ETS Research Institute Kicks off Webinar Series with a Deep Dive into Transforming Higher Education.
Higher education is undergoing a seismic shift, with challenges like enrollment decline, the disruption of AI, the drive for equity and the growing demands for students' workforce and career success reshaping its landscape. In response, the ETS Research Institute has launched a groundbreaking webinar series to tackle the most critical issues facing higher education today.
The first session, titled “Transforming Higher Education,” took place on August 7, 2024, and featured an insightful presentation by Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, dean of the Graduate College at the University of Illinois. In his keynote, Chodzko-Zajko laid out the “new reality” of higher education, focusing on five key areas: competition, choice, personalized learning, learning outcomes and the workforce. He stressed the importance of flexibility, urging institutions to empower learners to “learn what, where, when, and how they want, at a price they can afford.”
“We have a unique opportunity to emphasize lifelong learning, not just for upskilling and reskilling, but for enabling continuous personal and professional growth,” Chodzko-Zajko said.
After the presentation, the spotlight shifted to a panel discussion moderated by Sara Haviland, Senior Measurement Scientist at ETS, featuring ETS experts Lydia Liu, Associate Vice President, Innovative Solutions Principal, Randy Bennett, Norman O. Frederiksen Chair in Assessment Innovation, and Guangming Ling, Research Director, Global Higher Education and the Workforce.
Each panelist brought a unique perspective, exploring the complexities of the evolving educational landscape.
Lydia Liu, who leads the Skills and Business Excellence unit at ETS, emphasized the importance of upskilling and reskilling in today’s fast-evolving job market and highlighted the need for college-level assessments to match workforce demands. “Formative assessments and task-based evaluations can play a critical role in aligning educational outcomes with workforce needs, particularly during the transition from higher education to employment,” Liu said.
Randy Bennett focused on the concept of inclusive excellence at scale, drawing from his expertise in building socioculturally responsive systems. Bennett stressed the importance of shifting the focus of assessments from selection to supporting students’ academic journeys. “Admissions tests are unimportant for the vast majority of postsecondary institutions, which are not selective and facing enrollment declines. For these institutions, who gets in may be less important than using assessment to help students get out,” Bennett said.
Guangming Ling highlighted the importance of credentials and how they can support student success on their path to career success after graduation. He also emphasized the growing need to incorporate durable skills like critical thinking and communication into assessment tools. “National surveys reveal that durable skills like critical thinking and communication are often undervalued in transcripts and credentials. It’s crucial to develop assessment tools that help individuals gauge these competencies and meet employer expectations,” Ling said.
The session concluded with a Q&A segment, during which attendees from across ETS and educational institutions engaged directly with the panelists. The consensus? There is a pressing need to rethink how education systems operate to ensure that they are proactively meeting the needs of students and the workforce. “Students are investing in their future because they recognize the value in earning certificates and degrees that enhance their careers,” Haviland said, summarizing the collective sentiment of the event.
The ETS Research Institute will continue its webinar series on Thursday, September 12, with a session titled “The Evolving Landscape of Admissions Policies: Equity, Diversity, and the Role of Standardized Tests.”
Inspired by the sensational New York Times article “The Misguided War on the SAT,” the discussion will feature Bruce Sacerdote, one of the Dartmouth professors whose research influenced the return of standardized tests, Julie Park, a leading expert in diversity and equity in higher education, and ETS experts Sara Haviland and Ken Eisner.
The ETS Research Institute invites everyone to join this webinar to gain a firsthand perspective on what is shaping admissions policies today.
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About ETS
ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization enabling lifelong learners to be future ready. We advance the science of measurement to build the benchmarks for fair and valid skill assessment. We are committed to powering human progress by promoting skill proficiency, empowering upward mobility and unlocking more opportunities for everyone, everywhere. Our assessment products – including the TOEFL, TOEIC, GRE and Praxis Assessments – as well as our innovative solutions and subsidiaries help 50 million people each year to clarify their strengths and find opportunities for growth in education, work and beyond. We continue to operate around the world, with offices in 25 locations and operations in 200 countries and territories. www.ets.org