May 2025 Eye on Research
Commentary
Closing Another Academic Year: Reflections and Summer Wishes
As another academic year draws to a close, I reflect on the remarkable resilience our higher-education community has demonstrated. From registrars navigating complex credit-mobility challenges to learner-success professionals implementing innovative support programs, the dedication to learner success remains unwavering.
This year has brought continued evolution in how we understand and serve today's learners. The research we've shared tells a story of challenges and opportunities—from widespread basic-needs insecurity affecting marginalized learners to promising outcomes of comprehensive learner-support programs. Whether exploring dual-enrollment trends or artificial-intelligence applications in credit mobility, we're continually called to think more inclusively about educational pathways.
As we head into summer, many of you will use your time for strategic planning, professional development, and probably some well-deserved rest. To our registrars, admissions professionals, and all who support learner mobility–thank you for another academic year of dedication to educational access and opportunity.
May your summer bring renewal, inspiration, and time to reconnect with the why behind the important work we do.
̽»¨Â¥ Research Update
Forthcoming Releases (aka Your Early Summer Reading List)
Get ready to add some fascinating new titles to your professional reading stack. Over the next 2 months, we're releasing a trio of research documents that promise to keep you informed.
Final LEARN Commission Green Paper on AI and Credit Mobility – Ever wonder how your peers are using (or thinking about using) artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline credit mobility? This paper reveals institutional attitudes and current applications of AI in credit-transfer processes. Spoiler alert: the landscape is more varied than you might expect.
High School Dual Enrollment Benchmark Report – Our partnership with NACEP updates our 2016 benchmark with fresh data on practices and policies. Think of it as your field guide to the evolving world of dual enrollment, with 2024 insights. (And yes, we're planning to refresh this every 3 years, so mark your calendars for 2027)
Strategic Steps toward Learner-Centered Credit-Mobility White Paper – This one's the culmination of over a decade of ̽»¨Â¥ research, institutional observations, and a deep dive into 36 institutions within a single state. It's part roadmap, part case study–all focused on putting learners at the center of credit-mobility.
Keep your coffee ready and your reading glasses handy. It's going to be an enlightening early summer.
Help Us Help You (And Maybe Earn a Little Something, Too)
There's one thing about research. It's only as good as the people who participate in it. When you share your experiences, you're not only filling out one of our surveys, you're painting a picture of what's really happening in higher education. Skip the survey, and we all miss a piece of the puzzle. Participate, and you help create data that reflects our field's diverse realities.
To sweeten the deal (and show our appreciation), we're offering $10 electronic gift cards through Giftbit for the first 250 completers of select ̽»¨Â¥ surveys. Feeling generous? You can donate your incentive to charity. Here's what's coming your way.
June: Year-Round Academic-Scheduling Survey (with Ad Astra) – A quick 60-second dive into how institutions use year-round schedules and related practices. Sometimes the most interesting innovations happen in the calendar.
Chief Admissions Officer Career Profile Survey – The fourth installment in our series that began in 2016. This longitudinal view helps us understand career trajectories and informs our professional-development programming. Your career story matters to the profession.
September: AI in Academic Operations Survey (with Coursedog) – Another 60-second survey exploring interest in, and use of, AI for academic operations functions. New to academic operations? Check out ̽»¨Â¥’s book and reports on this evolving functional area.
October: Admissions Staffing Survey – NEW We're pairing career-profile surveys with staffing surveys to get the full picture. Understanding who does the work is just as important as understanding the work itself.
Remember: every survey response makes our collective knowledge stronger. 60 seconds of your time could mean years of better data for everyone.
Current Higher Education Research and Related Topics
Survey Examines Student Financial Wellness
The (SFWS), conducted by Trellis Strategies, examines the multifaceted challenges facing today's college learners. The resulting report reveals significant financial fragility, basic-needs insecurity, and mental-health concerns, along with persistent optimism about higher education's value. Findings reveal the following.
Financial vulnerability is prevalent among learners; 56% report difficulty obtaining $500 for emergencies, and 68% experience fund depletion at least once during the year. This impacts academic concentration for nearly 50% of those affected.
Basic-needs insecurity affects 58% of respondents.
High rates of basic-needs insecurity occur among 83% of learners with foster-care experience, threatening their academic progression.
Mental health challenges are widespread; 57% report frequent loneliness. Many experience symptoms of major depressive disorder (33%) or generalized anxiety disorder (44%). Twenty-seven percent are unaware of available campus resources.
Modern learners juggle multiple commitments; 66% work while enrolled (43% full-time; 25% hold multiple jobs), and 19% serve as caregivers, sometimes leading to class-attendance difficulties.
Despite obstacles, learners maintain optimistic views about higher education's value; 73% consider college a good financial investment, and 84% believe it will enhance their quality of life.
Study Finds Faculty Have Strong Influence on Learner Persistence
An in Inside Higher Ed presents findings from a survey conducted at Sam Houston State University in Texas. The survey examined why learners persist in, or withdraw from, courses. Contrary to researchers' expectations, academic factors—particularly faculty influence, learner confidence and course difficulty—played a more significant role than nonacademic factors. Researchers suggest findings offer encouraging implications for higher education because many academic factors are within institutional control.
Survey results from 596 learners showed that supportive, engaged professors who demonstrate care, create welcoming classroom environments, communicate clearly, and provide structured learning experiences were instrumental in learners' decisions to remain in challenging courses.
The most common reasons for course withdrawal were lack of confidence, perceived difficulty, and professor-related issues, such as inadequate explanations, rapid pacing, and inflexible policies.
Learners who persisted often reported that initial struggles eventually gave way to increased confidence and improved performance, particularly when faculty provided encouragement and additional support through individual meetings or tutoring resources.
Poor faculty response and rigid policies around attendance or makeup work often exacerbated nonacademic challenges, leading learners to withdraw when they felt unsupported during personal difficulties.
Creating supportive, engaging, flexible learning environments can significantly impact enrollment retention, suggesting faculty development should focus on addressing identified barriers to persistence.
Humanities-Department Chairs Show Concerns about Enrollment and Tenure
This reports on the 2023-24 Humanities Department Survey (HDS) conducted by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Humanities Indicators Project. The survey examines the current state of humanities disciplines in 4-year colleges and universities. The study was conducted over 15 years of significant challenges, including declining degree completions, department closures, and reduced faculty hiring. The survey represents the fourth iteration since its 2007 inception. It provides comprehensive data across 14 humanities disciplines to facilitate informed discussions about the field's trajectory, highlighting ongoing difficulties and departmental resilience.
Department chairs expressed varying levels of optimism about their disciplines' futures; 51% at research universities express optimism compared to only 29% at master's institutions.
Nearly 50% of chairs in race/ethnic studies and gender/women's studies departments reported heightened concerns about academic freedom.
Institutional offerings are declining in some disciplines (16% drops in American studies and religion). Widespread enrollment decreases show that over 50% of language and communication departments have lost learners.
Nontenure-track faculty constitute 46% of humanities instructors across all disciplines. Communication, foreign languages, and history departments have adjunct majorities, representing what researchers identify as the first clear evidence of a systematic shift away from tenure-track toward contingent positions.
Department chairs describe "fragile" conditions characterized by unfilled retirements, curricular gaps, and threats of program closure. This creates stressful working environments. It should be noted that these conditions existed before the recent changes at the federal level.
Recent federal research funding reductions are primarily targeting scientific disciplines. However, funding reductions may disproportionately impact already-lean humanities departments as institutions attempt to address budget shortfalls by making cuts across all areas.
Report Focuses on Affordable-Access Models for College Learners
A from Tyton Partners, supported by the Association of American Publishers, examines the effectiveness of affordable-access programs in higher education. Comprehensive data were collected from 1,088 U.S. colleges and universities. Figure 1.
Affordable-access programs ensure learners have the required course materials for a class at discounted prices, making course materials more accessible and affordable. There are opt-in/opt-out programs. If a learner opts into a program, they are automatically charged for course materials as part of their tuition and fees. A learner may also opt out of the program and individually pay for course materials.
The report provides the first in-depth analysis of these initiatives a decade after implementation. The study demonstrates how programs, particularly opt-out models developed through institutional partnerships with publishers and distributors, successfully reduce learner costs while enhancing academic preparedness and outcomes.
Affordable access programs achieved substantial cost reductions, with average course material prices declining 36%, from $91 to $58 under opt-out models, compared to standard list-price structures.
Academic outcomes for learners improved significantly; 84% of participants report enhanced preparedness and 81% indicate increased academic success. One community college documented a 60% reduction in course withdrawals and a 27% increase in pass rates.
Opt-out models demonstrated superior effectiveness compared to opt-in alternatives. Higher participation rates maximize cost savings and educational access for learners.
Administrators expressed concern about potential shifts to opt-in models, fearing negative impacts on affordability and equity, especially for vulnerable populations, including first-year and first-generation college learners.
Affordable-access programs, particularly those with an opt-out option, seek to reduce financial barriers and improve learner success outcomes, while advancing broader institutional equity goals.
Source: Tyton Partners. (2025, April 28). Tyton Partners releases a new report on affordable access programs for course materials. https://tytonpartners.com/course-materials-in-higher-education/
Study Finds College Learners Continue to Perceive the Value of Higher Education as Positive
A recent in Higher Ed Dive examines findings from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation's annual State of Higher Education report. Nearly 14,000 adults, aged 18-59 without college degrees, were surveyed. The survey assessed perceptions of the value of higher education amid ongoing concerns about return on investment and rising costs. Research reveals sustained confidence in the value of higher education, with the vast majority of respondents across different educational backgrounds viewing college credentials as valuable and beneficial for career outcomes.
Ninety-five percent of current learners and 93% of former learners who stopped out considered at least one type of degree or credential to be very or extremely valuable. In comparison, 72% across all groups believe a degree is equally, or more important, today for career success than 20 years ago.
Strong confidence in financial returns persists; 86% of learners express confidence that their degree or credential will enable them to earn enough money for a comfortable living. Over 86% of learners across associate, bachelor's and certificate programs believe their education will provide necessary job skills.
This suggests positive implications for institutional-enrollment strategies targeting nontraditional students. Thirty-four percent of never-enrolled respondents and 57% of former learners indicate the likelihood of pursuing higher education within 5 years.
Learner-retention indicators show improvement. Forty-one percent considered stopping out in 2022. This percentage declined to 32% in 2024, though mental health and emotional stress remain primary concerns for potential departures.
Despite ongoing debates about college costs and market competitiveness, the research indicates adults without degrees continue to perceive higher education as essential for career advancement and financial stability.
Report Shows Strong Support for Microcredentials
A from Coursera (download required) presents findings from the Micro-Credentials Impact Report 2025, which surveyed over 2,000 learners and employers across the globe. The report examines the growing importance of microcredentials in workforce preparation and career advancement.
The survey was conducted amid labor-market changes driven by generative AI. The report demonstrates widespread recognition among learners, employers, and universities that microcredentials serve as essential tools for adapting to rapidly evolving industry demands and enhancing career readiness.
Learner perspectives reveal strong confidence in microcredentials' value; 85% of credential holders report improved job prospects. Ninety-one percent believe these qualifications will contribute to employment success, while 96% specifically favor including generative AI credentials in degree programs.
Employer attitudes show overwhelming support for microcredential holders. Ninety-six percent believe these qualifications strengthen job applications; 90% are willing to offer higher starting salaries (typically 10 to 15% increases). Eighty-seven percent have hired at least one microcredential holder in the past year.
Higher-education institutions are increasingly integrating microcredentials into academic programs; 53% currently offer credit-bearing options and 82% plan to implement such programs in the coming years.
Innovative institutional models are emerging, exemplified by the University of Szeged in Hungary, where learners can fulfill degree requirements through Professional Certificates that count toward European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System credits.
The convergence of learner demand, employer preference, and institutional adoption suggests microcredentials represent a significant shift toward skills-focused, industry-aligned education that bridges traditional academic learning with practical workforce preparation.
Survey Examines the Needs of Online Learners
An published by Inside Higher Ed examines the current state of online learning 5 years after the COVID-19 pandemic. The article presents findings from Inside Higher Ed's 2025 Survey of Campus Chief Technology/Information Officers and the annual Student Voice survey. It aims to understand the evolving needs and characteristics of online learners.
Research reveals sustained growth in online-education demand while identifying critical gaps in belonging and institutional support that require targeted approaches distinct from traditional in-person educational models. Findings include the following.
Fifty percent of the surveyed Chief Technology Officers reported substantial increases in learner demand for online and hybrid course options. Nearly the same percentage indicates their institution added new online or hybrid offerings in response to this demand.
Online-only learners demonstrate distinct demographic characteristics. They are more likely to work full-time (45% work 30+ hours weekly versus 22% overall) and identify as first-generation college learners (59% versus 33% of in-person learners). More online-only learners enroll part-time (48% versus 68% taking full course loads).
A sense of belonging among online learners lags behind that of in-person peers. This represents a significant concern because a sense of belonging establishes connections to academic performance, persistence, and mental health outcomes.
Experts emphasize that fostering belonging among online learners requires different approaches than traditional campus-based strategies. It necessitates psychological attention to contemporary online learners’ diverse, time-constrained, digitally distributed nature.
Institutional leaders must reimagine belonging beyond extracurricular activities to ensure online learners feel genuinely integrated as valued institutional community members, rather than marginalized populations.