Colorado State University-Global Campus senior leaders, joined by representatives from one of its outsource providers, will share candid insights on the risks and rewards of employing third-party operational support. This lively session offers working knowledge and strategies for forming the partnerships educational institutions need to thrive in a dynamic marketplace.
Understanding the Need
Today’s workforce demands ongoing education, and the trend is only accelerating. Research from Lumina indicates that over 60% of jobs will require some post-secondary education by 2025. Academia already reflects this reality, at least when it comes to the makeup of its student bodies: American post-secondary institutions are populated by a 75% majority of nontraditional students as measured by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES).
However, without flexible pathways toward workforce and higher education, today’s modern, nontraditional students risk falling short of their career goals. In fact, the number of adults over 25 with some college education but no degree continues to rise - already some 44 million strong, according to the latest U.S. Census estimates. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, many higher education leaders are unable to quickly transform their institutions to cost-effectively and efficiently address such changing student needs.
Meanwhile, both learners and the institutions serving them are operating in a global economy marked by incessant disruption. This change includes tech giants moving into totally new industries, including education where they bring their own business models and metrics of success. For example, Microsoft has initiated its own university and Saleforce has created its own curriculum for higher education integration – such signals of change should not be ignored.
With competition coming to higher education, and new student demographics already present, the degree-completion data reflect the need for institutional support to help students finish their post-secondary degrees. Therefore, it is incumbent upon colleges and universities to take steps to meet such changing needs in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Accepting the Challenge
Institutions of higher learning have missions making them accountable to students and stakeholders, but they don’t necessarily have explicit frameworks for how they fulfill their obligations. This can leave a school scrambling to figure out which offerings to administer itself, which to outsource, which revenue models come at an acceptable risk, and which vendors might be well matched to which projects, all to secure student success in a social and technological climate unlike what they may have faced in the past.
Participants in this conversation are invited to think critically towards systematic approaches toward support of nontraditional learners. From identification of new programs and services, to ensuring that programming is accessible to current and future students; and to the fulfillment of distinct needs based on the July 2018 adult learner case study from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), panelists will discuss the finer points of how to identify an institution’s needs when it comes to Online Program Management (OPM).
Finding a Solution
The dialogue will conclude with participants sharing proposals and options to furthering student success. With facilitation by the presenters, they’ll also be able to share their experiences in 21st century educational administration with outsource partners. The end goal will be for attendees to create their own game plan to successfully identify and partner with an outsource provider. Some key points around this process are:
- Remembering that, as the client, an institution’s specific needs are too important to force into a one-size-fits-all “solution” one might hear about in a sales pitch.
- Understanding one’s organization and its potential to complete the work internally. This is helpful whether negotiating the goals of the partnership, scaling a current project, developing cost efficiencies, or simply pursuing high quality programs and accountable outcomes.
- Developing clear requirements and outcomes lists for discussions with potential outsource partners. This allows for informed decisions on the cost of doing business with each provider, as well as the costs associated with their products and services.
In short, the more prepared higher educational leaders are prior to their meetings with outsource providers, the more likely it is that they will find the best match for a partner that can meet their expectations for service deliveries on-time and on-budget.
Outcomes of the Panel Conversation
- Look through a leader lens: Understand the impact of the global and technology-driven marketplace as it relates to industry dynamics and the needs of lifelong and nontraditional learners
- Gear up for internal discussions: Examine the challenges faced by institutional structures in building new academic pathways for modern learners
- Acquire knowledge: Explore key factors of partnerships that enable scale, cost-efficiency, high quality programs, and accountable outcomes
- Be informed: Gain a working knowledge of standard outsource scenarios and their associated costs
- Create a game plan: Leave with a checklist of items needed prior to internal meetings and meetings with potential outsource partners