CBExchange 2022 — Supporting All Learners: A Conversation with Oscar Wang
To close out Thursday’s sessions at CBExchange 2022, C-BEN President Charla Long interviewed Oscar Wang, Founder and CEO of College Together. Wang shared the transformative work College Together is doing to support Philadelphia students through their post-secondary journey.
College Together (CT) is a non-profit organization providing a university-to-community model in the Philadelphia area. Wang founded CT with a vision to support students 18–26 years old through their post-high school learning, facilitated by CBE.
Wang shared that CT partners with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), a fully accredited and not-for-profit research university with global reach. CT students enroll in a full-time degree program with a digital curriculum that fits their life. CT is their support system and provides a local, in-person college experience in Philadelphia.
Instead of taking multiple choice tests or attending lectures, students tackle real-world projects and get direct feedback from professors as they master skills. These projects feature workplace situations to solve and put them in the shoes of an employee or leader at fictional but realistic companies.
Wang expressed that CT supports students from admission through graduation and beyond. As SNHU is not physically in Philadelphia, CT steps in to be the eyes, ears, and face that students need. Students attend CT in person and receive in-person coaching, up to three days per week in downtown Philadelphia. Doing so puts CT in the community and helps build a trust-based partnership with both local students and SNHU.
Long provided a key insight about this community approach: “Partnering with trusted CBOs provides opportunities for new CBE models. There are people in your community that you can trust to partner with you on your CBE journey.”
CBE is key part of CT’s — and students’ — success. Wang stated:
“There is a misnomer that if it is online or CBE, that it’s lesser quality, and that’s just not true. Students are learning forever-level skills, preparing them for real-world experiences.”
Wang stressed the importance of time in College Together’s model. While traditional higher education is often bound to seat-time, CT and SNHU’s approach to time centers on flexibility. Wang stated:
“Our curriculum is self-paced. Students can speed up when it’s possible and slow down when they need more support. At CT, students can come into class on flexible days. The program is forgiving in all the right ways when it comes time; where it’s unforgiving is in the mastery of the skills.”
For students, CT’s approach is transformative. Tuition is $6,495 a year, which, for students with Pell grants, means they graduate with zero debt. Further, students are full university students, something that Wang shared is a point of pride for learners. Wang shared: “Too many of our students have been told throughout their lives that they can’t learn, and CT proves they can. Seeing our students succeed, many of whom have been undervalued during their education, is why we do this work.”
Wang stressed that CT is not the only right answer for students. Instead, CT is there to provide students with the gift of options. He shared:
“We do not say we are better than other options, like community colleges or other universities. What we offer through CBE in this context is something different, providing students additional options beyond traditional modes. The key to reaching all learners is providing all options to them.”
Learn more about College Together at this link.
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