To truly address the issue of credit mobility, we must take a hard look at the implications and contributing factors of the industry’s completion agenda. This agenda, which has effectively and necessarily laid the foundation for higher education’s focus on impact and an institution’s role in ensuring students leave with meaningful outcomes, reinforces a degree construct that fails to consider the broader context in which students are learning and transitioning. We’ve been trying to address the credit mobility transfer issue for decades, and while some states or systems do it better than others, the issue of credit mobility is still rooted in holding individuals to the idea of a variety of institutionally defined finish lines—degrees, certificates, etc.
Navigating the labyrinth of higher education transfer and credit mobility is a daunting task for most students. The complexity of these processes often stems from self-preservation mechanisms within educational institutions, designed to maintain financial incentives and institutional prestige. However, these mechanisms frequently overlook the evolving needs of today’s learners and the dynamic technological and economic environment they are entering.
As a longtime higher education practitioner, I am excited to join Sova and continue to support and build upon the work of the national Beyond Transfer Policy Advisory Board. My vision is to complement the board’s work and push to evolve the conversation beyond transfer and credit mobility, focusing on how higher education is transforming to effectively meet the needs and expectations of today’s learners.
The Need for a Paradigm Shift
In a post-industrial era, we see increased questioning of the purpose of higher education and should likewise evaluate the extent to which it must evolve. Unlike the industrial era, which emphasized standardized education to prepare individuals for specific roles in a manufacturing-based economy, today’s world demands a more flexible and adaptive approach. We need to create new practices and redesign institutions to facilitate and validate the continuous nature of learning and the diverse career trajectories students will encounter over a lifetime.
A deliberate focus on teaching learners how to learn—fostering critical thinking, creativity and the ability to adapt to rapidly changing technological landscapes—is a critical element, ensuring that structurally education is no longer just a phase but rather a daily practice. Agile learning, which emphasizes flexibility, adaptability and continuous improvement, should be at the core of these new institutions, enabling learners to swiftly respond to new challenges and opportunities.
Rethinking Institutional Roles
While workforce-aligned programming and return on investment have been the hot topics of higher education reforms, many education practitioners, for a variety of reasons, have pushed back on the idea of aligning with industry needs and using job placement or career advancement as metrics. They argue that education should not be solely driven by labor market demands but should also focus on fostering critical thinking, creativity and a well-rounded, informed citizenry. And as a liberal arts major myself, this resonates deeply. And thankfully, in a post-industrial age environment, these are no longer opposing binaries.
The ability for students to leverage technology to articulate new and unique career trajectories will be highly dependent upon the ability of educational institutions to substantially evolve and support customized, just-in-time educational opportunities. This requires a shift from preserving institutional interests to championing student empowerment. Our education institutions need to adapt delivery modalities, credit and degree constructs and their purpose in an emerging knowledge economy, taking steps to move away from the concept of degrees as the main product of higher education and degree completion as the main metric. Balancing these perspectives is crucial as we rethink the roles and goals of educational institutions in the modern era.
Many would point to certificates, noncredit, credit for prior learning or other alternatives to a formal degree as options that are already available, but I would posit that juxtaposed to the revered degree, these options are continually fighting for legitimacy. And their real appeal is their viability given that they leave the existing structures intact. This holding of the degree construct and status quo within higher education is reinforced by the larger higher education ecosystem—policy makers, philanthropy, federal financing, researchers, etc. This, along with the gravitational pull of elite or Ivy League institutions, poses the most significant challenges for the future viability and relevance of higher education.
Prototyping the Future
At Sova, my role is to prototype and explore what a postdegree and postcompletion-agenda world might look like. Through meaningful partnerships with organizations across the higher education and workforce ecosystems, we aim to prototype the future of higher education in ways that are concrete and actionable. This involves deliberate trial and error and unapologetically challenging the status quo and, most importantly, this requires some unlearning and new experiences for the higher education workforce.
The journey to reimagine higher education transfer and credit mobility is complex, but it is essential for meeting the needs of today’s learners. By breaking away from outdated models and embracing innovative approaches, we can create systems that truly support student success and prepare learners for the challenges of the future. While retiring the completion agenda may not be the right vehicle for solving credit mobility, it would certainly change up the conversations and highlight where we may be influenced by self-preservation and protectionism. It would prompt discussions around how the degree construct is at the core of the credit mobility and transfer challenges—and whether the idea of a “finish line” is still relevant in a world where new information is generated daily and perpetual, scaffolded learning is essential. The answer lies in our collective willingness to move beyond degrees and the completion agenda and envision a new social compact for higher education.