and live discussion. We are still teaching the same way today — and probably will be for the next 1,000 years, as well. But three major events, all occurring in the last few months, are speeding up innovation. These events include the pandemic, recession and protests.
Any one of these three major global events, experienced alone, would motivate change. But this combination, all in the same year, is tilting the trajectory and speeding up reforms. Here are four of the developments we will see in our colleges and universities across America in the next year or two.
1. The ACT and SAT tests will become a thing of the past. Research suggests that the ACT and SAT are poor predictors of success in college; they seem to be better predictors of a student’s family income or race. Most colleges and universities in the country will move away from requiring standardized tests for admission or scholarship purposes, in order to be fairer to students of color and those from underprivileged and impecunious backgrounds. SUU and other Utah colleges and universities will be done with the ACT within a year.
2. The cost of earning a degree has been rising too fast for too long. Tuition and fees have outpaced inflation for decades. The rising cost of a higher education has been somewhat mitigated by an increase in scholarship offerings and federal financial aid awards. But too many don’t qualify for either. Across the nation, student loan debt for those without other options has become excessive and burdensome. The most common reason students give for dropping out of college before completing their degrees is that they can’t afford to pay the cost to finish. There will be a slowing or reversal in the increased cost to attend college. Even while tuition in Utah remains one of the best buys in America, SUU has held tuition and fees flat over the last two years and actually reduced the cost of earning an online degree.
3. Most university professors and administrators have taken a dim view of online degree programs. But, beginning in March of this year, every faculty member who was teaching the time-honored method of live, in-class lectures and discussions, shifted to online and remote instruction. Many teachers, from California to Massachusetts, will continue teaching online through fall semester. While online instruction may not be the preferred teaching method for most faculty members, they have learned by experience that a quality online course takes more preparation, organization, and time, than a comparable face-to-face class. And they have come to realize that a well-done online class is better than they thought.
We will see more progress in expanding access to higher education, making it more affordable and helping everyone complete their degrees, than has been seen at any other period in our lifetimes.
Most recent high school graduates will continue to seek an on-campus college experience. But what is becoming increasingly more apparent, is that for many people, online degree programs are the ultimate tool for access to a degree and the upward mobility that follows. People who live in rural communities far from a college campus, single parents struggling to support children, mid-career adults who are caring for an aging family member, people who can’t leave their jobs during the day, or those who, for any one of a long list of reasons, can’t meet the inflexible Monday-Friday class schedule required of traditional, on-campus students, may be best served with online instruction. SUU has more than doubled its online degree offerings in the past two years.
4. The usual focus on degrees with a clear, direct path to a career, such as accounting and engineering, usually take center stage following a recession. But this year college-aged students are also more interested in “making a difference” in the world and engaging in causes that advance the interests of social justice. The later will fuel an increased interest in such areas as the humanities and social sciences. SUU has been expanding its degree offerings in both areas.
The first half of this year has been very difficult for university employees and students alike. Adjusting to the pandemic, implementing budget cuts and addressing the larger social issues, highlighted this year, has not been easy. But these global events will not be wasted. We will see more progress in expanding access to higher education, making it more affordable and helping everyone complete their degrees, than has been seen at any other period in our lifetimes. This will be seen as an exciting year for higher education.
Scott L. Wyatt is the 16th president of Southern Utah University.