Jessica GillisEDU505 Vision for Education 2017

Dr. Linda Kaiser

“Our mission is to provide students with the knowledge, personal skills and experiences required to become leaders in their chosen careers. We prepare students to become confident, competent, and competitive participants in the global market place” (Post University, Inc., 2013).

•1890 – Founded as Matoon Shorthand School•1897 – Waterbury Business School•1931 - Post College •1939 - Post Junior College of Commerce•1962 – Post Junior College•1976 – Post College•1990 – Teikyo Post College•1996 - Post University becomes the first college in Connecticut and New England to offer accredited, accelerated degree programs fully online!!(Post University, Inc., 2013).

•2012 – 11,084 Online Programs student body population – 61% female and 39% male(Post University, Inc., 2012).

•Class of 2012 – 689 online students graduated from 44 states and 3 countries; Canada, China, & South Africa (Mroz, 2012).

•Post University offers a Mobile App called Blackboard MobileTM Learn.•Over 18 billion apps downloaded in Apple marketplace by Oct. 2011 & over 10 billion in the Android marketplace by Dec. 2011 – those numbers just scratch the surface of anticipated growth (Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Cummins, M, 2012, p.10).

•“In the past year, advances in tablet computers have captured the imagination of educators around the world” (Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Cummins, M, 2012, p.14).

•“Because of their portability, large display, and touch screen, tablets are ideal devices for one-to-one learning, as well as fieldwork” (Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Cummins, M, 2012, p.15).

•With the combination of Mobile Apps and the advanced technology of tablets, online learning can really prosper, with Post University at the forefront

“Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

•Futuring is “the act, art, or science of identifying and evaluating possible future events” (World Future Society, 2013).

•Society, commerce, and industries rely on futuring techniques to prevent disasters within organizations (Moorcraft, 2007).

•It is especially important for educational organizations because if ignored, they will have no future – education is a necessity and in the future may be a requirement for all adults if they want to continue to be active members of society (Cornish, 2004, p.33).

(Post University, Inc., 2013)

•Scenarios start “ ...by clarifying the decisions to be made, rigorously challenging the mental maps that shape people’s perceptions, and hunting and gathering information from various sources” (Mietzner & Reger, 2005).

•Educational organizations, need to prepare for the future and scenarios will help get them there.

•“In 2030, a connectivist world will allow students to learn as readily outside a classroom as within it” (Berry, 2010, p.18).

•Scanning - the effort to identify and understand those phenomena or aspects of the world that are most relevant to the people or groups who need this information for important decisions” (Cornish, 2004, p.81).

•Scenarios + Scanning = Educational Future

eBooks•Trend for the future, especially for online learning.•Easier for students to do papers and projects; can just copy and paste certain text rather than typing word-for-word from a paper book (Doctorow, 2004).

•Will be one of the largest contributing factors to the success of Post University in 2017.•Critical to the quality of education that Post needs to focus on in the future.Consumption of Multiple Technologies

•“It appears to be increasingly the case that young people have a distinctly multi-tasking relationship with new technologies, and a ‘multiple consumption’ approach to owning them” (Becta, 2008, p. 8).

•Young people have a very strong relationship with technological advances, which is not surprising, what is surprising, is that how far reaching this advancement has gone (Becta, 2008, p. 8).

Tuition•“For many institutions, tuition is the primary source of annual revenue and can represent up to 80% or more of the operating budget” (Betts, Hartman et al. 2009).

•The costs of tuition by 2017 will determine whether changes need to be made within government support or if tuition costs need to be revisited according to the economic trends in that time period, which leads to the next trend that plays a significant role; government funding to state university systems.

Government Funding and Aid•State universities are traditionally funded by state tax revenue, and with several large states with notorious university systems such as California and New York expecting deficits in the billions next year, funding for higher education will become increasingly scarce (Betts, Hartman & Oxholm, II, 2009).

•The largest challenge for online universities is offering degrees that are high quality, which is where Post University’s advantage truly factors in.  

•Trends in demographics = the growth of ‘nontraditional’ or adult learners.• A down economy, more expensive college tuition, and increased need for employment during and immediately after high school, continue to curb the number of students able to make the transition from high school to college.•Ross-Gordon (2011) describes the nontraditional category as containing one of the following: entry to college after a least one year following high school, having dependents, being a single parent, being employed full time, being financially independent, attending part time, and not having a high school diploma

•By 2017, schools that have failed to adapt to this changing demographic will struggle. Schools like Post, with strong online offerings and good reputations, will flourish as their target demographic continues to grow. 

•Competition – focus on a constant, increasing revenue stream.•Brings added attention to the industry if online education can stay strong in the public eye.•Reputation – a bad reputation would negatively affect enrollment, but a great reputation would lead to more opportunities•Industry’s Reputation is even more important, it could devalue online education as a whole – the industry needs to remain honest and ethical.

•Government Funding – decreased or cut funding would impact enrollments, but if funding is increased, so will the students.•Society – Poor job market and challenged economy will change what a family feels is a priority, which could devalue a college education

Post University needs to:1.Commit to a vision of Post University in 2017 or more specifically, branding strategy that builds on their reputation for innovation, being technologically driven, and a non-traditional student friendly university.2.Invest in technology to make sure the online presence reflects the image they want to present.

3. Offer more courses to attract a greater number of students.4. Make content and subject matter of courses more relevant to the

growing non-traditional student population to make their learning more realistic.

5. Develop scholarships and/or private loans to better assist those students who have difficulties with government aid.

For Post University to acquire their desired image in 2017 they need to act today.They can get there by:•Developing a scholarship fund for non-traditional learners – executives can meet and set aside a portion of earnings or investments that will go towards the fund and also discuss the parameters that students must meet in order to qualify.Since funding and tuition seems to be a growing problem, a commitment needs to be made to promote not only Post University, but education as a whole •Implement a tuition discount to undergraduate

students who maintain a minimum GPA – this would promote enrollment as well as build a solid reputation and retention rate for Post.This call to action will maintain and build Post University, which must be done ASAP since 2017 is right around the corner!

Becta. (2008). Research to support the delivery and development of Harnessing Technology: Next Generation Learning 2008–14. Retrieved from Analysis of emerging trends affecting the use of technology in education: http://post.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-1207177-dt-content-rid13402293_1/courses/EDU505.901198020059/Unit%205/Analysis%20of%20Emerging%20Trends%20Research%20Report.pdf

Berry, B. (2010). The Teachers of 2030: Creating a Student-Centered Profession for the 21st Century. Center for Teaching Quality.

Betts, K., Hartman, K., & Oxholm, II, C. (2009). Re-examining & repositioning higher education: Twenty economic and demographic factors driving online and blended program enrollments. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 13(4), 3-23.

Cornish, E. (2004). Futuring: The Explorations of the Future. Bethesda: World Future Society.Doctorow, C. (2004). Selected essays on technology, creativity, copyright, and the future of the

future. San Francisco: Tachyon Publications. Retrieved from http://post.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-1207177-dt-content-rid-13402503_1/courses/EDU505.901198020059/Unit%205/Cory_Doctorow_-_Content.pdf

Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Cummins, M. (2012). The NMC Horizon Report: 2012 HigherEducation Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Mietzner, D., & Reger, G. (2005). Advantages and disadvantages of scenario approaches for strategic foresight. Int. J. Technology Intelligence and Planning, 220-239.

Moorcraft, R. (2007). The art of the clairvoyant. British Journal of Administrative Management, 4-5.

Mroz, P. D. (2012, April 30). Some Post University 2012 graduation statistics. Retrieved from Post University Blog: http://blog.post.edu/2012/04/university-2012-graduation-statistics.html

National Center for Education Statistics. (2009). Web Tables: Undergraduate Financial Aid Estimates by Type of Institution in 2007-2008. (NCES2009-201). Retrieved February 14, 2013,from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009201.pdf

National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education. (2012). For-profit schools. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_What_profit_schools/?page=2

Post University, Inc. (2013, January). EDU505.90: Future of Education[MOD3 Online (1/7-3/2/2013]: Unit 3. Retrieved from Post University Blackboard: http://post.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_33814_1%26url%3D

Post University, Inc. (2012). Post University: Online Fast Facts. Retrieved from Post University: http://www.post.edu/online/downloads/adp_fast_facts.pdf

Post University, Inc. (2013, January). About Post University: History. Retrieved from Post University: http://www.post.edu/maincampus/history.shtml

Post University, Inc. (2013, January). About Post University: Mission Statement. Retrieved from Post University: http://www.post.edu/maincampus/mission.shtml

Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2011). Research on adult learners: supporting the needs of a studentpopulation that is no longer nontraditional. [Article]. Peer Review, 13(1), 26-29.

World Future Society. (2013). Dictionary of Foresight: Futuring. Retrieved from World Future Society: http://www.wfs.org/node/203