The U.S. Department of Education has issued its final rulemaking on several key elements of online learning in higher education. The new rules have a particular impact on academic and admission structure for historically black institutions, which may benefit from new definitions on flexible degree programs and earned credit concepts.
The new rules can be found here, but in summary, they make it easier for colleges and universities to design online degree programs that consider previous work or learning experience in lieu of classroom instruction. They simplify ‘go-at-your-own-pace’ courses to be funded by federal financial aid programming, extend federal financial aid eligibility to individuals serving time in juvenile detention centers, and allow private companies to partner with institutions in developing academic courses without requiring faculty oversight or approval.
What does it mean for black colleges? At first glance, it means broader opportunities to recruit from the increasing pool of working adults seeking to complete degrees or to earn advanced credentials. HBCUs have shown promise in the effort to convert traditional instructional delivery to online exclusive platforms, but not without the growing pains of reduced student engagement and technological training gaps.
But if COVID-19 extends well into 2021 and new federal rules look favorably upon online programs targeting working adults with the promise of faster and cheaper degree completion time, it could be a renaissance in considering HBCUs as campuses dedicated to training 18-22-year-olds, and into a new identity as the hubs for black adult learners.
If it worked for Deion Sanders at Talladega College, it can work for anyone, anywhere at any time. And it will work for predominantly white colleges looking to bolster their own student enrollment from black communities in the coming months and years.
Second, the rules allow companies to have a closer relationship with institutions in developing programming to train students for entry-level work readiness. This means that television stations could have more incentive and access to historically black mass communication departments, healthcare and pharmaceutical companies to HBCU natural and applied science laboratories, and psychology practices in social work and psychology classrooms.
It remains to be seen if HBCU leaders and faculty embrace the open-access ED proposals which are set to go into effect in July 2021, but from all appearances, the rules seem to give an advantage to black colleges looking to build bridges with corporate sectors and to attract students in broader numbers.
