Going forward, an increasing portion of enrollment growth will require taking market share from other universities, including state sponsored online universities operating nationally. Competition is increasing rapidly and driving improvements in standards of service beginning with lead generation and enrollment, through offering the right programs with instruction that draws on the learning sciences, to retention services that recognize the risks and needs of today’s students.
Some of us have advised others as to the importance of allocating enough revenue to R&D to secure the future viability of an organization. As a percent of revenue, that number varies from a few percent to as much as 20 percent, as dictated by the nature of the product or service and the environment in which it is offered. Spend too little, and you risk becoming marginalized and, eventually, replaced. Spend too much . . . well, there are too few cases from which to generalize.
For decades, the learning and measurement sciences have told us how to optimize learning in physical and virtual classrooms. Higher education has either ignored or been slow to adopt these findings. Ironically, students now expect to consume and interact with information in ways that are consistent with what these sciences have been telling us for decades. The drivers of higher completion rates and stronger employment outcomes is also driving these changes.