The Brave New World of Online Higher Education
Dr. Parminder K. Jassal is an educational researcher and reformer. While she is currently the CEO of Social Tech Inc., a public benefit corporation trying to increase educational access, her career has also taken her through the ACT Foundation, the Institute for the Future, and a number of large private corporations.
Her own educational story traverses through both India as well as the American public education system where she has experienced both the 2-year and the 4-year system which have helped shape the ways in which she seeks to expand access for other learners.
Throughout this interview we explore many of the broader issues in higher education. These range from the economics of offering Introduction to Microeconomics online, the demographic changes being undergone by the student body, and the unique role that community colleges have to play in the coming changes to higher ed.
We do eventually focus on the underserved group she has spent the most time trying to help - working students. These students are often older, have less flexible schedules, and need to be able to take fewer classes within a given term - all circumstances which the current higher ed system is often bad at addressing. While much of the prior work in the space has focused on local changes like improving advising structures, making transfer of credits easier, etc. Dr. Jassal’s work is much more revolutionary in that she seeks to change the very structures themselves - breaking down the idea that classes should be taken primarily at 1-2 institutions and trying to make online and asynchronous education (a reality which of many has become forcefully acquainted as of late) a permanent component of education.
Through Unmudl, her most recent project and Social Tech’s flagship product, Dr. Jassal has partnered with prominent community colleges to provide an educational experience that allows students to both study and work more flexibly. In this collaborative episode between Policy Punchline and Envision, we discuss Unmudl's unique strategies to educate future generations of students, and the benefits of a flexible model as opposed to a ‘traditional’ or liberal arts curriculum.
Dr. Jassal proposes a system that allows the student to select courses at different institutions, and to enroll in courses that not only are less of an investment than committing to a degree from a four-year institution, but also grant accreditation so that the student has employable skills (backed by certification) that allows them to also be productive members of the workforce.
We hope that you enjoy listening to an episode about rethinking a system we often take for granted, and leave having given thought about what the future of working and learning could look like.
Dr. Parminder K. Jassal