The Future of University Credentials - CALEM 2017

The Future of University

Credentials: What It Means for Enrollment Management

Sean Gallagher, Ed.D.Executive Director, Center for the Future of Higher Education & Talent Strategy;Executive Professor of Education Policy,Northeastern University

Twitter: @HiEdStrat

CALEM 2017Denver, COApril 5, 2017

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Top-ranked, global, research institution, and leader in experiential education.• #39 U.S. News & World Report• #2 in Career Services• Top-10 international student destination• 3,300 employer partners in 90 countries

• 16,000 graduate-level learners• 200+ online degree and certificate programs• 5 campuses across North American network

An applied research center focused on issues and trends at the intersection of higher education and employment

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A Pivotal Moment in the Credentialing Ecosystem

Growing Demand for Talent in a Strong Job Market;a New Lifelong Learning Imperative

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“Requested Educational Credentials” by Employers Note: Both “Required” and “Preferred” – Totals Exceed 100%

Source: BurningGlass LaborInsight, Full Year 2016 6

Today’s Job Market is Demanding Bachelor’s Degrees and Above

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Graduate-Level Job Creation Has Outperformed

Source: Georgetown Center for Education & the Workforce (graphic published by Bloomberg)

8Source: Careerbuilder, 2016

Employer Preferences for Higher Levels of Education Driving the Trend

• Skills-biased technological change

• Episodic experiences• “Stacking” and portability

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A Post-Baccalaureate World

The Evolving Credentialing Landscape

The Emergence of “Alternative Credentials”

New Types of“Certificate”

MicrocredentialsNanodegrees™* Microdegrees™*Micromasters™*

etc.

Digital Badges

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Innovative, More Modular Directions in University Credentials

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Trends in the Credentialing Landscape

Theoretical

Traditional F2F

Monolithic Unbundled, short-form

Instructor-led Self-paced

Static Adaptive

Practical,Experiential

Online

A Fundamentally New Competitive Landscape in a Golden Age for “Non-Credit” Courses

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New Models Challenging Higher Education’s Most Enduring Constructs

Source: https://www.udacity.com/georgia-tech September 2016

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New Models Challenging Higher Education’s Most Enduring Constructs

Source: Capella Investor Presentation March 2017

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A Tiering of “Products,” Brands, Market Positions

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Decoupling Brand/Prestige from Selectivity/Scale?

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Credentials – What are they? What will they achieve?

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New Pricing, ROI, and Risk Dynamics

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Talent Analytics & Pre-Hire Assessment:True Potential “Disruptors”

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The Potential for Employers to Emerge as Recognized Credential Issuers

Governance and New Program Development Processes Must Adapt

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Core Competencies and Vendor/Partner Management

A New Era for Quality Assurance and Data-Driven Transparency

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Summarizing These Themes: Numerous Opportunities & Critical Issues

Lifelong Learning societal &

economic issues

Blurring boundaries,

non-institutional providers,

new models

Brand/prestige Pricing The institutional core

Governance, process,

infrastructure

Quality Assurance,

transparency, the age of data

Talent analytics Emerging roles for Employers

Standards, policy, regulation,

collaboration

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Sean Gallagher, Ed.D.sr.gallagher@northeastern.edu617-373-5756Twitter: @HiEdStratCenter for the Future of Higher Education & Talent Strategyhttp://www.northeastern.edu/cfhets

Thank You