Assessing the statewide skills gap

Central Michigan University Innovation and Online is taking the first steps to ramp up the university’s online learning program to help drive Michigan’s economy forward.

Credo, a higher education consulting firm, was hired to assess the experience of students in CMU’s online programs, said Kaleb Patrick, interim vice president for Innovation and Online. This assessment will focus on the entire online student experience.

The assessment will take a comprehensive look at an online student’s entire experience, Patrick said. That is not just about academics, but how CMU supports those students on their educational journey.

This will provide CMU with a better understanding of the needs of today’s online and adult students, he said.

CMU’s Innovation and Online will also use JobsEQ, a labor market analysis tool, to identify what skills are in demand across Michigan, helping CMU align its programs with workforce needs.

“We are looking for gaps in our existing program offerings,” Patrick said.

Money to pay for both came from an approximately $75,000 grant from the state of Michigan’s Sixty by 30 program. The program’s goal is providing 60 percent of Michiganders with a post-high school credential of some kind by 2030.

Knowledge gathered through these two assessments will put CMU in a position to start building needed programs. It’ll also put the university in a position to secure additional money to make that happen.

Online students have unique needs compared to more traditional students who attend classes on CMU’s main campus.

They are typically older. The average age of an undergraduate online student enrolled at CMU is approximately 33 years old, and the average age of a graduate online student is approximately 36 years old, Patrick said.

They are usually already in careers and are looking for ways to enhance professionally through additional education, he said.

Of over 4,000 students admitted to a CMU online program, they live and attend from all over the state: 31 percent in metro Detroit, 14 percent in the Lansing area, 13 percent in the Grand Rapids area, 12 percent in the Great Lakes Bay Region and 11 percent in northern Michigan. The rest live out of state.