Higher-education enrollment took a hit during the pandemic and online and hybrid programs became a much more popular and necessary way to educate students.In fact, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data show that in Connecticut there was an overall undergraduate enrollment dip of 5.3% since 2019; enrollment at state community colleges dropped 15% during the […]
Get Instant Access to This Article
Subscribe to Hartford Business Journal and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
- Critical Hartford and Connecticut business news updated daily.
- Immediate access to all subscriber-only content on our website.
- Bi-weekly print or digital editions of our award-winning publication.
- Special bonus issues like the Hartford Book of Lists.
- Exclusive ticket prize draws for our in-person events.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Higher-education enrollment took a hit during the pandemic and online and hybrid programs became a much more popular and necessary way to educate students.
In fact, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data show that in Connecticut there was an overall undergraduate enrollment dip of 5.3% since 2019; enrollment at state community colleges dropped 15% during the same time.
At the height of the pandemic in 2020, college campuses throughout the state closed for a time and classes went online as educators were forced to use new tools to deliver instruction.
In addition to remote/online learning, Connecticut colleges also formed new partnerships and put a greater focus on making students workforce ready in a time of uncertainty.
The Hartford Business Journal recently asked three top educators in the state what key trends will impact their industry in 2022. They included: Rhona Free, president of the University of St. Joseph; UConn interim President Andrew Agwunobi; and Gregory Woodward, University of Hartford president.
Here are the top trends to watch in 2022:
Remote, online and hybrid courses
While a majority of undergraduate students in national surveys say that — based on their experience during the pandemic — they prefer in-person instruction, graduate and part-time undergraduates prefer the flexibility and convenience of hybrid, remote and online courses, education leaders say.
Free said that “with new confidence in their technological skills, and equipped with appropriate hardware and broadband access, [students] will prefer online formats, and many graduate programs will make that transition.”
Woodward said that students learn in different ways and schools must adapt.
“In-person, online, synchronous, asynchronous, or any combination of these modalities are all possible,” Woodward said. “The goal is to provide options for all students, whether they are earning undergraduate or graduate degrees or professional certificates, to learn in ways that set them up for success.”
Creating partnerships
Educators say students are looking for clear educational pathways that will lead to jobs and long-term opportunities.
Woodward said that “strategic, mutually beneficial relationships with business, industry, government, community, and not-for-profit partners create such pathways.”
“Institutional partners contribute to students’ career and intellectual preparedness, while developing a talent pipeline for future employees,” Woodward said. “They serve as guest lecturers and mentors, sponsor research projects, and share expertise in other ways. Together with faculty, they give students the tools to become well-rounded, highly-skilled contributors to a complex workforce.”
In addition, Free said two types of partnerships will be increasingly common.
“Colleges and universities will partner with corporations to incorporate training into degree programs so that students graduate ready to begin their careers,” Free said. “Additionally, through ... affiliations with other schools, colleges and universities will increase the number of in-person and online courses they share.”
Workforce ready
It’s essential, educators say, to be creative, flexible and transparent when offering avenues to allow students to be prepared to enter the workforce.
Agwunobi said UConn is “placing a greater emphasis on experiential learning to help students build career-readiness skills.
That includes offering more experiences like mentored research, study abroad, internships and entrepreneurship.
And, Free said, shifts in workforce needs and student interest in academic majors will make universities more flexible and nimble.
Free noted that from 2010 to 2018, the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded in the U.S. increased by 17% and the number of degrees awarded in the health professions rose by 75%.
“Similar, if less dramatic, changes are occurring in other areas,” Free said. “Responding to these changes, most of them in disciplines in which faculty move back and forth between industry and higher education (nursing, computer science and engineering), and that require specialized physical resources like laboratories and simulation centers, will lead universities to be creative and flexible with faculty hiring and capital improvements.”
Pandemic’s influence
Connecticut educators say vaccination requirements and some pandemic precautions will remain on campuses throughout the country.
Because of the spread of the omicron variant, Agwunobi recently announced the first two weeks of UConn's spring semester will be conducted virtually, with the student move-in date pushed back until the weekend of Jan. 29.
