Episode 01: Higher Education in a Global Pandemic: Many Questions, Few Answers

In addition to being an advocate for higher education and a tech enthusiast, I’m also a parent. I currently have children in high school, and like many other parents, we’re actively considering all the options when it comes to life after high school. Families have tough choices to make when it comes to college today, and my family is certainly no exception.

In years past, high school students were often directed toward a “college preparatory” curriculum with the assumption that a four-year university would come next. The idea of “going to college” painted a picture of a straight and narrow path: get the diploma, get the degree, get the job, get promoted, get rich (or at least financially comfortable).

In recent years, the value of a four-year college degree has fluctuated wildly depending on fields of study and demand for certain skills. In the information age, access to information is unprecedented. Students of all ages can attend free online classes, learn new skills, and connect with peers and professionals from around the world.

Yet, the appeal of the traditional four-year college experience remains. In fact, I look back on my university years fondly and found the on-campus experience to be transformative. For young people just starting out, life on a college campus can provide a simplified transition to adulthood. Involvement in athletics, service organizations, Greek organizations, arts collectives, and other clubs help students forge connections naturally and feel supported in this new phase of life.

Enter: COVID-19.

For colleges and universities, the sudden impact of the pandemic was certainly a shock to the system. Institutions like this are already slow to implement large-scale change, and there was certainly no playbook for handling this type of crisis. Suddenly, all of the on-campus activities that drove a huge part of the value of college evaporated. Professors were tasked with turning in-person lectures and discussions to online meetings, regardless of whether the class included 20 students or 200.

Now, parents and students alike are faced with a new question: when information is everywhere, what makes an education from one institution better than another? Should college be cheaper if it’s all online? Is Math 101 at an Ivy League school better than Math 101 at a community college? If you want to learn to code or provide IT support, do you really need to go to college? Not to mention, we still need electricians and plumbers. Are we adequately weighing the value of trades and apprenticeships as educational opportunities?

The pandemic is also forcing traditional colleges and universities to reckon with this question. Tuition costs are skyrocketing. A 2019 report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that the average tuition at a four-year public college increased by 37% from 2008 to 2018. How do colleges continue to justify these high costs when so many aspects of the college experience are unavailable?

In the latest episode of my new podcast Illuminate Higher Education, I go into more detail about the many questions that parents and students have about higher education in the pandemic era. What questions should you ask yourself when trying to evaluate all your options?

Listen to Episode 001 of Illuminate Higher Education below or on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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This episode is brought to you by N2N’s Illuminate App, the iPaaS for Higher Education.

About N2N Services

Founded in 2010, N2N is committed to serving educational institutions and helping them figure out how to serve their students, faculty, and staff using the most innovative technologies and solutions available in the marketplace. Over the last decade, N2N has served over 300 academic institutions and enabled their student success journeys.

N2N Services Inc. is a leader in enterprise application integration and strategic advisory services for higher education, At N2N, we are committed to providing the highest quality solutions and collaboratively building student-centric solutions.

Learn more at https://illuminateapp.com/web/higher-education/.

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