For Rhode Islanders in the Blackstone Valley communities, access to higher education can be difficult. What’s worse and because of the pandemic, Rhode Island in 2020 saw a 8.1 percent drop in college students, twice the national average. This deepens to an alarming 14.2 percent decline in segmentation into four-year private nonprofit colleges. This does not bode well for future students who want to secure or improve their careers, nor for our state as a whole.
Higher education is the key for many people who want to open the door to future success. But the cost of tuition, time required, travel and housing costs and other limiting factors prevent many from taking advantage of this proven path to success.
Rhode Island College and New England College of Engineering continue to provide a life-changing education for many, contributing to positive difference for individuals, families and communities. For some people, however, a different approach may make obtaining a degree or certification in a relevant industry more achievable. This is especially true for historically underrepresented communities – including first-generation college students, the low-income population, color students, and working adults.
So what can be done?
Online education is one of the fastest growing segments of higher education in the United States and is the key to access for non-traditional students and students who need to work while receiving higher education.
In a fully online competency-based model, students who learn faster or devote more time to school assignments can move through the program at their own pace. Thanks to this unique approach, students accelerate through learning at their individual pace, incorporating learning into the space of their lives. Thanks to individual support and mentoring, each student takes courses as soon as they can prove that they have mastered the material.
This approach – the benefits we saw at Western Governors University – expands opportunities and access to jobs. Take the example of Rhode Island resident Joe Clark, a recent graduate of the WGU College of Education who received a Bachelor of Science degree in special education. He told us that due to full-time work, the traditional model of higher education will not allow him to devote the necessary time and resources to achieve his goal – to become a teacher of special education in the city of Pautaket. Higher education online has become a find for Joe, and it may be the same for many other people in Rhode Island who are striving to improve themselves and their communities.
It is important that every resident who wishes to obtain a diploma that leads to a prosperous salary in a sought-after career, is aware of the many viable and quality options available to realize this opportunity. Online education often gets undeservedly bad rap, but this is exactly the opportunity that many in our community need. It benefits not only individuals but all of Rhode Island.
Democrat Carlos E. Tobon represents constituency 58 in Powiat.
Rebecca L. Watts, Ph.D., is the regional vice president of Western Governor’s University (WGU), a nonprofit, accredited, competency-based university that serves more than 200 students and 450 alumni in Rhode Island.