There have been increasing reports saying employers believe recent graduates are not prepared for life after college, despite earning degrees. In a recent conversation with Education Dive, Council on Higher Education Accreditation President Judith Eaton said higher ed as an industry needs to figure out how to "stop diploma mills" to preserve the value of the college degree, adding "there are a number of countries that have done more in law than the U.S. has to regulate diploma mills."
A number of states have also taken up the issue to make sure institutions are focusing more on learning outcomes, she said.
We asked Miles College President George French and Virginia Wesleyan University President Scott Miller to share their thoughts on how leaders can ensure students who come across their campuses are learning, rather than just working towards a credential for the sake of doing so.
French said a focus on competency-based learning, with an emphasis on the individual learner, is key.
And Miller said it is the university president's job to make sure students have the human and financial resources to support them in their pursuit of learning.