Gotta love em....

You gotta love em!

Today we visited the Columbus State Community College. At almost 50.000 students one of the largest Community Colleges of America. This Community College is a typical open access institution. Almost 45% of the students have followed at least one online course. 25% of the students are "traditional" students. The other 75% percent have the average age of 28, they might be single mums, veterans, unemployed getting ready to re enter the labourmarket, or highschool graduates etc etc. As mentioned earlier, the Community Colleges are open to access and there are no entry requirements. The Community College has degree programs as well as certificate programs. Not as structured and (over?)regulated as in the Netherlands so students can sign up for courses they want or need to attend. Just for a certificate or to build towards an Associates degree, or even as a first step to a Bachelors degree. The basic principal is that higher education should be open to every American. And that's not just "for the sake of it", but there is a specific goal to fill the economic need. The goal is that by 2025 every American will have a post-secondary degree. Because that is what is needed to strengthen the economy and give everyone a chance to participate. As the economy based society needs everyone to participate! So I experienced a real focus on how to get (graduated) highschool students, but also adults (back) to higher education in these American Community Colleges. Lifelong Learning is in the core of the educational system in the Community Colleges.

In the Netherlands we are struggling with Lifelong Learning and the way this should be adapted by our educational system. As the Dutch system is much more regulated and structured, we can see that we are not "on track" on the topic of Lifelong Learning and we have a hard time to find the right mindset for implementing that. But this is the year that some big changes or possibilities can emerge in our country. Debating for years on how to get a more flexible educational system in place, everyone is trying to find out how to get things moving in the right direction and at the right pace.

As in the Netherlands today a new a student loan system is released, to implement at the start of the next academic year, I got a real sense of at least one big difference in America compared to the Netherlands. In America, as I wrote in previous blogs, the same issues are discussed (cost of education, quality of education, completion, transfer etc). But in America I get a real feel for the way higher education really has its basic principals:

- open access to higher education for everyone

- completion in the perspective of careersucces

The real heartfelt passion to have higher education open for every American has moved this part of the educational system (Community Colleges)  TOWARDS the student. And as the "new non-traditional student" has become the "regular" student of the Community Colleges, these institutions have big challenges to face. As completion is tough for these students, the Community Colleges are almost their own worst enemy, and are surviving in a system that is getting more and more  performance funded. The demographic shift, challenge the skills of the Community Colleges to deal with that complex student population. 

The passion I could feel from some of our American colleagues, working in Community  Colleges is actually the driving force. You've got to love education and these "new" students to be able to come up with high quality education in these institutions. You can not ignore the specific needs of adults, or young highlights students in the educational system, or ignore the specific social challenges that these students face.

The just formalized Associate degree programs  in the Netherlands could have the same flywheel effect in our more traditional educational system. It can push initiatives for the so much needed flexibility and innovation in the Dutch educational system. Because also in the Netherlands these target groups, these "new" students should be welcomed. Not just for the sake of it, but really to open up opportunities for more people to get educated on this post secondary level. And to be able to maintain our economy based society where everyone should be able to participate at a social level and can actually contribute.

In the Netherlands we could learn a lot from these passionate colleagues working in the Community Colleges. As in the Netherlands we tend to increase entry levels or even sometimes design our courses to weed people out that will not get to the "right level" fast enough..... So in stead of welcoming "new students" we sometimes install policy that (unintentionally) exclude the same "new students" we need to enter higher education.

We have been given some great advise as to how to work the issue of flexibility into our structured system and maybe even prevent some of the problems the Community Colleges are facing here. Some comments I picked up these days:

* Take it slowly, only split up programs in to separate modules when effective. Not just for the sake of flexibility have all programs be modular. 

* Really listen to the needs of the new (adult) student and redesign education deliverance for them, have full time programs benefit from the innovations that are done.

* For the Associate degree programs: don't be a "wannebeuniversity" but really embrace the Associate degree as a stand alone degree that has great potential for gainful employment and participation. Be careful and prevent "academic drift": there should be a clear understanding of the potential and benefits of these programs. Note that as the new student loan system in the Netherlands is implemented extra money to increase quality of education is allocated for .... Research and program committees....

But foremost, and the biggest lesson for us Dutch to learn: you've got to love these students and feel the passionate need to open up real development and possibilities.

Have a great night!