Technology's Role in the College Completion Agenda: An Introduction to Next Generation Learning Challenges

It is estimated that, by 2018, jobs requiring some kind of postsecondary education will make up 64 percent of the workforce. Yet, for an increasing number of young adults in the United States, a postsecondary credential is out of reach. On our own campuses, the road to completion is often complicated by the demands on students' lives and the costs of higher education. Just over half of those students who do enroll will graduate and as few as one-quarter of low-income students will obtain a degree.

The realities of college completion in the United States have garnered considerable attention in recent months, but what role do we, as IT professionals, have to play? How can we leverage technology to help students engage more deeply and master content more quickly in the face of shrinking budgets? Are there ways that today's tools can help us intervene with at-risk students and keep them on the path toward graduation?

Next Generation Learning Challenges, a new initiative led by EDUCAUSE, seeks to dramatically increase college readiness and completion by fostering the development and adoption of promising learning technologies. In this webcast, NGLC Executive Director Ira Fuchs will provide an overview of the goals and ambitions driving NGLC and share several examples of how today's campuses, through IT, can make an impact on college readiness and completion.