The “Just in Time” Learner and the Coming Revolution in Higher Education

Much has been written about changes in the students who will be coming to campus in the years ahead. We know that in California there will be too many students, more than their colleges can accommodate, which will require the state to develop digital alternatives to its physical campuses. We know the New England, Middle Atlantic, and Midwestern states will have too few students to fill their campuses, prompting institutional closures and mergers. We know there is a mismatch between digital natives and the analog colleges they are attending. We know traditionalaged students want colleges with all the bells and whistles. We know older students are looking for a convenient, lowcost, stripped-down version of college minus the campus activities they don’t attend, the elective courses they don’t take, and the facilities they don’t use. We know fewer students each year are able to afford the sticker price of a college education, and we know the fastestgrowing populations in the nation are among the least likely to attend college. However, there is another change in students that isn’t being discussed as much but is likely to cause a cascade of changes in higher education. It’s the rise of the “just in time” learner.