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Resources
Academic Programs in CE Trends
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Trends SummariesThe UPCEA staff periodically highlights a news story of particular interest to our association membership that could point to an important trend. These appear in the right side column of our home page when we first publish these items, and then are compiled in this Trends section for future reference. Links to online reports and articles are provided as a courtesy to our visitors. These links may change as organizations reorganize their website or archive items. Some of the sources required that you register for a free or paid account to read an article. Study Abroad Numbers Grow Despite EconomyAn annual study released by the Institute of International Education in November revealed that the struggling economy had very little effect on international student enrollment for 2009-10. The 2010 Open Doors report, which is partly funded by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, shows that international student enrollment rose during the peak of the recession. Reversal of Trends: Gender & Graduate EnrollmentLooking at enrollments in graduate schools over the past 10 years, women have led the way in master’s degree attainment. However, they lagged when it came to earning a doctorate. As recently as 2000, women were earning only 44 percent of doctoral degrees. Men had clearly dominated that arena—until now. A Mismatch Between Jobs and EducationThe economic recession that began in late 2007 has hit hardest those who were employed in lower-skill, lower-income jobs—jobs that could be either automated or shipped offshore for cheaper labor. The jobs that emerge after the economy recovers are likely to be very different and require different kinds of workers and different kinds of preparation. There is a growing mismatch between the jobs that will be created over the next decade, and the education and training of our adult workers. The ability of individuals to connect education, training, and careers has become essential to employability. Graduate Education Gains Importance in a Knowledge EconomyThe shift from a manufacturing-based economy to a knowledge-based economy has led some to argue that a graduate degree is the new bachelor’s. Undergraduate education contributes to a stable economy because it provides students with foundational knowledge and prepares them for a wide range of job opportunities. Graduate education provides students with advanced knowledge and skills that drive innovation, preparing workers for management and leadership positions. An Older, More Diverse Labor Force Will Need More EducationThe U.S. labor market is projected to experience significant changes in labor force demographics and job growth. From 2008 to 2018, the labor force is projected to grow more diverse and have more workers age 55 and older. Simultaneously, the highest-paying jobs, those that require at least a bachelor's degree, are expected to increase at a rate faster than that of overall job growth, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. New Nursing Programs Created in Response to Expanding DemandThe demand for qualified nurses in the United States is twofold, in that America needs more nurses, and many current nurses require more education. The U.S Department of Labor projects that this country will need more than a million new and replacement registered nurses by 2016. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching have each called for increasing educational attainment levels for nurses at various levels. In order to meet this demand for nurses, many colleges and universities are exploring ways to increase capacity and reach new student populations. Students Seeking Online Offerings in Record NumbersEconomic downturns have historically been periods when higher education institutions experience a surge in enrollments, as unemployed workers seek to increase their appeal to potential employers and workers with jobs look for opportunities to advance in their careers. Many colleges and universities are facing an increased demand for courses and programs with a simultaneous decrease in their institutional budgets. Online education is particularly appealing to students because it allows broader access and more flexibility, and demand for such courses has never been higher. The seventh annual Sloan Consortium online learning report, Learning on Demand: Online Education in The United States, 2009, reveals that there were more than 4.6 million students taking at least one online course in 2008, a 17-percent increase from 2007. Online courses are defined as those in which at least 80 percent of the course content is delivered online. More than one-quarter of higher education students now take at least one course online. The growth from 1.6 million online students in 2002 to 4.6 million students in 2008 is a compound annual growth rate of 19 percent, compared with an annual growth rate of less than 2 percent for all higher education students during that time period. Degree Completion Hindered by Work and Family ResponsibilitiesThe prevailing wisdom as to why most students start but do not finish college is because they cannot afford it, are not prepared for the academic rigors, or do not value education as much as those students who complete college. Yet a report by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Public Agenda reveals that the primary reason students cite for leaving college is balancing work and school. The challenge of simultaneously juggling work, family, and education is more daunting for most of these students than being able to pay for college – and has implications for the benefits and services that students need to complete their degrees. Alternative Teacher Certification Programs Are BurgeoningAlternative teacher certification programs, which offer a route to the classroom other than the traditional four-year education major, are flourishing, with about one-third of new teaching hires coming through alternative routes to teacher certification. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have some type of alternate route to teacher certification, with nearly 500 alternate teacher certification programs spread across the country. According to the National Center for Alternative Certification, the number of teaching certificates issued to people who completed an alternative route program grew from roughly 20,000 in 2000-01 to approximately 59,000 in 2005-06. This period of rapid growth has been characterized by a shift away from emergency and other temporary routes prevalent in the 1980’s and 1990’s, to new routes designed specifically for non-traditional candidates who have already earned bachelor’s degrees, many of whom come from other careers. Federal Stimulus Package Targets Health Care TrainingThe aging of the baby boom population, and advances in medical technology that allow people to live longer, are expected to exacerbate an already high demand for health care services in the United States. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is addressing this critical need by increasing funding for health care training, and by initiating a process to computerize health records on a national scale to reduce health care costs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the health care and social assistance fields will add about four million jobs from 2006 to 2016, representing more than 25 percent of all jobs created in that time period. Twenty of the 30 fastest growing occupations are health-related. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), there is a projected workforce shortage of one million nurses by 2025. Last year, approximately 50,000 qualified applicants to nursing programs were turned away due to an insufficient capacity at schools for nursing, mostly due to insufficient numbers of qualified faculty and clinical training sites. The public health workforce is projected to have a shortage of 250,000 workers by 2020. In addition, the increasing demand for skilled health professionals comes at a time when most allied health professions are experiencing labor shortages. The DHHS reports that there are at least 200 health disciplines with worker shortages. College Students Will Be More Diverse, Older in Next DecadeTotal student enrollment in degree-granting colleges and universities is expected to climb from 18.2 million in 2007 to 20.6 million in 2018 - a 13 percent increase. Projections indicate that the most significant growth rates will be among older students, minorities, and women. The number of public high school graduates is expected to increase 11 percent from the 2005-06 academic year to the 2018-19 academic year. These numbers are drawn from the most recent report of the U.S. Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics. Access and Affordability Are Crucial to Increasing Graduation RatesColllege graduation rates are likely to decline in the coming years unless more is done to improve the postsecondary completion rates of Hispanic and Black students. These groups, who represent the fastest-growing student populations at colleges and universities, also have generally had lower education attainment levels than White and Asian students. Although higher education enrollments among Hispanic and Black students are on the rise, their college graduation rates continue to lag behind their White and Asian counterparts. Access and affordability will be essential to increasing the educational levels of these demographic groups. Study Abroad Programs Respond
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