Teaching and Learning blog

What course(s) do/did you teach?

Greg: General Biology – Majors; General Biology – Nonmajors; Genetics; Developmental Biology; Microbiology

What is a challenge that you’re currently facing in the classroom? How did/do you try to overcome this challenge?

Greg: Helping students who struggle to understand biology. Additionally, increasing course structure.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the past few years regarding teaching biology?

Greg: The importance of focusing on clearly articulated learning objectives.

What is one best practice that you use that you think works well and you would want to share with others, whether it's in a classroom setting, working in groups, or working one-on-one with a new teaching technology?

Greg: Creating a course structure that encourages understanding biology for most students.

What are you most proud of in your career?

Greg: Hearing from students who have gone on to careers in biology, medicine, and related fields who have told me of the importance of courses I’ve taught.

In your opinion, what is higher education going to look like in the next two to three years?

Greg: Generative AI is likely to be transformative in positive and negative ways that are difficult to predict precisely.

The 8th Edition of Biological Science is being released this year. What excites you the most about this revision?

Greg: The suite of new features, particularly “Biology in Numbers,” coupled with the solid core of a text that illustrates what we know about biology and how that knowledge was gained.

What course(s) do/did you teach and where?

Kim: I designed, coordinate, and teach Biology 202: Introduction to Biology: Evolution and Ecology at Salisbury University in Maryland.

What is a challenge that you’re currently facing in the classroom? How did/do you try to overcome this challenge?

Kim: Some students are thriving in college but others are struggling in diverse ways: mental health challenges such as depression, social anxiety, and climate anxiety; social injustice; financial insecurity and food insecurity; working long hours at jobs; navigating college as first-generation students and transfer students; neurodiversity challenges, and so on, some experiencing a high level of intersectionality of marginalized identities.

To address these challenges I employ many evidence-based inclusive practices in the structure and culture of my course to promote a sense of empathy and community. I try to center diversity (in its many dimensions) and equity in our educational mission to help students to feel a sense of belonging, support, agency, and clarity-of-mission in our learning space. I also try to get to know the students well enough (fortunate with small class sizes) to help connect them to appropriate supports.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the past few years regarding teaching biology?

Kim: The affective domain (feelings, attitudes, emotions) is so important to student success, equity, and retention in STEM.

In my classroom and in Biological Science, we weave together attention to the affective, metacognitive, and cognitive domains. For example:

• The Insider Tip Videos of peer learners and Making Models exercises and videos provide tips on tough science concepts and skills while encouraging growth mindset, value, interest, and self-efficacy.
• Formative and summative assessment questions applying concepts and skills to societal challenges and solutions, including End-of-Chapter Case Studies and Human Angle questions (with photos showing diverse scientists at work in career contexts) promote interest, value, science identity, and self-efficacy.
• Reflect questions and supporting BioSkills promote value and self-efficacy in practicing metacognitive skills.
• Biology in Numbers problems and videos promote interest in math and growth mindset.

In essence, it helps to support the students holistically, as thinking, feeling humans.

What is one best practice that you use that you think works well and you would want to share with others, whether it's in a classroom setting, working in groups, or working one-on-one with a new teaching technology?

Kim: Since teaching and learning requires a systems-thinking approach, it is difficult to mention just one best practice without connecting it to others in synergy.

One structural best practice that I recommend is a transparent and genuine focus on learning outcomes (focusing on both concepts and skills), transparent alignment of assessment to each outcome, and transparent alignment of homework and classwork to the outcomes.

This inclusive approach keeps instructors and classwork on task, removes guesswork from the course experience for students, and thus helps students genuinely focus on their learning, especially when multiple attempts and demonstrating achievement of outcomes are built into the learning system.

What are you most proud of in your career? 

Kim: In terms of my classroom teaching, in the last four years I have had a leadership opportunity to rebuild the introductory biology curriculum for majors at Salisbury University from the ground up. This has been a career capstone opportunity/challenge where I could synthesize 20 years of personal experience and best practices from the science education and social justice communities.

My team employed a backwards designed, flipped course organization with high structure. We centered the curriculum on:

• The Vision and Change (AAAS, 2011) core concepts and competencies,
• Standards-based grading with transparent and centered learning outcomes and multiple attempts to demonstrate mastery of learning outcomes on case-based exams focused on health and environmental sustainability,
• Team-based active learning,
• A course-based undergraduate research experience (SUPP),
• Inclusion of counter-stereotypical scientist role models and science-allied career options,
• Metacognition, value-affirmation, and growth mindset training,
• A biophilic method of supporting engagement, mental health, sustainability, and social justice,
• And a number of built-in methods of collecting evidence of efficacy.

While we continue to use evidence to improve the courses every semester, the transformation has been invigorating because students are engaged in an active community of learning.

In your opinion, what is higher education going to look like in the next two to three years?

Kim: According to the Journal of Higher Education, the undergraduate study body will continue to diversify over the next decade. This diversity is good for science, but in order to retain diverse students in our science programs we must collectively pivot to more inclusive practices, especially in our larger “gateway” courses for STEM majors where opportunity gaps tend to be deeper.

Fortunately, there is abundant evidence of numerous effective inclusive practices that help not only historically marginalized students but others as well. The main challenge is effecting broad and rapid institutional transformation on a national level.

The 8th edition of Biological Science is being released this year. What excites you the most about this revision?

Kim: At this time of climate crisis, biodiversity crisis, social justice reckoning, and other social challenges, it is more appropriate than ever to help students connect their biology learning to societal solutions, to envision themselves as potential scientists, and to see a link between their biology learning and solutions in their communities and society at large. Thus, it was a joy in this edition to encourage inclusion, value, and self-efficacy.  

For example, we updated the language and examples throughout the book to be more inclusive, narrowing the gap between the historical culture of Western science (heavily European/white/male) and the current culture of scientists and science students. The new Human Angle feature shows diverse scientist at work in a variety of contexts to help students imagine themselves in biology careers; the Insider Tip videos provide a relatable peer perspective and tips to help conquer challenging learning tasks; and revisions to text and questions help students see how their learning applies to solving current societal challenges. 

What course(s) do/did you teach and where?

I taught “Introduction to Molecules, Cells, & Development” at the College of William & Mary for many years and currently teach an upper division molecular genetics course and lab, along with an advanced seminar course on nuclear structure and gene activity.

What is a challenge that you’re currently facing in the classroom? How did/do you try to overcome this challenge?

Many students tend to immediately go to the internet when they are struggling with a concept, rather than using their textbook or other assigned readings as a resource. Negative impressions about textbooks being “boring” or “not helpful” seem to be established in high school and linger on throughout college.

When I taught introductory biology using Biological Science, the way I tried to overcome this challenge was to frequently point out to students in class how Biological Science tells an exciting story in each chapter, with an emphasis on the process of scientific discovery. I also made a point to highlight all the special student-focused, interactive features of the textbook that help them learn to think like biologists, provide opportunities for practice, and offer strategies for success.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the past few years regarding teaching biology?

As a scientist engaged in curiosity-driven, basic biomedical research that is far-removed from clinical application, I would have to say that I am fundamentally fascinated by all aspects of biology, whether they are directly relevant to my life or not.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned in the past few years is that students today, more than ever before, want to understand the relevance of course content to their lives. I strive even harder now to make links to current events and topics that resonate with students, such as making connections that highlight how understanding fundamental molecular and cellular processes has led to advances in biotechnology, treating human diseases, and understanding the potential impacts of climate change on human health.

What is one best practice that you use that you think works well and you would want to share with others, whether it's in a classroom setting, working in groups, or working one-on-one with a new teaching technology?

The best practice that I think works well to foster an inclusive environment in my classroom is that I use a variety of modalities to deliver content and conduct assessments, even in a large class.

I use PowerPoint lectures supplemented with videos, assigned readings in a textbook or from the primary literature, in-class group work on case study worksheets, short-answer exams that are based on a study guide made available before the exam, and a primary literature-based written assignment.

Within this suite of content-delivery and assessment modes, if students put in the effort, there is room for success across a diversity of learning styles and backgrounds.

What are you most proud of in your career?

In both the classroom and my research lab, I am proud of my success in cultivating talent and providing encouragement and opportunities for all biologists in the making, without arbitrary filters such as skin color, ethnicity, gender identity, or neurodiversity, to name but a few.

In your opinion, what is higher education going to look like in the next two to three years?

I think there will be an even greater emphasis on hands-on learning and developing specific practical skills that convey to the job market or better prepare students for post-graduate study.

The 8th Edition of Biological Science is being released this year. What excites you the most about this revision?

I am most excited about the addition of the Human Angle feature. It’s so important for students to feel a sense of belonging in biology and to discover the many diverse careers that are possible with a degree in biology. Flipping through the textbook and seeing photos of a diverse group of people whose careers employ biology concepts and/or skills featured in the textbook brings biology to life.

1. What course(s) do/did you teach and where?

I teach at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. I mainly teach introductory biology (plant and animal form and function), herpetology, and numerous physiology courses including human anatomy and physiology, environmental physiology, and medical endocrinology.

2. What is a challenge that you’re currently facing in the classroom? How did/do you try to overcome this challenge?

Students are overwhelmed with competing demands for their time, so they will naturally cut back on the time they devote to a class if they can. A major challenge for me is convincing freshmen biology majors that they actually DO need to devote a certain amount of time per week studying in order to do well in the class and be prepared for their next courses. Rather than allow them to cut back on studying only to do poorly on an exam and have to recover from that, I force them to spend time studying, but in meaningful ways that do not constitute busy work. They have two or more assignments per week that ask them basic questions from reading before they come to lecture, then build on the material with application questions after the lecture. The latter questions are similar to exam questions, so they become familiar with my style of questions before the exam. This helps students know what to expect and forces them to spend time studying what is important, thereby guiding inexperienced freshmen into how to study.

3. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the past few years regarding teaching biology?

I’ve learned many, but I will pass on one here that I don’t hear very often. Good teachers are those who are constantly learning. I am always learning about current research (via conferences, journals, and social media), and I have the mindset that I can always improve my teaching and so I always try new things. Instructors who think they have it all figured out are the ones that the students don’t like very much, or the ones who are not very effective. The best instructors (most effective and well-liked) are humble ones who know they can improve and are always looking for new ideas.

4. What is one best practice that you use that you think works well and you would want to share with others, whether it's in a classroom setting, working in groups, or working one-on-one with a new teaching technology?

One of the best things I have ever done is to provide content-related learning objectives for each lecture or unit. I got this idea by co-teaching with my colleague Ed Himelblau. This practice helped in two ways. First, it allowed students to understand what material they are responsible for, preventing them from becoming overwhelmed by reading a textbook chapter with some info that I don’t plan to ask them to learn. Second, it allowed me to skip the simple information to focus on more challenging concepts in lecture, while still signaling to the students that they needed to learn the simple information from the textbook. In other words, I divide labor with the textbook, relying on it for introducing simple concepts, then I introduce challenging ones in lecture, then after lecture the students can read about those challenging concepts in the textbook to solidify details.

5. What are you most proud of in your career?

I am proud of my record of combined excellence in classroom teaching and in mentoring students in research. The students with whom I have worked closely have gone on to do incredible things in biology and medicine. The thousands of students who have taken my classes over the years have learned from me how to think critically so that they can better make decisions about healthcare, parenting, voting, and so many other parts of life where biological issues can play roles.

6. In your opinion, what is higher education going to look like in the next two to three years?

Much will remain constant, but some changes are that online courses will increase in popularity and artificial intelligence will be embraced as a way of writing and learning. Our computer programs will soon help us write using artificial intelligence just as calculators help us add and subtract.

7. The 8th edition of Biological Science is being released this year. What excites you the most about this revision?

I am thrilled that we will have a fully functional etext with in-text links to the wonderful animations and study tools that we have spent so much time developing.

Carlos de la Lama has integrated Pearson’s MyLab platform into approximately 80% of the courses he teaches.

How did Pearson earn pride of place in the curricula of an esteemed higher ed math instructor with decades of experience?

Carlos attributes his long partnership with Pearson to the strong relationships he has cultivated with Pearson representatives. These connections keep him at the forefront of technological advancements and enable him to utilize MyLab’s many resources to help his students succeed.

Emphasizing accessible learning materials

Pearson’s commitment to supporting every learner with accessible content and platforms is a primary reason why MyLab is Carlos’s go-to resource.

When Carlos was teaching at Southwestern College in 2017, the school updated their accessibility standards and requested that any publisher they work with comply with the new changes.

Many publishers refused, but Pearson saw SC’s change as an opportunity for growth and collaboration. By partnering with SC, Pearson ensured its platforms were accessible and became one of the few publishers that could provide services to the institution.

Recently, the commitment to accessibility begun at SC earned Pearson the prestigious Global Certified Accessibly Certification (GCA) from Benetech.

Balancing structure and customization in math instruction

As an instructor, Carlos finds MyLab’s wealth of diverse and difficulty-tiered questions unparalleled. This flexibility allows him to tailor assessments and homework to meet the unique needs of his students.

For example, Carlos strategically deploys MyLab in courses with historically low student success rates, such as Intermediate Algebra. By incorporating MyLab content into assessments and finals, spacing them strategically over weeks, and introducing pre-assessments as non-credit prerequisites, Carlos has been able to significantly improve math test scores, indicating heightened student engagement and mastery.

For face-to-face courses, Carlos recommends starting small and carefully structuring individualized homework. Emphasizing the development of prerequisites, he believes, has been instrumental in his success.

In hybrid or online courses, he says the same principles apply, with added considerations for assessment administration and leveraging MyLab resources to foster engagement.

Helping students find success

For Carlos, Pearson’s MyLab is an indispensable ally, shaping not only his teaching methodologies but also contributing significantly to increased student success. In the ever-evolving landscape of education, Carlos’s story stands as a beacon for instructors seeking to elevate the learning experience.

Want to know more? Discover how to transform your teaching with MyLab Math.

Academic integrity has been of paramount concern in distance education since its inception. Arguably, the integrity of online classes received increased attention in recent years due to the pandemic when many instructors and students alike were thrust into the world of online learning by force.   

During this time, upwards of 75% of all undergraduate students were enrolled in at least one distance education course. Further, 44% of undergraduate students took only online classes during this time (NCES, 2022). Some online instructors utilize measures outside of traditional tests to discourage cheating, such as projects, open-ended assessment questions, or other “internet resistant” question types (Suzuki, 2000).   

However, many of these instructors also require proctored testing as part of their academic integrity toolbox. While in-person proctoring may be the gold standard, as far as control over the testing environment and the test-takers, remote proctoring may be a more cost-effective option for students who do not live near a testing center or students who need to minimize proctoring costs.  

Pearson has partnered with two titans of the online proctoring industry to offer remote proctoring options directly within MyLab^®: ProctorU and Respondus.   

ProctorU

ProctorU has been a well-known provider of online test proctoring since 2008. Once an institution or instructor secures an agreement with ProctorU, instructors will receive an institutional key to enable this proctoring option in their MyLab courses. Depending on the type of license that is granted, the testing cost may be covered by the institution, or it could be passed to students with a paywall before they can access the test.   

Once enabled, ProctorU can be required for selected tests or quizzes. The process for students could not be simpler; students log into their MyLab courses and access their tests or quizzes as they normally would. When students start their tests, a window pops up that walks students through the steps to start their proctored test experience.  

After completing the multifaceted identity verification process that includes biometric keystroke analysis, facial recognition, and challenge questions, students are monitored virtually by their webcam, microphone, and ProctorU software.  

Respondus

Respondus has been part of the online testing industry for over 20 years. Respondus Monitor is their automated remote proctoring system that uses a student's webcam and industry-leading analytics to detect suspicious activity during exams and has been integrated into MyLab since 2020. To enable Respondus Monitor, instructors can choose to enter the Respondus license of their institutions, if available, or they can immediately choose the Student Payment option, which will pass the nominal test cost directly to the student.     

Respondus Monitor can be required for selected tests or quizzes. Further, instructors can customize the authentication sequence that students must complete prior to starting their tests (e.g., include custom instructions, require students to show their ID, check students’ environment, etc.).

Proctored testing is one of many tools often utilized by online instructors to help ensure the academic integrity of their courses. For more information about our platform proctoring options, explore MyLab and Mastering^® features or speak with your sales rep today.  

Sources  

United States Department of Education. N.d. Fast Facts. National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed October 26, 2022. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=80  

Suzuki, J. (2020, August 4.). Writing good questions for the internet era. American Mathematical Society Blog. https://blogs.ams.org/matheducation/2020/08/04/3229/. 

Brought to you by Pearson’s Online Program Management team

Scot Chadwick, Pearson’s Vice President of Partner Success, knows exactly why he pursued a career in higher education: to change lives, and reach non-traditional learners who couldn’t access traditional on-campus programs.     

That goes back to his days at eCollege, an early pioneer in providing comprehensive technology, services, and support to help institutions move online. More recently, he put his passion to work at the University of Colorado, leading the rebuild and relaunch of CU Online’s team and operations, and set the multi-campus unit on a path to grow from 900 to 6,000 fully online students in its first five years. Here, he shares his experience and insights to help institutions excel in the fast-changing online environment, and partner successfully with Online Program Management (OPM) service providers.  

What’s your ‘why’?   

I really enjoy what I do, but more importantly, I enjoy the impact of the work.    

I started with eCollege, an online pioneer that was a common ancestor to today's OPMs. We offered institutions and their online learners a wide set of services, technology and support, with a first-of-its-kind shared-success business model. One day early in my career at eCollege, one of our academic partners shared an email with us from one of their students, a single mom living in rural Iowa. In her note she said, ‘I just graduated, and I'm so excited. I just wanted to thank you for offering this program online, because I would have never been able to get my degree if it wasn't offered online. There’s no way I could have made it work.’    

I’ll always remember that. It made a powerful impact on me because I was raised by a single mom who was never able to get her degree, and it still bothers her to this day.   

When I think about the work that we do, it's about providing opportunity.  

You’ve been on both sides of the table. How do you build a true collaborative partnership between a university and an OPM, and overcome the challenges?   

First, it’s about having shared goals. And, as in any good relationship, it's about really good, candid communication. It's about not being afraid to talk about the things that aren’t going well and that we need to be better at together, as well as celebrating things that are going well.    

Achieving sustained success is very challenging for any online program. Many partnerships go through ebbs and flows: great times where programs are growing at an extremely rapid pace, and other times when they aren’t. Situations change. The individuals involved may also change, which can influence the tenor of a partnership.    

When you’re in a challenging phase it helps to take a step back, assess the program(s), the market, your shared financials, and make sure your shared goals are still valid, and you still see them the same way. Then talk openly about how you can achieve them together going forward. There’s always room to deliver a better student experience, and to address core issues that may be getting in the way. 

You’ve stressed shared success. How do you and our partners define that?  

Shared success means our interests are aligned, both partners are motivated to achieve our shared goals, and we both benefit from achieving them.  

A shared success goal might be program growth. Or it might be extending a program’s reach to serve students the institution can’t support today, whether geographically or otherwise.    

The institution may want to deliver a unique and personalized learner experience or demonstrate to employers that their graduates have the skills and competencies that prepare them for career success. These are just a few of the goals we’re working toward every day with our partners.  

How can an institution make sure its online programs, and our services, align with its unique mission?   

Again, it starts with clarity of goals, and the why behind the investment of funding and resources. If an institution wants to expand the population they serve via online programs, how will doing this help them achieve their mission? I’ve seen institutions move rapidly into the online space without first investing time with their faculty and staff to ensure everyone understands how it aligns with their institution’s mission.  

It's critical to have clarity on why it matters. That can be at an institutional level, but it also should be at a school, college, department, or program level.  

Scaling a high-quality online program in today’s market is challenging and requires genuine collaboration, communication and support institution-wide. 

There will always be stakeholder questions about how and why the institution is investing significant resources in this area. Effective institutional leaders listen and can clearly articulate “Here’s why it’s important. Here’s how it connects to our mission and something that's bigger than all of us. Here’s why we’re well positioned to do it and how you can contribute to our success.”   

Institutions and leaders have also become more sophisticated in how they approach expanding their online footprint. Increasingly, they know to think critically about the “why” of their programs and apply a formal process to evaluate opportunities and program readiness internally, sometimes even before they ask us what kind of support we could provide.  

What might success look like five years from now? What should partners focus on to get there?    

Historically, many learners thought: ‘I’ll get a degree, and then it’ll pay itself off… somehow.’ But now learners are rigorously evaluating higher education ROI upfront. As just one example, Google has reported significant growth in searches for the ROI of specific credentials – an MBA, an MS in Business Analytics, an MSN degree, a project management certificate, you name it. Earlier this year, for the first time, searches for alternative credentials outnumbered searches for degree programs.    

Learners are making more consumer-based decisions in a more competitive environment. Institutions need deeper insight into who they’re serving, and into the learner’s overall experience from the first interaction forward. Traditionally, consumers tolerated less-than-stellar experiences at higher education institutions. Those days are over. You want to re-enroll both current alumni and the new alumni you’re creating every day. To develop that brand loyalty, the experience you deliver in every interaction matters, at every stage of the student journey, digital or live. 

How do you build teams to deliver high-growth online learning that delivers these great experiences and outcomes?  

I feel fortunate. My team’s work really matters. We get to have a generational impact on people’s lives. Not everybody gets to do that. For me as a leader, everything starts with making sure this is as meaningful to everyone on my team as it is to me. Then, I work to inspire them to continuously learn, challenge themselves, be unafraid to fail, and be collaborative. And I make sure we’re having fun!  

Layered onto all that, we need a structured and formalized approach to how we engage with partners. We need to ensure we’re aligning ourselves and our leaders with theirs, reflecting what’s important to them as an institution and in their individual leadership roles.    

Strategic relationship management is really challenging. The impact of our partnerships is massive. We take that very seriously. We must work every day to show value to the institution and to each of its leaders.  

That involves engaging many people within our organization. Across Pearson, our team has incredible capabilities. It’s our job to bring in that specialized expertise to make sure every partner and program is as successful as possible. When it’s time to think about the partnership’s future, we want them to think: ‘of course we want to do this with Pearson, because this team understands us, and we’ve built trust in what we can accomplish together.’ 

When you’re not changing learners’ lives or building great partnerships, how do you recharge? Where would we find you on your perfect weekend?  

I live in Colorado, and we definitely take advantage of living in this amazing state. My hope is you’d find me on a river, somewhere in the mountains, fly fishing with my wife, my kids, and my dog.

Brought to you by Pearson’s Online Program Management team

Discover how next-gen OPM is driving learner success through innovation. It’s here and it’s powerful. 

Brought to you by Pearson’s Online Program Management team

Stackable courses offer immense promise to both learners and institutions. To get started with them successfully, it helps to learn from early adopters – including expert innovators such as Maryville University. 

Maryville is a nationally recognized pioneer in access and opportunity, meeting learners’ fast-changing needs, and helping people quickly gain practical value from education. Even before the university launched stackables, it partnered with leading regional businesses to offer targeted short-term certificates and badges for employee upskilling, reskilling, and career progress.  

As Maryville president Mark Lombardi says, “We have entered an era of the democratization of education where access and opportunity are expanding and workforce training on a continual basis is a career imperative. Universities must be able to deliver different types of education and high skill training on a variety of platforms to meet the needs of a growing and diverse workforce and a wide array of employers.”  

Stackables: A Natural Next Step 

One key element of Maryville’s growth strategy involves attracting learners who’ve earned some college credit but no degree. These are typically working adults who want to earn promotions or transition into better careers. For learners like these, stackables are attractive and efficient. 

According to Katherine Louthan, Dean of the School of Adult & Online Education, “We’re solving for future of work issues, focused on upskilling in areas with high industry demand. Students in our existing degree programs tell us they need to dive into the content areas more quickly, so they can showcase what they’ve learned to advance in their position or even start new careers. This is a reasonable approach and one we wanted to accelerate for learners so they can apply what they’re learning right away, and gain value whether they complete a full degree or not.” 

Innovation That Builds on Strength 

As Maryville moved into stackables, says Louthan, it made sense to build on existing program strengths. “Where were our signature programs? Where are we growing in the future?” 

Maryville is especially strong at the intersection of business and technology. It had already launched highly successful programs in areas such as cybersecurity, data science, and software development. Its Fall 2021 stackable launch plan focused on these strengths and included five undergraduate-level certificates in computer science: the three aforementioned subjects, plus artificial intelligence and UX/UI.  

All are offered for credit towards a degree, or stand-alone for immediate credentialing. Like all of Maryville’s degree-linked stackable offerings, they carry the same pricing and fees either way.  

Two post-bachelor’s certificates, Big Data and Machine Learning, are offered as stand-alone and embedded within Maryville’s graduate programs in computer science, offering a shorter time commitment and a seamless onramp into a full graduate program if and when learners are ready. 

In another example of programmatic innovation, Maryville is offering a new post-bachelor’s certificate in Communication Sciences and Disorders, designed for career changers planning to enroll in master’s programs in Speech Learning Pathology (SLP) or doctoral programs in audiology. These individuals often already have a bachelor’s degree but need multiple courses to “level up” before they can pursue graduate work. 

Communication Sciences and Disorders bundles an essential undergraduate-level foundation in crucial areas such as voice, speech, language fluency, swallowing, and hearing disorders. Carefully crafted to prepare learners for highly competitive graduate programs -- including Maryville’s – it also connects learners to innovative “learn by doing” resources such as the Master Clinician Network. Through MCN, learners can take part in guided observation and start building clinical skills even before they enter graduate school. 

Off to a Strong Start 

Since the Fall 2021 launch, early signs are positive, says Louthan. “We’re getting great feedback from students who are experiencing success. We’ve had a lot of interest in areas such as AI and UX where many professionals need to upskill to stay relevant or advance. Our content is also aligned well with employer feedback. We believe we’re creating a successful starting point in addressing students’ growing demand for more flexible options. Whether they will go on to complete their degrees is yet to be seen. We are more focused on whether they are achieving their goals, and we hope they will come back to Maryville when they are ready to, or need to, upskill or reskill again.“ 

“Challenges always exist in times of change,” says Louthan, “and we are in a time of significant disruption in education and industry. As we work to drive down the cost of education, having a menu of options to meet both learner needs and market demands will require continuous analysis. We also recognize that while certificates are attractive in emerging areas of technology and computer science, some more traditional areas may still require a degree. Students have shared that during this transitional time many employers still require a bachelor’s degree for consideration. 

“Considering the future of work and the rapid rate of change, we know the model must shift so we can offer learners what they need and want to reach their goals – whatever their goals may be. As lifelong learning evolves, we will continue listening to our learners and employers to best meet their needs. We believe milestone achievements matter to students and they should be recognized for their achievements and able to apply them along their learning journey. We are focusing our work on their success and their ability to achieve their goals.” 

Placed in broader context, stackability fits well with Maryville’s key strategic goals and institutional mission: to create a global, student-centered active learning ecosystem, to drive transformational innovation around learner outcomes, to define its success by learner success, and to expand access and opportunity. 

As Dean Louthan concludes, “We understand education isn’t one-size-fits-all. Different students have different circumstances and considerations, and Maryville is committed to being as inclusive and accommodating as possible. Our certificate programs underscore this mission, serving as alternative paths to meet learners where they are — and help them reach their career goals.” 

Learn more, and explore Pearson's online learning offerings and OPM services