Broken Brackets
March usually starts with a simple question, “did you fill out your bracket?” This question is then followed by a myriad of terms that you only hear in March, like “seeds”, “Cinderellas,” and the “big dance.” The wave of feigned loyalty and competitiveness that creeps up is infectious and unites millions of people. Soon you find yourself reading team statistics and choosing who is going to proceed to the next round after each “one and done” game. It is all in fun until that initial crushing blow when you picked the most likely team to advance based on these statistics only to learn of an upset, such as the Oral Roberts and Ohio State game. The next thing you know, your bracket is on a downward spiral. The emotional investment into March Madness provides an interesting phenomenon every year. It reinforces our faith in the underdog while undermining everything we know about statistics.
Statistics are important when making all kinds of decisions. We rely on them to share the blame for risky decisions. When facing negative outcomes, we refer back to statistics and rationalize the reason why the decision was the right one in the first place. However, as we come to find out, sometimes statistics fall short of providing all the information we need to make the correct decision. This is when a little bit of risk and gut instinct are required.
Reliance on higher education statistics is no different. We know about the change needed, and as silly as it sounds, March Madness teaches a valuable lesson. You can rely on statistics, but if they are analyzed without looking at the whole picture then there is a risk of missing and planning for anomalies. Higher education operates with a mindset that postsecondary goals and achievements are primarily for students who can afford it. Those students who are willing to set aside four years after high school to pursue these ambitions. What higher education fails to fully embrace is that while the world continues to change around them, we insist on following the same pedagogy while hoping for different results. The global pandemic forced a mindshift within all industries, but especially across higher education requiring institutions to rethink how educational opportunities can be delivered and the viable solutions they offer to students.
To initiate meaningful change, sometimes you have to place less weight on the statistics and evaluate the surrounding circumstances individually to adequately address the essential needs. Oral Roberts coach Paul Mills said, “As I told the guys, we’re not going to let somebody put a number in front of our name and tell us that that’s our worth.” The following are some real truths that higher education needs to face to properly analyze statistics and create meaningful change.
Today’s Students: The average student is a working adult who needs varying levels of support and services as compared to the traditional, residential, high school graduate, especially following the impact of COVID-19 over the past year.
Distance Education: Online learning is here to stay and is a proven successful method of quality educational delivery for many working adults. While it may not remain the preferred method of learning for all students, it is an effective model and for a vast majority of the population, one that fits their schedule.
Regulatory Pushback: Regulatory agencies become increasingly resistant to new and different methods of delivery and options for educational access in some part due to the inability to see the need for change and embrace the possibilities. The global pandemic forced a need to analyze transformational change in how people learn and what they will need to thrive in a post-pandemic economic reality.
Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems: Currently, the rapidly rising costs of higher education is making access nearly impossible for a growing student population forced to borrow money due to a lack of other financial options. Institutions need to find opportunities to offer access to quality educational opportunities to support the workforce of the future.
These truths are what the growing contemporary student population faces every day. Students today are living lives that require them to simultaneously work full-time, while raising a family, and trying to gain access and pay for education that enables them to remain competitive. These students have had to face the harsh reality of a global economy impacted by a pandemic while higher education struggles to meet these shifting needs. We need to move beyond the traditional statistical interpretations of the past and embrace educating students in new ways. Offering educational opportunities designed to meet students where they are in hopes of providing them with pathways for meaningful employment.
There are some institutions that understand the need and continue to make innovative changes. We read about these stories in heart-warming articles on Inside Higher Ed and it gives us a glimmer of hope, it provides a “Cinderella” story for higher education to hold onto. The truth of the matter is, however, that it will take more than these select institutions to meet the growing educational needs. It is going to take a unified effort to face the harsh realities and make some tough decisions based on the changes needed and not just the results we want to see.
“If you focus on the results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results.” ~ Jack Dixon
