In this day and age, higher education often serves a more practical purpose than the pursuit of academic knowledge. Students are focused on starting their careers post-college and hope that their degree will land them a job in the respective field.
Institutions that aspire to make this transition to the workforce as seamless and easy as possible, give their students an advantage while also boosting their own competitiveness. This sentiment is on the rise across the country—in North Carolina, community colleges are even pushing for a model that correlates funding to the needs of the workforce.
It’s clear that schools are now tasked with more than just teaching baseline digital literacy in a technologically advancing world. A comprehensive understanding of digital skills varying across platforms and devices is expected in most industries nowadays. According to the BBC: “Over time, a degree of digital expertise has become expected even in roles unrelated to tech. From warehouse operators using cloud-based management systems, to doctors consulting with patients via remote video appointments, and contractors managing construction projects through mobile collaboration apps, technology is no longer sector-specific.”
How do we make students feel like they are ready to tackle this digital-forward world once they leave an academic setting?
In a study conducted by Salesforce, over two-thirds of Gen Z students reported feelings of inadequacy when it came to preparedness for a primarily digital job. Considering these respondents are part of the first generation to grow up in this digital age, this lack of confidence is vital to address.
Similarly, according to EdTech Digest, almost half of students have predicted that their qualifications will become irrelevant for their chosen field in five years or less after their graduation. This impending fear of the depreciation of a degree, and by extension higher education as a whole, is sure to leave students questioning the choice to attend college at all. With an already persistent distrust of higher ed among modern students in general, institutions must remedy these negative feelings.
Community colleges in the United States are in a unique position to take on this problem. These institutions are savvy about how they use their allocated resources, as community college programs have been known for their innovation and responsiveness to current trends and necessities of the workforce. Their focus on local jobs available in the surrounding community makes them keenly aware of the challenge at hand.
With the demographic makeup of their students, these institutions could be especially helpful in giving their students what they need in the form of digital content. Community colleges are often aptly suited to best fit the needs of their students in a flexible manner.
Here’s where BibliU can help institutions directly address this growing problem, and, in return, give students more confidence in how the education they receive will translate into their working life.
K-12 schooling is becoming increasingly digital, as the percentage of devices in the classroom has skyrocketed. However, the change to this method of learning has been slower in a higher education setting. Oftentimes, faculty are hesitant to replace print textbooks in the classroom. This sentiment is starting to shift but has already created a disconnect as students move on to higher education. This gap could become particularly worrisome when it comes to dual enrollment students, as they take high school and college courses simultaneously. This demographic makes up a significant portion of community college learners; it’s imperative to meet these students at their technological level to align the classroom experience.
BibliU can get institutions on the same page as their students when it comes to digital learning. Leveraging a digital reader and online textbooks gives colleges the opportunity to meet students where they are at in terms of their digital preference.
The BibliU app offers ease of use to faculty and students alike, with single sign-on (SSO) through the institution’s learning management system (LMS) and accessibility features to make studying more interactive. Additionally, faculty can track student progress and engagement through our online analytics.
Keeping students on a regular digital cadence throughout their education will increase comfortability and better prepare them for the workforce.
Focusing on the role of the institution in this equation, BibliU can aid its partners in adapting to best encourage workplace readiness.
The classes institutions offer to their students, whether they be technical courses or career-specific training, can directly impact how ready they are for the workforce. With BibliU, institutions can easily add and promote classes that serve the students’ needs.
BibliU’s digital platform allows students to access their textbooks immediately starting day one of class, even if they enroll past the start date. This flexibility makes it painless for students to join the courses that best suit their goals.
BibliU’s encouragement of Open Educational Resources (OER) allows faculty to conveniently add free materials to their courses, making it easy for them to pivot in the direction of student preparedness. BibliU is a valuable institutional partner because schools can host their own uploads, including training materials from workforce partners. The analytics features also give advanced insight into how this content is used. Additionally, BibliU’s course materials adoption process is automated and seamless—this again grants faculty an adaptability to guarantee their class hits all the topics it needs to cover for the students’ benefit.
Together, the services BibliU provides and the willingness of institutions to address this crisis head-on can make a difference when it comes to advancing student outcomes. As most colleges and universities know, student success doesn’t end when they leave campus. The mission of higher education is continuous learning, much of which now takes place in the workforce.
By filling this need, schools can cement their competitive status in terms of enrollment and retention, while also bettering the lives of their students. This important pivot will benefit future workers, employers, and institutions.
BibliU is looking for forward-thinking partners to rise to the occasion and meet this challenge. Discover how your institution can lower textbook costs and boost student success: Learn more about BibliU Universal Learning.
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