When I hear the term “student” I think of a young person - perhaps between the ages of 5 and 21 - sitting at a desk, with a notebook, looking at a chalkboard. While this image certainly dates me, it is also the very real image that comes to mind for many, from laypeople to policymakers. The fallacy with using the term “student” to describe someone who is participating in a learning experience is that it does not reflect the reality of our current world — one which has become fast-paced, where information is shared (and changes) instantaneously, and is far more inclusive of a more diverse populus.
What if we refer to “students” instead as “learners” and give attention to a more inclusive, less time-bound or discipline-based experience. If we thought of “students” as “learners,” I am confident that our policies and our practices - as well as our stereotypes and stigmas - would change. Coming through and out of a global pandemic will require new ways of approaching learning across all levels of education and training. But starting by changing our vernacular will ensure that the silver lining to come from this incredibly challenging and near debilitating period of the modern era will create more opportunities for individuals who aspire to build anew.
Last month, the Presidents Forum, a membership organization of college and university presidents and chancellors committed to reinventing higher education for a more diverse student population, released the “Learners First” framework - ten guiding principles to lead postsecondary education into a future more inclusive of all learners. The work of the Presidents Forum caught my attention at a time when I have also been changing the way I reference students - and talk about learners. In an effort to learn more, I talked with Dr. Eloy Ortiz Oakley, chancellor of the California Community Colleges about this new framework and what it means for higher education, but more importantly, for today’s “learners.”
Alison Griffin: The Presidents Forum just released a Learners First framework with ten principles for how higher education should better respond to the demands and challenges of a changing world. The concept of “Learners First” is hard to argue with, but what does it really mean in practice?
Eloy Ortiz Oakley: In practice, the Learners First framework is a commitment from colleges and universities to look at the needs of our nation’s most vulnerable and underserved students. That means a commitment to adapting pedagogy and practices to align with students for whom the traditional model of higher education does not work. Learners today are diverse, with a wide range of prior experiences, current obligations and constraints, and future goals. Our nation’s higher education system needs to better reflect the learners who are accessing our programs and institutions.
The framework is based on ten guiding principles ranging from focusing on learner objectives to embracing lifelong learning to deploying outcomes-centric innovation. As we know, the pandemic has exacerbated access and achievement gaps for learners with the greatest needs. These ten principles give postsecondary education leaders the framework to ensure those who are most vulnerable are served by our institutions.
Learners First institutions of higher education are committed to reaching more learners and creating ... [+]
Alison: How has the COVID-19 pandemic accentuated the need for new approaches in postsecondary education?
Eloy: COVID-19 has put a stark mirror in front of our higher education leaders and policy makers and made clear that communities of color and low-income Americans lack access to the basic opportunities that many people take for granted. We know these postsecondary education opportunities and the support provided by our institutions are necessary to maintain meaningful access to the fast-evolving economy.
Alison: How does a learners-first approach intersect with the social justice movement that has rightfully taken hold across the nation, including on college campuses?
Eloy: 2020 has been the year of racial reckoning. The events that have unfolded this year have laid bare the decades of social injustices that impact communities throughout America. There is a growing and dangerous divide between those who are benefiting from the current economy and those who have been left behind. Our nation’s colleges and universities must take the leadership necessary to engage faculty and staff in reflecting on this moment in time and take action to put an anti-racist lens on curriculum, hiring practices and campus culture.
Alison: What are some initial steps that colleges and universities can take if they want to transition to a learners-first approach? What is the role of college presidents and chancellors in promoting these types of approaches? Is there also a role for governing board trustees?
Eloy: Higher education leaders must seize this moment to issue a “Call to Action” and ask learners what they need to be successful. We need to hear the learner voice - and we need to act on aligning the design of curriculum and support services with the learner at the center. This work cannot happen without a commitment from governing boards and college and university leaders. Courageous conversations must take place that require the encouragement and political cover that only governing boards and campus leaders can provide.
Alison: What are the principles of the Learners First framework that are most aligned with your vision for the changes needed nationally in postsecondary education?
Eloy: The Learners First framework puts students first and calls on institutions to meet learners where they are. The framework is learner focused not institution focused and this cultural shift aligns perfectly with the California Community Colleges Vision for Success. The Vision for Success is an anchoring document that strives to articulate a clear vision for the 116-college community college system and puts a clear and unwavering focus on equity. The Vision for Success calls on all of our colleges to redesign policies and practices with the learner at the center of the design.
Alison: How have the California Community Colleges embraced the principles described in the framework?
Eloy: The California Community Colleges, through the Vision for Success and the commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion embrace the principles in the Learners First framework. The system is taking action to review its campus culture, curriculum and hiring practices with and anti-racist, equity lens. The system recognizes the need to more quickly adapt to the needs of adult learners and is implementing new teaching and learning approaches such as the large-scale implementation of Competency-Based Education. We have done this through the launch of California’s first fully online Competency-Based Education college, Calbright College, which is solely focused on working learners. The California Community Colleges are also critically reviewing classroom culture and committing to diversifying the faculty ranks as an important step toward improving student success for every learner.
Alison: Are there any common misconceptions about a Learners First approach that you want to dispel?
Eloy: The most common misconception is that only highly selective colleges and universities create value. The Learners First framework focuses on creating value by becoming more inclusive not less inclusive. Higher education is for all people, not just those with the greatest means or the best connections. Learners First institutions are committed to reaching more learners and creating value through improving the economic mobility of the most vulnerable among us.
