New research from WGU Academy shared at the 2021 ASU GSV Summit proposes an effective approach to driving more positive learning outcomes and experiences for underserved learners and supporting their academic and career success. Researchers identified a holistic approach to support the learning needs of underserved learners during moments of ambiguity as they navigate their academic journeys.
“Learning is not simply this content mastery experience,” begins Omid Fotuhi, Director of Learning Innovation at WGU Labs. “[Learning] is experimentation with various social identities as learners.” For underserved learners, many of whom might be first-time college students or returning adult learners, understanding the context in which they are identifying and relating to their educational experience can help academic institutions understand what is at stake for these learners and better position institutions as facilitators in their success.
Additionally, cultivating a “sense of belonging” for underserved learners is critical. “Identity formation as a learner is heavily predictive of whether or not students will succeed within our higher education institutions,” states Chelsea Barnett, Director of Learning Experience at WGU Academy. Identity formation of a learner involves the development of their cognitive and metacognitive psychologies. A third domain, proposed researchers, the non-cognitive (social-emotional or “soft skills”), rounds out a learner’s success not just in higher education but preparing them to enter the workforce and apply their newly created identities as competent, confident workers.
Though this approach of pairing social-emotional learning concepts with a credit-bearing curriculum is not necessarily novel, its place in higher education requires resources such as coaching and advising to support long-term retention of skills building. The Program for Academic and Career Advancement (PACA) at WGU is an innovative course required for all incoming learners designed to address how core beliefs, emotions, and habits might impact their academic success.
“We provide the strategies [and] give them platforms to apply it to their own lives, their careers, their relationships, and their academic journey,” states Reshma Gouravajhala, Ph.D., a WGU Academy research scientist. The course is taught by a professional coach who trains learners to develop critical skills such as time management, resilience, and other work readiness abilities parallel to their academic learning. PACA also maintains an expansive virtual student community for learners to engage with, sharing their insights and fostering long-standing relationships with others from similar personal experiences.
“If as institutions we want to help all students succeed, we cannot keep doing things the same way we have always done them, or we will continue to get the results we have always gotten,” claims Barnett. In order to effectively help underserved learners become champions in their academic journeys, institutions need to understand how this learner population overcomes struggles and the impact those experiences have on their perception of learning and education. Academic success for underserved learners needs to be more than a mantra delivered during orientation, but an intentional practice of affirmation and a sense of belonging throughout their academic careers.
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