There have been some really positive changes at IWU. The new President Zenger, new scholarships from alumni and even adjusted admission policies. But I believe that there can be more done in the direction of appealing to prospective students, and retaining learners that are already here.
I genuinely believe that with direct admission being offered to local high school students – new this year – and to Heartland Community College students as of last year, there are ways that IWU could appeal more to this expanded crop of potential students. Even for the nontraditional students like myself.
Frankly, the two ideas that I have would likely appeal to the student body overall and bring in a slew of new admissions, which should please the Board of Directors.
#1: More evening classes.
To be able to afford the excellent education IWU offers, we need to be able to work. In my experience, employers are more willing to accommodate an evening class schedule than their workers missing large chunks of the day. And these courses need to be more than random electives. Sequences for majors and minors, and even Gen Eds would give students more freedom.
#2: Asynchronous online classes.
I took part in one of the pilot asynchronous courses this past summer, and I have never felt so confident about meeting deadlines and retaining what I was learning. This option needs to be offered year round. Asynchronous classes aren’t just a boon to students trying to balance several outside responsibilities. It could appeal to student athletes who travel for sports and students that have learning styles that work better in more self-controlled environments.
Not only could offering asynchronous courses to on-campus students be popular, The university would financially benefit from moving a few majors or just certifications to an online format. Several small private universities are adapting to the rising want of online college, and I don’t believe that having that here would detract from IWU’s image. If anything, it puts the university in a better position to recruit more students.
I know that the one argument about this is the cost to the university of running more classes and paying faculty to teach at different – or more – hours. Still, I firmly believe that appealing to a broader spectrum of students will make it so more faculty can be hired.
I love this university. I want to see it stay relevant, and more importantly stay open in times where small private universities in the area seem to be closing fairly regularly. Even if neither of these potential changes will help me, I am confident that these ideas could do great things for the IWU community.