Are Research Universities Meeting the Educational Challenge of the New Economy?

Rapid technological change is affecting workforce structure and deepening employment polarization. Driven by automation, data science, and increasingly artificial intelligence and cyber-physical systems, new employment opportunities require knowledge and skills in emerging fields or higher technical level that are in short supply in the current workforce. Closing this gap challenges traditional universities to develop diverse portfolios of accessible and affordable programs of industry-relevant content available to working adults for part-time study. As the pace of technological change continues to accelerate and working lifespans continue to increase, successful careers are predicated on lifelong learning, upskilling, and reskilling. Academia, recognizing this challenge, is moving continuing professional education, especially online learning, into the university's core mission. However, there are significant hurdles to integrating online programs into traditional research departments. This paper identifies the main difficulties and proposes approaches for their resolution.