Dive Brief:
- Presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio have offered education plans that would pull nontraditional degree programs toward the mainstream to reduce costs for students.
- Gregory Ferenstein reports that Clinton consulted Udacity founder Sebastian Thrun on her education plan, in which he says she directly courts Silicon Valley by encouraging colleges to let students choose less expensive digital alternatives for course requirements.
- Marco Rubio would also contribute to leveling the playing field between online options and traditional higher ed with a revamped accreditation process that would open the doors to innovative providers.
Dive Insight:
The Democratic primary is forcing candidates to make sweeping proposals about higher education, especially when it comes to addressing student debt. While this may take the form of greater oversight and regulation of institutions, it is also possible it will precipitate a shift in the industry, with nontraditional and online programs getting a more mainstream blessing. For the political whims to have a real effect, though, employers must be convinced that innovative alternative programs prepare future workers as effectively as traditional four-year schools historically have.