By Kimberly E. Estep
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was clear that the traditional structures and rhythms of higher education were in for extreme disruption. Schools scrambled to create workable distance-learning options for students, faculty and staff quickly adapted to the new situation, and we all entered “hurry up and wait” mode toward an uncertain future. While the vaccines have made in-person classes safer, the pandemic has caused many institutions to think about diversifying their program offerings. Everyone knew that things were changing, but the extent of the change, not to mention whether the change would be permanent, was unknown.
Now we have a somewhat clearer picture, and schools are having to figure out how to adjust to a world in which more and more students are opting for distance education. It’s still unclear whether the changes in higher education brought on by the pandemic will be permanent, but as Doug Lederman reported for Inside Higher Ed last month, “A first step, though, is getting good data on how patterns shifted during the last year — and that is beginning to arrive.”
According to data collected by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), a nonprofit organization that sets national standards for postsecondary online education administered across state lines, 2020 saw an increase of 93% in the number of students enrolled exclusively online. We now know what postsecondary education in 2020 looked like, and while it’s not a surprise per se, it does highlight in official terms just how massive and overwhelming these shifts were.
No doubt, these pandemic-forced trends will give way to new kinds of thinking about higher education. While a four-year, traditional university experience is a good fit for some, the pandemic revealed, in part, that much of the time spent on and many of the associated costs for higher education are avoidable. This is particularly true for adult learners, most of whom are balancing jobs and families while pursuing a degree. Nearly 70% of full-time one-year MBA programs in the U.S. reported growth in applications during the pandemic, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council’s application trends survey. Clearly, people want to get a degree, they want to get it from a reputable institution, and they want to get it quickly.
The institution for which I serve as Southeast Regional Vice President, Western Governors University (WGU), now offers a one-year MBA program (all our degrees are 100% online). In fact, approximately 40% of WGU’s MBA students already earn their degrees within a year, saving money and accelerating their career. WGU’s tuition is around $9,000 per year, and on average our MBA graduates increase their salary $16,200 upon completion of their degrees. That’s more earnings in less time for far less cost than a traditional program.
As institutions of higher learning, and as professionals more broadly, it will be crucial in the coming months and years to pay attention to the trends and changes brought about by COVID-19, and to adapt. It is likely that these past 18 months have forever transformed higher education in the United States. And now, seeing that it’s possible to earn degrees with less disruption to work, home life and personal finances, students (and potential students) are asking for education options that meet their needs rather than remaining content with the status quo.
Chancellor of WGU Tennessee