DETC Institution Awarded Grant to Study Breakthrough College Completion Model

Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC), an initiative dedicated to improving college readiness and completion, recently announced $4.5 million in grants for comprehensive new secondary school and college models that use technology to reach targets for affordability and student success—and one DETC institution was the recipient of funds.

Grantees Focused on Breakthrough Models for College Completion are developing next generation online and blended programs designed to significantly improve student access, persistence, and completion, without compromising the quality of learning outcomes. Applicants were eligible for awards up to $1 million.

New Charter University, recipient of a grant for $300,000 is an accredited university that allows anyone to access all courses online for free in a self-paced, outcomes-based, personalized learning model; students only pay tuition of $199 per month when they are ready to earn credit towards a degree within a faculty-supported learning environment. NGLC will fund a comparative research study of online students enrolled at New Charter and students enrolled in a blended learning environment, delivered through a partnership with the Community College of the District of Columbia.

“We believe these models will be broadly applicable across secondary and post-secondary education,” said Andrew Calkins, Deputy Director of NGLC. “Our goal is to support, test, and refine these comprehensive next generation learning approaches; collect evidence of what works; and then help others adopt those models to improve student success, access, and affordability. A key enabler of all the models is technology.”

This announcement represents the second of three cycles of funding in NGLC’s $12 million third wave of investment, which is focused on comprehensive, “breakthrough” models for improving college readiness and completion rates in the U.S. Wave III targets institutions and organizations launching new instructional models that incorporate technology to personalize students’ learning experiences, supported by business models that can support sustainable expansion and adoption plans.

NGLC is a collaborative partnership led by EDUCAUSE, the leading organization for information technology in higher education, and funded primarily by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Other partners include the League for Innovation in the Community College, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Funding for NGLC has also been provided by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. To date, NGLC has awarded nearly $23 million in grants to 65 organizations and institutions focused on piloting and scaling new school and degree models, compiling evidence of what works, and accelerating adoption by creating cohorts of change agents.

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