ReportOUT Details Innovative Educational Initiatives to Inform and Improve Student Success
ReportOUT includes insights from across the economic, education, and political world, bringing a diverse array of viewpoints and analysis on how to approach education differently. “We need to stop focusing on the negative impacts of COVID and pay attention to teachers, businesses and communities who have used the moment to improve the education experience for students,” said Guy Smith, Executive Editor, ReportOUT. “These seven articles detailing how communities are using new technologies and data to re-imagine education provide a roadmap for communities across the country on how they can do the same.”
A primary theme throughout these articles is understanding the role of technology and the future of technology when designing student-centered pedagogy.
An article curated for the report by Farnam Jahanian, President, Carnegie Mellon University, states “There is an undeniable need to train the next generation in emerging digital competencies and to be fluent in designing, developing or employing technology responsibly, At the same time, 21st-century students must learn how to approach problems from many perspectives, cultivate and exploit creativity, engage in complex communication, and leverage critical thinking.”
Moreover, it features articles on major trends in postsecondary education that are being seen and felt this Fall; on the response from higher education to changes in how people work; and on the rise of alternative credentials. One article by Strada Education Network details the results of their surveys to better understand the impact COVID-19 on finances, careers and education. The organization identified five major trends from over 13,000 responses, including:
- Two out of every three young adults report they have changed or canceled their education plans
- Adults’ fears about their ability to succeed are a significant barrier to enrolling
- Nondegree programs have the strongest interest
- Americans prefer online programs over in-person
- People of color are most likely to experience disruption
The report ends with how Southern Utah University has actually been able to increase enrollment in 2020.
“These stories and trends provide clear guidance to administrators and educators on how to prioritize and focus their attention in a post-COVID environment. If we pay attention to the data and listen to what our communities say they need, we can make incredible strides in education that will be felt for generations to come,” concluded Mr. Smith.
Recognizing that real change is necessary, ReportOUT focuses on the non-traditional, and the notion that effective educational practices can be found in some unlikely places. When searching around the edges, exploring techniques and technologies outside of traditional education, and looking within the ancillary realms of corporate training, for profit schools, and independent learning systems, it helps to have a guidebook.
This is the seventh edition in the ReportOUT series, but first to be launched widely.
