3 Ways Today's Universities Can Prevent "Borders Syndrome"

 I recently read an article that discussed the possibility of traditional universities succumbing to the same fate as Borders Bookstores--closing as a result of becoming obsolete in our changing world.  The author related questions and answers from an interview with associates from Georgia Tech who were re-imagining the school's operations to stay relevant, and therefore desirable to perspective students.  These efforts seemed to focus mainly on reaching students in mass via the Internet with advanced level courses.  While I think it is noble (and necessary) for universities to change the way they "do learning," I also believe that traditional universities have to raise the white flag just  yet.  Here are three ways in which I feel today's universities could transform without going totally online:

1. Play up their unique "value."
Every university is unique in some way and it is often these special features that draw perspective students when there are so many options to choose from.  Universities should play up what makes them special, giving perspective students incentive for attending a traditional university over taking online courses.  For example, online courses cannot compete with the life experience gained from the "college campus" experience.  Without ignoring academic offerings, schools should make sure their atmosphere is a major selling point.  Not all students consult solely the price tag of a university; intrinsic value is also critically important.

2. Do adapt learning environments to match our progressive world.
While I agree that traditional teaching methods have lost their relevance for today's generation of undergrads, I think that these methods can be revamped rather than nixed.  Even though the digital generation is adept at devouring information online, information absorption alone does not provide experience.  Many students still greatly value hands-on learning experiences.  Professors must recognize that this new generation does not desire or expect them to have all of the information--information is easily attained from many sources!--but they do need someone who can help them interpret their information and discover what can be done with it.  A great example of this is Project Based Learning where students work to solve a driving problem or question in authentic real-world learning environments.  Here, the teachers acts more as a facilitator, guiding students.  This type of learning experience could be of great benefit at the university level, but is less easily accomplished in a strictly online setting.

3. Provide mentoring experiences.
This new generation of students craves to be mentored.  In the book Generation iY by Tim Elmore (which I highly recommend) Elmore writes that today's young people desire a "guide on the side" rather than a "sage on the stage."  The Georgia Tech article also included the idea of professional mentoring in it's online programming, but I fail to see how authentic, enriching mentoring can really take place over the Internet with a professor who is managing 10,000 plus students.  University professor who are approachable and respectable (not just for their work/knowledge) is a big draw for today's perspective students.  They want their teachers to be mentors to whom they can relate and from whom they can (indirectly) learn.  They want someone they can walk through life with rather than someone who is trying to transfer information to them (again, they already have many sources of this).  If universities professors can learn to adapt to this newly desired role, they will have great opportunity for attracting more students to traditional universities, keeping university students engaged, and helping transform the future.