The Future of Higher Education Is the Hybrid Campus

Online Learning

The Future of Higher Education Is the Hybrid Campus

Blending the best of face-to-face instruction with the flexibility of online learning can enhance the higher ed experience for all types of learners, lower the cost of a degree and better prepare students for the workforces

+ By Dr. Jeffrey R. Docking

+ 05/26/22

From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, temporary changes were made across industries to adjust to our new, isolated reality. However, as we emerge from the pandemic, it is clear that many of these temporary changes will inevitably be the reality of the future. For higher ed, the wholesale shift to remote learning dramatically changed many of our institutions, including my own, almost overnight. While our industry is thrilled to see many elements of the traditional campus experience return to normal, online learning is likely to remain a facet of our models for the long term. If anything, the pandemic was merely the ember needed to change a model that was ripe for disruption.

Total undergraduate enrollment dropped 3.1% from the fall of 2020 to the fall of 2021, bringing the total decline since the fall of 2019 to 6.6% — or 1.2 million students. This decline begs the question: What steps are we taking to ensure that America's small liberal arts colleges capitalize on an opportunity to embrace change and innovative learning solutions to increase these numbers?

What Students Want

Students and families are increasingly rethinking whether a traditional college education is worth the investment, leaving higher ed leaders searching for innovative ways to showcase their school's value and entice students. When we think about what students really want, they want more than a degree — they want skills training that will ensure a well-paying, rewarding career. In fact, 62% of college students say they would be more likely to re-enroll if their institution offered "new programs and certificates tailored to the new economy" with high-demand majors and education that connects them to employability. This makes sense since employers are continuing to find value in students developing a "broad skill base that can be applied across a range of contexts."

Students are also still looking for the four-year quintessential college experience they've come to expect. They want to engage in on-campus and in-person social activities including sports, entertainment, Homecoming, convocation, commencement, late nights in the library, and midnight food runs. There's also no denying the effectiveness of in-person learning with the interpersonal attention and engagement between student and instructor. As hands-on learning becomes more important in today's job market, however, we may find experience-based learning is more suited for student-teacher interactions, while classroom material may be better delivered online.

It's this crossbreed of the two educational learning methods that will unlock the ability to give students what they want in a way that online-only or pure face-to-face does not allow on its own. Students are looking for new-age value when making their college decision. They are seeking a learning environment that builds a hybrid community that will allow them to share content and experiences, build more relationships and identify work opportunities.

Embracing the Hybrid Campus

I was initially skeptical of online learning. I equated it with faceless, impersonal experiences. I saw what happened in the for-profit space and worried it might be antithetical to the small private college. But over the last several years, and after seeing the success of it at Adrian College, I've become convinced that the future of residential colleges is not face-to-face or online, but an intelligent blend of both modalities.