WGU Indiana Chancellor Allison Barber will be speaking about technology’s role in higher education today at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show® in Las Vegas.
Nationwide, there are more than 37 million working adults with some college but no degree, creating a critical shortage of skilled and credentialed workers. Barber, who will participate in a panel session called “Is College as We Know It Obsolete?,” will discuss how a technology-based, online education can enable busy working adults to attain a degree.
“I applaud the organizers of International CES for their focus on leveraging emerging technology in the area of higher education,” said Barber. “As an innovative, technology-based university, WGU Indiana understands the role technology can play in a person’s long-term success – from allowing them to take classes when it fits their schedule to providing competency-based education that measures learning rather than time spent in the classroom. Technology is transforming how adults are learning and earning their degrees. It’s exciting to join with other thought leaders and discuss how we can continue to better serve our future workforce.”
International CES is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for more than 40 years—the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace.
WGU’s innovative, competency-based education model, which earned the university a spot in Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2013, measures learning rather than the time a student spends in a classroom seat. Students earn their degrees by demonstrating mastery of subject matter, completing coursework online at any time convenient to their lives. Designed to meet the needs of adult learners, competency-based education allows students to take advantage of prior learning and experience to move quickly through material they already know so they can focus on what they still need to learn.