A New Path to a College Degree: Match Beyond Helps Low-Income Students Succeed

• Published in: Education next 2017-03, Vol.17 (2), p.44
• Main Author: Marcus, Jon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acceleration (Education); Access to Education; At Risk Students; Career Development; Charter Schools; Coaching (Performance); College Credits; Competence; Employment Qualifications; Graduation; High Schools; Higher Education; Intervention; Low Income Groups; Minority Group Students; Nontraditional Students; Online Courses; Planning; Program Development; Program Effectiveness; Students
• ISSN: 1539-9664; 1539-9672

Match Beyond, launched in late 2013, offers accelerated degree programs through a pioneering approach that combines online education--provided by a partner, Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU)--with intensive coaching and support, including job-placement counseling. This small-scale strategy exposes the need for flexibility and personal attention required by a demographic that is about to descend in huge numbers on universities and colleges--low-income racial and ethnic minorities whose parents do not have college educations. This article discusses the inception of Match Beyond and how the program partners with College for America (CFA), a spinoff of SNHU, to serve students who are unable to finish conventional college due to a variety of circumstances. CFA's online program requires students to demonstrate mastery of 120 "competencies" toward 20 goals on any of nine career paths instead of earning credit hours in traditional college courses. There are lingering questions about the model, which researchers are only now beginning to study. Initial findings show positive results in terms of employment retention and raise potential from those who receive a degree from College for America. Future research will determine if coaching can increase the low completion rates of online higher-education courses, especially for students who do not have great preparation or self-discipline.