Future Vision of Education

David Six 1

Post University: Future Vision of Education

David Six
Post University
Professor Waters

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Introduction
Post University is a school based in Waterbury Connecticut that has a rich history and
that has been around since 1980. Post is a for profit University that is run by a board of trustees.
Post is accredited regionally by The New England Association of Schools and Colleges
(NEASC). The Population that Post serves on campus are the traditional students right out of
High School and few that are looking to go back to school after a few years off from school. The
online classes focus on the nontraditional student that is working and in need of an education.
According to Post university's website "In 2015, U.S. News & World report has ranked Post
University among the best online bachelor's programs"(Post University, 2015). This has been the
case since 2013.
History
Post University was founded in 1890 and is now 125 years old. There have been a
number of changes within the organization's many years of existence. Post began as a
commercial education institute which evolved into a number of alternate educational facilities
including a Business College and then ultimately an accredited University. In reference to Post's
development, "A lot has changed since Post was founded in 1890. Then, our classrooms were
filled with typewriters. Today, our classrooms are filled with laptop computers and smart phones,
and reach far beyond traditional campus"(Post university, 2015). Post began to adapt to the
technological era by providing classes online beginning in 1996. The following years have
resulted in Thousands of students getting enrolled each year and hundreds of thousands during
that entire 20 year period(Post university, 2015).
Post University provides education both online and in the classroom setting on campus.
Post provides a number of Bachelors and Masters level programs available through both settings.

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The online students benefit from an accelerated degree program that allow for adults to have the
flexibility to take classes and learn while they also may work or juggle a full schedule. The
school serves the students in various ways which include education through the classroom and
through online applications such as Blackboard. This application allows for students to access
their course materials and view grades. With technological advances of the last 20 years, students
are able to travel or keep their course materials with them by way of smart phone or laptop.
The Mission of the University is "to provide students with the knowledge, personal skills and
experiences required to become leaders in their chosen careers. We prepare students to become
confident, competent and competitive participants in the global marketplace" (Post University,
2015). One asset of attending classes on campus or online is that the professors that teach have
not only their important degrees but have real world experience in the fields in which they teach.
Trends in Education
Two technological trends that are primarily used at Post University are the Flipped
Classroom and Bring Your Own Device. The flipped classroom "refers to a model of learning
that rearranges how time is spent both in and out of class to shift ownership of learning from the
educators to the students"(Johnson et.al., 2015). The result of a flipped classroom is that a
student is required to become an active participant within the learning process. Instead of a
classroom setting where students are lectured to, they are taking action within their own
education to interact with other peers and create a more involved learning environment. Bring
Your Own Device(BYOD) "refers to the practice of people bringing their own laptops, tablets,
smart phones or other mobile devices with them to the learning or work environment" (Johnson
et.al., 2015). It is crucial that Post integrates education with the students personal technological
devices. Educational institutions have been forced to adapt the current technological era.

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The Technology "Flipped Classroom" should be used within the classroom setting more
through those functions of creating a more active learning environment. The current technology
is keeping up within the online class to provide an active learning setting with video clips,
integrated course readings, thread discussions, and research assignments. According to a study
about the Flipped Classroom "For the students, the shift is from passive note-takers to selfdirected active learners who increasingly define their own paths through content and organize
knowledge in ways that have unique meanings for them " (Jacot M. T., 2014). This is an
appropriate Technology because of its involved educational approach.
The technology "Bring Your Own Device" should be used to better connect students and
employees to the online educational and work space. This technology is currently enabling this
population to use their smart phones, tablets and laptops to connect to the internet to achieve
their own levels of productivity. This is because access to the internet and appropriate technology
was limited and now "Virtually every school with access to computers has internet access(99%),
compared to only 35 percent of schools in 1994"(Mims-Word, M. 2012). This technology is a
growing trend and is appropriate because of the new state of technological advances.
Post University must focus on exactly what needs to be changed and improved using the
trends in education, technology, economy and demography. There will also be a brief look at
history within Post or other online Universities as well. Post University must begin to rebrand
itself as a quality educational entity in order to continue to succeed and produce not only quality
students but more of all types of students whether they be recent High School Graduates or older
working adults. Working on retention rates, quality of students, and promoting an overall brand
awareness is incredibly important. This would allow for students to choose Post first amongst its
numerous online competitors. That difference and growth to offer a new perspective to these

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students will allow for Post to gain a reputation as a top school to be desired first and foremost.
There must be a significant analyzation and critique of all of these educational and economic
trends so that the right choices and outcomes are selected.
There are specific educational trends that bring in a new form of technology to promote a
University that offers more to its online community and that opens up new opportunities for the
school and student to interact. Post University must expand as a University and give themselves
more exposure. The way in which this is to be done is through what is known as Mass Open
Online Courses(MOOC) which is explained as "A course of study made available over the
internet without charge to a very large number of people" (Allen, E., & Seaman, J. 2014). This
Technology will allow for Post University to get more exposure and it will offer students who
would like to get a better knowledge of a course the know how without the documented
experience. These classes are best for the University's exposure and growth because they do not
require any fees or tuition and they are open to the public. These classes do not have credits and
are not accredited. The real benefit of these classes can come from allowing any potential or
current student to get involved with a subject that intrigues them or that they are passionate
about. Through these MOOC's, they may decide that they need to move their career paths from
one subject to another or even instigate a potential student to make the decision about what
program they would like to get started in. Post would benefit from this technology in the future
as it can establish Post as a strong university that is getting more exposure. Post may begin to
see more inquiries for admissions and may begin to see that they are seen as a high quality
school. In this way, Post University has the opportunity to expand its outreach and overall look
as a school with a positive rebranded reputation.

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Policies and rules are important when looking to effectively change outcomes. "Rules do
define the arenas in which behaviors produce outcomes. They therefore offer an important and
accessible mechanism through which policymakers can influence performance over
time"(Richardson, R. C., & Martinez, M. 2009). A specific Policy change that would greatly
benefit Post's quality of students and its overall retention rate would be the requirement of
testing and or the completion of a writing sample. It is crucial to halt the number of students that
earn F's and Unearned F's as grades within the online education side of the institute. One of the
procedures that would be beneficial to improve these grades is not only test preparation but the
actual requirement of completing a writing sample as a preliminary test for all students that will
allow for Post to see student's basic qualifications and ability before they are accepted to the
University and allowed to take courses. The requirement of students to go the extra mile to
continue through this process will at minimum let the school know the student's willingness and
cooperation to complete the writing sample and then give allow for more insight on the students
writing and capability to be successful at Post. This policy change would create a more
demanding process for all students but ultimately holds the ability to positively affect the
school's overall retention rate and therefore continually improving its new brand.
There are a number of economical trends that must be utilized. Post University has been
steadily growing as an institution for the last 10 or so years. Post's Higher Education aspects
evolved the school into the big success that it is today. The economical trend that seems to be
greatly effecting Post is how good the economy is now as a whole. When the unemployment
rate is down then that means that there are fewer students looking for jobs and more potential
students working. When the unemployment rate is high, then it means that more students are
out of work and now have the time to get an education while in need of school to make them

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more marketable. "The results show that institutions believe that the economic changes will have
a positive impact on overall enrollments and that specific aspects of an economic downturn
resonate closely with increasing demand for online courses with specific types of schools"(Allen
E., Seaman J., 2008). This research demonstrates the exact reason why Post University's own
growth has slowed down over the past couple of years as the economy has been vastly
improving.
The Demographics of the students attending schools is changing and becoming an entire
new set of races, ages and population as a whole. "Adult Students have been a growing presence
on college campuses during recent decades and there are numerous indicators that these students,
often referred to as nontraditional, constitute a significant proportion of the undergraduate
student body. National Center for Education Statistics data indicate that 38% of the 2007
enrollment of more than eighteen million college students were twenty-five years of age or
older" (Ross-Gordon, J. M. 2011 Research on Adult Learners). This new set of students range
from those who are single parents to the unemployed adult and the fully employed older adult.
The entire makeup of those looking for higher education is evolving and changing based upon
the new availability of online education.
The University must focus on the Admittance and retention of high quality students but
also take an in-depth look at the improved and recognized brand of the University. The rebranding of Post University not only as an elite online school but as a school that gains and
retains students with higher percentages and grades will only make for a very promising
institution that will be able to maintain its base of students and grow tremendously.

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Methodology
The success of any educational organization relies on the important process of futuring.
It allows for them to analyze many factors from the past and the present in order to adapt to
necessary issues that exist and that may arise in the future. Futuring examines trends that
organizations need to adapt to in order to be successful. This process relies on a number of
techniques in order to understand the multifaceted complexity of what to expect for the future.
The process of futuring includes the most important tools of Scenarios and Scanning. Both of
these tools help critically analyze the potential pros and cons for the futures of an educational
organization. Higher Education, for instance, is able to utilize futuring as it is always adapting
and evolving the way in which it interacts with students in the classroom and online. Not only
are the ways in which schools engage with the students evolving, but so are the societies and
students within them. Students in the 21st century have grown up with new technology that
Higher Education has included within its coursework and degrees. The availability of online
classes has allowed for a whole new population of adults who are too busy to attend classes to
further their education. All of these changes and those to come in the future are due to the
the futuring and development within these organizations.
Scenario
The first necessary tool of futuring is scenarios. This tool is used by gathering data, information,
and personal analysis to come up with a few scenarios for each issue where changes are most
likely to happen. "The scenarios should range from a very desirable future to an undesirable or
even catastrophic future"(Sobrero, P., 2004 Journal of Extension). The next step is to flesh out
and write out the details of each scenario. The purpose is to identify the indicators of change that
are likely to trigger a specific scenario (Sobrero,P., 2004). Scenarios are essentially used within

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the development process of futuring in order to establish and analyze possibilities for the future.
There are a number of potential negatives and pitfalls to using scenarios. It is possible
that it could create an overestimate of what could possibly happen in the future. Also it does not
benefit anyone to accidentally consider a scenario as factual forecast instead of a possibility for
the future. Scenarios can vary depending on the type of employees or administrators who are in
charge of choosing which scenarios are most relevant for the organization. Lastly, the entire
process of scenarios can be extremely time consuming and can result in participants choosing the
easiest or most likely choice of scenarios.
On the other side of things, the positive aspects of scenarios are good and plenty. Some of
the good aspects consist of gaining a number of potential situations that can help the
organizations foresight and prepare them for the days ahead. Scenarios provide creativity within
the futuring process that allows organizations to look at some of the multifaceted ways that it can
improve itself. This is strong due to the fact that "Scenarios open up the mind to hitherto
unimaginable possibilities and challenge long-held internal beliefs of an organization"(Mietzner
& Reger, G. 2005,). Scenarios also offer an opportunity to examine some of the issues that may
never have been addressed and brought to the concern of the administrators.
Scanning
Scanning is more or less the specifics of futuring that will allow a scenario to come to a full
understanding. Scanning comes before scenarios and is essentially the study and research put
into the numerous sources online and within publications. This research is done within scanning
in order to find implications of changes that may be important for the future. "Scanning focuses
mainly on trends-changes that occur through time-rather than events, changes that occur very
quickly and generally are less significant for understanding the future" (World Future Society

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N.D. Scanning). Scanning is useful because it goes in-depth to provide real context and concrete
examples of the past that can be utilized to create scenarios for the future. It also takes into
account trends and specifics that can either positively or negatively affect the future.
Researchers may find that scanning offers numerous challenges such as time consumption and
the over analyzing of data. Scanning may also create a challenge when it provides the wrong
data or presents difficult data to follow.
The methods and tools of futuring are critically important to utilize in order to provide
organizations with ideas about the best and worst possible outcomes for their futures. Scenarios
are beneficial as they play the role of creating potential outcomes. Scanning provides data
driven history and trend seeking research in order to create the just right scenarios to be
analyzed. When these tools of futuring are used appropriately, organizations in Higher
Education and other institutions discover new avenues and trends that can ultimately give them
the opportunity to evolve and be successful.
Vision/Plan
Post University will be fully operating at a high functioning level in five years. The
organization will be thriving with more online students than ever before. Potential students will
be looking at Post University as a serious option on a daily basis. Post University will be
fostering a better culture that will have all of its students and even its employees happier. This
culture is one not only of positivity but also of competition and an unwavering sense of passion
for whatever position is held at the University. The goal and the purpose for the future education
is to re-brand the University in order to offer the student a focused and all around reputable
experience. The University will have a supremely high retention rate of students that are not just
initially beginning their educational careers but also those engaged in completing their final

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courses to attain their degrees. The classroom setting on campus will be made up of not only
technology that is usable by the students but also by a new method of interacting and learning.
This type for learning is the type cited earlier as a new technology known as the flipped
classroom where students are given more liberties to speak and have input within the classroom.
It also allows for students to be so involved as to guide the classroom experience.
There are a number of future challenges and opportunities that will be faced when
actively involved in this scenario of future education. The challenges initially consist of those
students or more specifically staff members within the University that may attempt to undermine
the future plans or policies. This can also be true about those faculty and staff that spread gossip
or rumors about the new policy changes. The next challenge is that of negative co-workers who
do not see eye to eye with these policies and will need extra time and energy to adapt to these
policy changes. There will be an initial slow down that is to be expected as the policy changes
will consider new techniques to vet and qualify students. For the students on campus, there will
be a bit of an adapting and a learning curve to overcome as they are re-engaged in classes that
work on active learning and participation on a constant level. The Final challenge consists of
prioritizing for the employee and those looking to fuse and enact these policies.
There are a few opportunities that are worth noting that this future of education will
promote. The first Opportunity is one that allows for a new creation of culture within all of Post
University that offers a renewed happiness and passion for the job and for others around.
Retention rates are majorly improved by the enacted plan which will allow for better overall
numbers of future students. There is an opportunity to create a more reputable brand that will
allow for Post to be recognized as perhaps the school with the best retention rates and therefore
becoming a beacon in online education. Another opportunity is the flexible education that is

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offered not only online but that of the campus classes that will now be more guided and directed
in a more student focused way. The last opportunity is one that will now allow for post to be
seen as a truly customer and student focused entity.
Below are the list of Challenges and Opportunities referred to in the text above.
Challenges
-

Opportunities

Office undermining/negativity

- Create a culture of happiness and passion

- Adapting to policy changes

- Influence Higher Retention

- Initial slow down of Admitted Students

- Create a more reputable brand

- Adapting to learning processes

- Educational Flexibility

- Prioritizing

- Customer/student focused

I believe that Post University will be in a serious position of becoming a school that is
just irrelevant to the point that other online schools will have the upper edge and advantage over
Post. With dozens of more schools adding fantastic online programs across the country, Post is
in need of sticking out as the first choice and first name in online education. At this point, there
are plenty of other schools that offer the same conveniences that Post offers but without the hefty
price tag of $570 per credit hour for an undergraduate degree. As an employee an advocate for
future change, I believe that not taking action hear will risk Post's credibility and perhaps its
prestige as a top online institution.
Plan for Change

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Post University has several ways in which it is needing to plan and prepare for these
future changes. The University must first retrain their employees to offer a more customer driven
experience. Students are responsive to those who show a strong focus to meeting their needs and
being presentable and amicable over the phone. Next, Post will prepare for the restructuring of
campus classes in order to have an educational awakening where students can be re-engaged and
involved in heavy conversation instead of just having hour long lectures. This new plan must
consist of specific guidelines to new policies in order for staff members to acknowledge what
needs to be done and implement it.
There will continue to be a reformation of staff members and their attitudes toward the
University and a check on cultural negativity and failure. There needs to be a new plan in place
that can help progress the culture of Post in a very positive. There will need to be a retraining and
focus not only on the students but on the workers and employees. The work environment should
be seen as a fun competitive place to learn how or develop oneself and career as well as have a
good time and developing a love and passion for the position one is working at Post University.
All the while, there will be a review and inclusion of higher educational standards and
requirements to plan for such as testing initial students who are getting enrolled in classes.
Requiring that all students submit a writing sample will make for a telling understanding of if a
student is ready or not.
Call To Action
The immediate call to action that must be implemented is one that requires online or
personal training to employees with information of change within the school and what is being
done to enact it. This training would include specifics in customer service to best address the
needs of all potential and current students. This is where the cultivation of the new Post culture

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can be implemented. The new culture is one that embraces individual achievement, team
achievement, and then company appreciation. While this culture is still competitive, there needs
to be a certain embracing of all coworkers no matter what team they are on. A few monitors or
TV's should be set aside to keep track of the top 25 admissions counselors with students
registered in class. There must also be a resolve to include daily stats as well. This is one
instance that I believe will drive constant competition and among the teams and specific
individuals campus wide
There must be an immediate and swift policy change regarding educational requirements
and standards. These changes do consist of requirements of writing samples and further vetted
academic candidates. This qualification process will lead to higher retention rates.
The last immediate call to action is the restructuring of the basic campus classes. This
restructure will allow for Post to regain a more engaging classroom that can hold its head high
knowing that they are know and will be a piece of future that will be educated more than the
generation before them.

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References

Post University (2015) About Post University: Mission

Statement.

http://www.post.edu/about/mission

Post University (2015) About Post University:

History.

http://www.post.edu/about/history

Post University (2015) Why Post: Awards and

Recognition.

http://www.post.edu/why-post/awards-and-recognition

Post University (2015) About Post University:

Overview

http://www.post.edu/about

Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Esstrada, V., and Freeman, A. (2015). NMC Horizon Report:
2015 Higher Education Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media
Consortium http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-HE-EN.pdf
Mims-Word, M. (2012). The Importance of Technology Usage in the Classroom, Does Gender
Gaps Exist. Contemporary Issues In Education Research, 5(4), 271278.

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/

Jacot, M. T., Noren, J., & Berge, Z. L. (2014). The Flipped Classroom in Training and
Development: Fad or the Future?. Performance Improvement, 53(9), 23-28.
doi:10.1002/pfi.21438 http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f199879db1d1-4630-a848-bd9f3a0deb71%40sessionmgr111&vid=17&hid=120

Sobrero, P., (2004). The steps for futuring. Journal of Extention, 42(3).

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Mietzner, D., & Reger, G. (2005). Advantages and disadvantages of scenario approaches for
strategic foresight. Int. J. Technology Intelligence and Planning, 1(2), 220239.
World Future Society (N.D.) http://www.wfs.org/node/400 Scanning
- Allen E., Seamen J., (2014).Staying the course. Online Education in the United States
http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/gradechange.pdf
- Allen E., Seaman, J., (2014). Grade Change tracking. online Education in the United States.
http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/gradechange.pdf
- Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2011). Research on Adult Learners: Supporting the Needs of a Student
Population that Is No Longer Nontraditional. Peer Review, 13(1), 26-29.
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=5713bb3e-e403-46a8-bad1dc325744840e%40sessionmgr4005&vid=1&hid=4210
- Richardson, R. C., & Martinez, M. (2009). Policy and Performance in American Higher
Education : An Examination of Cases Across State Systems. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press.
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/ebookviewer/ebook/ZTAwMHhuYV9fMzAzODg2X19BTg2?
sid=be6c9a7b-43fc-4541-9147-3dd4caca95b3@sessionmgr4003&vid=3&