Smoothing the Bumps in the Road: How to Better Articulate Articulation

As higher education continues to navigate the negative impact COVID-19 is having on student enrollment, leaders must be aware that transfer students are also being significantly affected. Learn from national and state level experts about the latest transfer data and trends, what strategies states/institutions are implementing to better serve transfer students now and in the future, and how to improve transfer pathways to increase student success.

For more information regarding this virtual meeting series and registration for this webinar, visit here.

Supporting Rural Colleges through Collaborations

While all institutions of higher education have been impacted by and, in response, adapted to the pandemic, rural-serving institutions and their respective communities have faced particularly significant challenges during these times. Among other issues, this panel will address key issues that rural institutions have had to tackle during the COVID-19 pandemic including, but not limited to: health & safety protocols, staffing plans, enrollment challenges, student support services, internet connectivity required for remote delivery, trades/CTE instruction, and community relations. Please join us for a detailed discussion of these challenges, and strategies for tackling them in the spring and beyond.

For more information regarding this virtual meeting series and registration for this webinar, visit here.

Interstate Passport: Streamlining Transfer for Increased Student Success

According to the National Student Clearinghouse, approximately 37 percent of today’s students transfer at least once, and 24 percent of those students transfer to another state. Too often transfer students lose credits, have to repeat or take additional general education courses, and thus spend additional time and money to complete their degrees, or don’t complete a degree at all – challenges that are even more acute for low-income students, underrepresented students, military students, in particular due to the challenges Covid-19. 

On February 18th at 1 pm MT, NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education is hosting a free, live briefing with noted experts (including WICHE’s own Anna Galas; Sherry Simkins of North Idaho College; and Michael Torrens of Utah State University) featuring Interstate Passport, a transformative program that makes transfer more affordable and efficient for students.

A national approach, Interstate Passport enables block transfer of lower-division general education attainment based on agreed upon student learning outcomes. Although general education courses and credits vary widely among institutions, there is a high level of agreement about the expected student learning outcomes of a general education program of studies. Students who earn a Passport at one Interstate Passport Network member institution are recognized as having completed all lower-division general education requirements at any other Network institution, eliminating the need for course-by-course articulation of those courses after transfer.

What Does the Changing Mix of High School Graduates Mean for the West?

Join WICHE staff and leaders of public 2-year and 4-year higher education in the West, for a discussion of the region’s projected high school graduate trends and what they mean for college and workforce planning. Although the West as a whole can expect fewer graduates after 2024 due to the last decade of birth declines, many states in the West are still positioned for continued increases in high school graduate production. But the importance of graduating students of color is starkly evident in the Western region, and almost half the Western states, where students of color are a majority.

What Does the Declining Number of High School Graduates Mean for the Future of Higher Education?

Join NEBHE and our panel of esteemed experts to discuss the far-reaching implications of WICHE’s latest Knocking at the College Door report

Moving Beyond the Pandemic to Improve Digital Learning Outcomes

Video platforms proved essential to ease the transition online amidst a pandemic and allowed institutions to continue delivering education. However, as we are nearly a year into a world where learning is largely taking place online, it is clear that emergency remote learning solutions do not yield the same education outcomes as in-person, or as courses and institutions specifically designed for online learning.

As we look ahead to a post-pandemic world where digital education will be even more prevalent, what opportunities did the pandemic provide, and what lessons have we learned? How can we ensure high-quality online learning that improves access and attainment, and how do we ensure students, staff, and professors are equipped to thrive?

Join our panelists to discuss strategies for engaging students, minimizing platform fatigue, and improving comprehension.

Register today for “Moving Beyond the Pandemic to Improve Digital Learning Outcomes” on February 18 at 10:00 AM PST / 11:00 AM MST / Noon CST / 1:00 PM EST. WCET webcasts take place via Zoom.

Indigenizing University Campuses

A webinar highlighting strategies for supporting and retaining Native students led by institution leaders at Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions.

Strategies and Best Practices for Native Student Attainment

A webinar highlighting strategies for supporting and retaining Native students led by institution leaders at Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions.

Impact of COVID-19: Strategies to Retain Native Students

A webinar highlighting strategies for supporting and retaining Native students led by institution leaders at Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions.

New Year, New NCOER Initiative (National Consortium for Open Educational Resources)

State leaders, postsecondary education institutions, and education leaders are working across state lines to promote the adoption of open educational resources (OER) to help millions of students access high-quality learning materials that are free to use, customize, and share. OER are free for students, and they make it easy for faculty to personalize lessons and textbooks to engage students with fresh, relevant content.

Join us for a conversation with Tanya Spilovoy, WCET’s director of open policy, and representatives of each of the four regional higher education compacts—the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC), the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)—and learn more about the new initiative.

Register today for “New Year, New NCOER Initiative” on January 14 at 10:00 AM PST / 11:00 AM MST / Noon CST / 1:00 PM EST. WCET webcasts take place via Zoom.