Earn Your Degree Anywhere: Montclair’s Vision for Online Programs Emphasizes Innovation

Montclair State University Vice Provost and Managing Director of Montclair Unbound Marc Austin has joined the institution as it continues its record growth and ascension to the nation’s Top 100 public universities.

Here, he shares his vision for the future of Montclair’s 53 online bachelor’s, master’s and certificate offerings – and how it can scale to the entire University to realize President Koppell’s vision for the future of higher education.

Earning a degree should be hard – but everything else should be easy

Think about ordering a product from Amazon.

You quickly search for what you need, compare alternatives, read reviews, and order it with a few clicks on your phone in a matter of minutes.

To Austin, this is the measuring stick for how online degree programs should be delivered.

“There is a reason the phrase is ‘earn a degree’, because the work to get a degree should be very challenging. But that’s the only part that should be hard,” he says. “We need to fully understand the student journey and the obstacles that get in their way as they pursue a degree. It’s then up to us to remove those things from the experience to prevent an engaged student from stopping before they graduate.”

“We must create an experience where all other aspects of student life – understanding what courses you take and when, understanding financial aid, paying your bill and connecting with your advisor, to name a few – are easy and available anytime, anywhere. When we do that, we’ll be further reducing the unnecessary barriers that hold students back.”

The Three Keys to Online Student Success

This philosophy is part of Austin’s three keys to online student success, which will then be scaled to include the entire institution as part of the Unbound vision:

1. A seamless experience: Students need a clear roadmap that allows them to achieve their educational goals within their day-to-day lives. They’ll know what’s due today, what’s due next week, and the next class they need to take at every step of their journey.
2. Engaging instruction: Courses should be available on demand and be taken on a student’s schedule. Combined with bite-sized content from world-class professors, personalized feedback and peer learning experiences that allows students to solve problems in a group, it’s a mix that can yield courses that keep them coming back for more.
3. Wraparound services: Students need to know they are supported anytime, anywhere. By creating an engaging and inviting community with 24/7 support – which can include innovations like AI Assistants that point you to relevant material from previous courses or help you stay on track and success coaching for life both in and out of the classroom – students will see they’re never alone on their journey towards an online degree.

“Montclair’s commitment to student success makes the institution uniquely positioned to execute this vision,” says Austin, who points to the University’s Office of Student Belonging and ranking No. 12 in the nation in social mobility as critical student success indicators. “So, we want to extend these ideals to our online offerings to make a truly excellent experience that ensures student success in this space.”

The Future of Higher Education is Unbound

By reducing barriers and scaling Austin’s vision for online learning, Montclair can ultimately achieve President Jonathan Koppell’s vision of a truly “Unbound” university that meets students where they are.

Students will be able to learn from any location at any time, and receive the same student experience from anywhere – allowing their education to fit into their lives, not the other way around.

“My role is to reduce the barriers students encounter, both as online and as students who attend in person, so that they can more easily engage with the University,” says Austin.

“As we do this, we will be able to deliver excellent programs and give students the exact same experience from wherever they are. Montclair will become a truly blended campus, and we’ll realize President Koppell’s vision of what ‘Unbound’ can truly mean. I’m excited for the future and to work with everyone to give students this experience, starting with our online programs.”

Are You Ready to Start Your Montclair Journey?

Schedule an appointment, request more information or just start the conversation and take the next step towards pursuing online education at Montclair.