Podcast
signals in higher ed
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signals in higher ed cuts through the noise to surface what’s actually working across admissions, enrollment, student success, and institutional strategy—told by the leaders building what’s next. Each episode turns real-world challenges into clear, actionable takeaways you can apply on your campus today. Expect candid conversations on innovation, policy, and the data behind better decisions. Host: Darin Francis—CEO & Managing Partner at Harbinger Lane Consulting and former host of DisruptED.
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Engineering Education Needs to Be Human-Centered, Purpose-Driven, and Grounded in Real-World Problem Solving
6d ago00:41:04Tap to summarizeStudent disengagement, the rapid rise of AI, and shifting workforce expectations are pushing higher education to rethink how it prepares graduates. Engineering programs—long defined by rigor and technical depth—are now under pressure to stay relevant, improve retention, and produce graduates who can actually solve real-world problems, not just theoretical ones. And the numbers back that up: engineering programs in the U.S. see dropout rates as high as 40–50%, with even higher attrition at regional universities, pointing to deeper structural issues in how these programs are designed and delivered.So how can engineering education evolve without sacrificing its rigor—and still attract, engage, and retain a broader, more diverse group of students?Welcome to Signals in Higher Ed. In the latest episode, host Darin Francis sits down with Dr. Marcello Nitz, Rector of the Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia in Brazil, to explore how human-centered engineering and experiential learning are reshaping the future of engineering education. Their conversation spans curriculum design, student motivation, faculty alignment, and the measurable impact of embedding purpose into technical training.Top insights from the talk…Human-centered engineering reframes technical work through impact: By connecting engineering projects to real human outcomes, students develop deeper motivation and broader perspective.Experiential learning builds true competency—not just knowledge: Hands-on, real-world problem solving helps students apply theory and develop critical skills like empathy and judgment.Retention improves when students find meaning: Programs that integrate purpose-driven learning have seen dropout rates cut in half in early semesters.Dr. Marcello Nitz is an academic leader and the Rector of Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia, where he oversees institutional strategy, academic operations, and large-scale curriculum transformation. With nearly three decades of experience as a professor and administrator, he has led engineering programs, taught core subjects like thermodynamics and transport phenomena, and driven initiatives to strengthen faculty research and industry collaboration. A researcher in particulate systems and fluid dynamics, Nitz also brings industry and startup experience, along with a strong record of funded projects, publications, and international partnerships.
Transcribe →Scaling Career-Ready Skills: How Adaptive Learning and Generative AI Are Transforming Higher Education
2w ago00:56:02Tap to summarizeSkills-based learning has moved from buzzword to mandate as colleges face mounting pressure to connect credentials, employability, and measurable learner outcomes. Employers are increasingly using skills-based hiring practices, and NACE’s Job Outlook 2026 notes that students need to demonstrate concrete examples of skills in action during hiring processes. At the same time, higher education leaders are rethinking cost, ROI, and the value of credentials as institutions confront uncertainty and changing workforce expectations.So, if the traditional credit-hour model is under pressure, can adaptive learning, simulations, and generative AI help institutions build more relevant pathways from coursework to career readiness?On this episode of Signals in Higher Ed, host Darin Francis speaks with Phillip Miller, CEO of Skillwell, about the growing momentum behind adaptive learning, immersive simulations, and generative AI-powered course design. Their conversation explores why institutions are rethinking online learning, how Skillwell is combining adaptive pathways with simulation-based practice, and where higher ed can better align with corporate learning and workforce needs.Top insights from the talk…Skills-based learning has reached a “fever pitch.” Miller says ASU GSV reflected a broader willingness among universities to rethink legacy models, including the credit hour.Generative AI is changing the economics of adaptive learning. What once required building dozens of course pathways manually can now be supported by AI-assisted content and simulation design.Higher ed and corporate learning are converging around outcomes. Miller argues that career-focused online programs and corporate training share similar needs: assess skills, close gaps, and validate learning.Phillip Miller is the CEO of Skillwell, a company focused on immersive and adaptive simulations for higher education and corporate learning. He has more than 20 years of experience in edtech, including leadership roles with Open LMS, Blackboard, and Angel Learning. Miller previously led Open LMS through three acquisitions that helped create the world’s largest Moodle provider, and he has advised early-stage learning technology companies on product strategy, fundraising, and go-to-market growth.
Transcribe →Closing the Education-to-Employment Gap: The Rise of the Career Center as Campus Infrastructure
3w ago00:52:45Tap to summarizeHigher education is under mounting pressure to prove its value. As student debt, shifting demographics, and employer expectations reshape the landscape, institutions are being forced to rethink how they prepare students for life after graduation. At the same time, new data shows a sharp rise in internship-to-full-time hiring, with recent cohorts converting at their highest rate in years—underscoring how critical hands-on experience has become. Yet many institutions still stop short of requiring structured career education, creating a widening gap between how students are prepared and how they ultimately enter the workforce.So what happens when the traditional “career services office” is no longer enough? How can universities evolve career centers into something more embedded, scalable, and essential to student success?On this episode of Signals in Higher Ed, host Darin Francis sits down with Dr. Patrick Madsen, Associate Dean of Advising & Experiential Learning at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, to explore a fundamental shift: moving from career services as a standalone function to a fully integrated campus ecosystem. The conversation dives into how institutions can embed experiential learning at scale, align stakeholders across campus, and redefine career readiness as a shared responsibility.What you’ll learn…How career centers are shifting from optional support services to core drivers of institutional value and ROI.Why experiential learning must go beyond traditional internships—and what scalable, flexible models actually work today.How leading institutions use data, infrastructure, and cross-campus collaboration to deliver measurable student outcomes.Dr. Patrick Madsen is a senior higher education leader who specializes in integrating academic advising, career education, and experiential learning into scalable, data-driven student success systems, most notably through the development of the “Charlotte Model.” Dr. Madsen has led large, cross-functional teams and multimillion-dollar portfolios, driving innovation in career ecosystems, employer partnerships, and experiential learning infrastructure to improve retention, graduation, and workforce outcomes. With over 20 years of experience—including leadership roles at institutions like UNC Charlotte, Johns Hopkins University, and UNC Greensboro—he is also an experienced educator, national speaker, and consultant on career development, organizational strategy, and university-industry alignment.
Transcribe →If Higher Ed Wants Experiential Learning at Scale, It Needs a Broader Playbook
4w ago01:01:19Tap to summarizeThe ground is shifting under higher education. AI is changing how people learn almost overnight—and at the same time, more than half of graduates are underemployed after finishing their degrees. That’s forcing a more uncomfortable question into the open: what is a college credential really worth today? As employers and governments shift their focus toward skills, experience, and job readiness, institutions are under growing pressure to adapt—or risk falling behind.So what comes next for higher education—and how can it adapt quickly enough to meet the demands of students, employers, and society?Welcome to Signals in Higher Ed. In this episode, guest host Dr. Nicole Crevar convenes a founders roundtable on experiential learning with Jason Blackstock of How to Change the World, Dana Stephenson of Riipen, and Jeffrey Moss of Parker Dewey. Together, they unpack how experiential learning—hands-on, real-world problem solving—is shifting from the margins to the core of higher education, and what it will take to scale it across institutions.Top insights from the talk…Experiential learning is no longer optional—it’s becoming the central pillar of higher education, driven by AI and workforce demands.The biggest gaps in today’s system are relevancy, signaling, and trust, with employers increasingly skeptical of traditional credentials.Scaling experiential learning requires a mix of models—curricular, co-curricular, employer-led, and community-based—rather than a single standardized approach.Jason Blackstock is a social entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of How to Change the World, with a career spanning quantum physics, technology innovation, and higher education leadership. He has taught and led research at leading institutions including Harvard, Oxford, and University College London, where he founded and led the STEaPP department, and has authored over 100 publications and multiple patents. Today, he works at the intersection of education, policy, and innovation, advising global organizations and driving large-scale experiential learning initiatives through his ventures.Dana Stephenson is the co-founder and CEO of Riipen, the world’s largest experiential learning marketplace, focused on connecting students with real-world industry projects to bridge the gap between education and employment. He has spent over a decade building partnerships between employers and academic institutions, enabling businesses to access pre-vetted emerging talent while helping learners develop in-demand skills, including those shaped by AI and new technologies. His work centers on scaling work-integrated learning, driving innovation in talent pipelines, and improving career outcomes through hands-on, project-based experiences.Jeffrey Moss is the founder and CEO of Parker Dewey, where he pioneered micro-internships as a model for experiential recruiting and improving the college-to-career transition. With a background spanning venture capital and senior leadership roles at organizations like Educational Testing Service (ETS), he has driven innovation at the intersection of employer branding, skills-based hiring, and workforce development. His work focuses on helping employers better assess early-career talent while expanding access to meaningful work opportunities for students and recent graduates.
Transcribe →Career-Connected Health Care: Why the Apprenticeship Degree Is the Future
Apr 1300:45:25Tap to summarizeHospitals across the country are feeling the strain—too many open roles, not enough trained professionals, and a growing gap between what students learn and what the job actually demands on day one. Training is getting more expensive, timelines are stretching, and healthcare leaders are being forced to rethink how new clinicians enter the field. Add in rapid changes like AI and increasingly complex patient needs, and the pressure is on to prepare people faster—and better—than ever before.So the question becomes: if traditional degrees aren’t keeping pace with workforce needs, what model actually will?Welcome to Signals in Higher Ed. In the latest episode, host Darin Francis sits down with Geoffrey M. Roche, Senior Vice President of Healthcare Solutions at Risepoint, to explore how apprenticeship degrees and career-connected learning could fundamentally reshape healthcare education. Their conversation spans policy, workforce development, clinical training, and the evolving role of higher education in preparing the next generation of clinicians.Top insights from the talk…Apprenticeship degrees may be the missing link between classroom learning and real-world clinical readiness—embedding students directly into healthcare systems.Healthcare education must become fully career-connected, with continuous feedback loops from employers shaping curriculum and training models in real time.Systemic bottlenecks—like clinical placements and outdated regulations—are limiting innovation, but can be addressed through stronger partnerships between industry and academia.Geoffrey M. Roche is a healthcare and higher education executive specializing in workforce development, academic strategy, and building scalable, employer-aligned training programs. As Senior Vice President at Risepoint and former Director of Workforce Development at Siemens Healthineers, he has led national initiatives to create future-ready healthcare talent pipelines and advance health equity. His career spans executive leadership in healthcare systems, academia, and policy, with a strong track record of forging cross-sector partnerships, driving innovation, and shaping workforce transformation at scale.
Transcribe →How Business Schools Can Scale Co-op Without Losing the Student Experience
Apr 600:58:33Tap to summarizeExperiential learning has shifted from a differentiator to an expectation in higher education, especially as employers place more value on job-ready graduates who can adapt quickly to changing workplace demands. At the same time, AI is reshaping entry-level work, making durable skills like judgment, communication, and adaptability more important than routine task execution. In that environment, colleges are under growing pressure to prove that classroom learning connects meaningfully to career outcomes.So what does it actually take to build a co-op model that reaches every student, works for employers, and still preserves the educational mission of the institution?On this episode of Signals in Higher Ed, host Darin Francis sits down with Dr. Jaime Windeler, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Student Experience at the University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business. Their conversation explores what it takes to launch and scale a universal co-op requirement, how institutions can structure employer partnerships for long-term value, and why experiential learning may be one of the most powerful tools for building student confidence and career readiness.What you’ll learn…Scaling co-op is far more complex than making it a requirement. Windeler explains the policy, infrastructure, tracking, and support systems needed to move from optional participation to an embedded model for all students.Strong employer relationships go beyond hiring. The best partnerships span classroom engagement, executive education, projects, scholarships, and strategic feedback that helps shape curriculum and student support.The biggest gains often come for students with the least inherited access. Windeler describes how co-op and experiential learning can rapidly build confidence, metacognition, and ambition for students who may not yet know the hidden rules of professional environments.Dr. Jaime Windeler is the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Student Experience at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati. She joined the university in 2011 as an assistant professor of information systems, later earned tenure, and moved into academic leadership after serving as interim department chair. In her current role, she has helped lead the implementation of a universal co-op requirement in the business school, drawing on her background in systems development, faculty leadership, and student-centered innovation to expand experiential learning at scale.
Transcribe →Tale of Two Interns: What AI Is Really Doing to Entry-Level Work
Mar 3001:00:26Tap to summarizeThe narrative around early-career work has become increasingly pessimistic, with headlines pointing to a shrinking pool of entry-level roles, fewer internship opportunities, and AI accelerating both trends. But beneath that narrative, a different tension is emerging—one that’s less about the disappearance of opportunity and more about how it’s being reshaped. Students are using AI to move faster, apply more broadly, and present themselves more effectively, while employers are struggling to distinguish between candidates in a sea of highly polished, AI-assisted applications. For higher education, this creates a new kind of pressure: not just preparing students for the workforce, but helping them navigate a hiring landscape where the traditional signals of readiness are starting to break down.So what’s really happening to entry-level work right now—and are internships actually disappearing, or just starting to look very different?That’s the question at the heart of the latest episode of Signals in Higher Ed. Host Darin Francis sits down with Jillian Low, Chief Strategy Officer at Virtual Internships, to unpack new research on how AI is shaping internship experiences in real time. Drawing on interviews and survey data from global employers and interns, the conversation explores how AI is influencing skill development, hiring signals, and the future of early-career pathways.What you’ll learn…Why AI isn’t replacing internships—but is changing what separates a strong intern from an average one.How employers expect interns to use AI—and what that means in practice.What’s breaking in the hiring process—and why resumes alone are no longer enough to stand out.Jillian Low serves as Chief Strategy Officer at Virtual Internships, where she leads global strategy, learning innovation, and partnerships to scale work-based learning across universities, employers, and governments. She focuses on workforce development and instructional design, helping connect education to employment at scale—supporting over 12,000 learners in accessing internships with 20,000+ companies worldwide. With a background spanning international workforce programs and edtech leadership, she now explores how AI, experiential learning, and skills frameworks can better prepare learners for the modern workforce.
Transcribe →Building the Next Generation of Educators Through Apprenticeship Pathways and Workforce-Aligned Training
Mar 2300:54:56Tap to summarizeTeacher shortages aren’t exactly a new headline—but lately, they’ve started to feel a lot more urgent. In some places, schools have gone years without enough fully trained teachers in the classroom, exposing real flaws in how we prepare and retain educators. Add in the rising cost of becoming a teacher and training models that haven’t kept pace with the realities of the job, and it’s no surprise that many people who want to make an impact aren’t willing to wait years just to feel effective.Which brings us to a simple but important question: what’s actually going wrong in the teacher pipeline—and how do we fix it in a way that makes sense today?Welcome to Signals in Higher Ed. In the latest episode, host Darin Francis sits down with Kimberly Eckert from Western Governors University’s Craft Education System, where she focuses on instructional innovation and apprenticeship design. Together, they take a closer look at what’s broken in the teacher pipeline—and what comes next. The conversation spans early exposure to teaching, apprenticeship pathways, and the role of technology and data in building a more responsive, workforce-aligned system.Top insights from the talk…Traditional teacher preparation programs often delay real classroom experience until it’s too late—reducing engagement and increasing attrition.Apprenticeship-based models can dramatically improve access, affordability, and job-readiness by embedding learning directly into paid work.Technology should act as a connective tissue—linking data, stakeholders, and real-time insights—not just as a compliance tool.Kimberly Eckert is a nationally recognized education leader with nearly two decades of classroom and leadership experience, currently serving as Head of Instructional Innovation and Apprenticeship Design at Craft Education System at Western Governors University. She has led major teacher preparation and workforce initiatives, including serving as the inaugural Dean of Oxford Teachers College at Reach University and founding Educators Rising Louisiana to expand and diversify the teacher pipeline. A former Louisiana Teacher of the Year, Global Teacher Prize Ambassador, and NEA Social Justice Advocate, her work focuses on apprenticeship-based pathways, educator development, and building more accessible, job-embedded models of teacher training.
Transcribe →The Employer University Alignment Journey with Kristen Fox, CEO of Business-Higher Education Forum
Mar 1600:49:37Tap to summarizeAcross the U.S., the conversation about the value of a college degree is increasingly tied to one central question: Does higher education actually prepare students for the workforce? As artificial intelligence reshapes how work gets done and employers rethink the skills they need, universities are under growing pressure to ensure graduates leave not just with knowledge, but with practical experience. Research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) consistently shows that students who complete internships or other work-based learning experiences receive significantly more job offers and higher starting salaries than those who do not. That reality has pushed experiential learning and employer partnerships to the center of higher education strategy.But if work-based learning is so critical to career readiness, how can colleges and employers work together to scale these opportunities for far more students?That’s the question at the heart of this episode of Signals in Higher Ed. In the latest episode, host Darin Francis sits down with Kristen Fox, CEO of the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), to explore how institutions and employers can collaborate more effectively to build a future-ready workforce. Their conversation examines the evolving skills landscape in the age of AI, the structural barriers preventing work-based learning from scaling, and the models emerging to connect students, employers, and universities more meaningfully.What you’ll learn…Why employer demand is the missing piece in scaling internships and experiential learning—not just university supply.How AI is reshaping expectations for entry-level talent, making early workplace exposure and real-world experience more important than ever.How new partnership models are expanding work-integrated learning, from project-based collaborations to regional employer–university networks that go beyond traditional internships.Kristen Fox is the CEO of the Business-Higher Education Forum, where she leads a national coalition of corporate and university leaders working to align higher education with workforce needs and expand work-integrated learning opportunities. With more than 20 years of experience in education innovation, digital learning, and workforce development, she has held leadership roles at Tyton Partners and Eduventures, advising universities, edtech companies, and nonprofits on strategy, market growth, and the future of learning and work. At Northeastern University, she helped launch major experiential learning initiatives—including the Experiential Network—designed to scale career-connected education and improve student career mobility.
Transcribe →The Degree That Pays You Back: How Employer-Sponsored Apprenticeships Are Rewriting Higher Ed
Mar 901:04:58Tap to summarizeHigher education is under pressure. Over the past few years, public confidence in the value of a four-year degree has declined significantly, with fewer Americans expressing a strong belief that traditional higher education delivers a worthwhile return on investment. At the same time, employers consistently report that graduates lack job-ready skills—particularly the “durable skills” needed to thrive in professional environments. As industries search for diverse, work-ready talent, and students question the ROI of traditional college pathways, new models are emerging to bridge the gap.What if employers didn’t just recruit graduates, but co-created their education from the start? And could an apprenticeship-driven, employer-funded model offer a viable blueprint for the future of higher ed?Those are the questions at the heart of this episode of Signals in Higher Ed. Host Darin Francis and guest host Ron Stefanski sit down with Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, President of Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design, to explore employer-sponsored apprenticeships in design. The conversation examines how a revived HBCU in Detroit is aligning curriculum directly with corporate partners, transforming students into “future professionals,” and redefining what experiential learning can look like at scale.What you’ll learn…How co-creating curriculum with brands turns education into a multi-week or multi-year job interview.Why traditional design education has failed to build a sustainable, diverse talent pipeline.How a performance-based, employer-funded model delivers measurable hiring results.Dr. D’Wayne Edwards is a pioneering footwear designer and executive whose 30+ year career includes serving as Design Director for Brand Jordan at Nike, where he became the youngest design director in company history and one of only six designers to create an original Air Jordan model. He holds more than 50 design patents, has designed over 500 footwear styles across multiple categories, generating more than $1.5 billion in global sales, and has earned international recognition, including the Red Dot Award and Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business. As founder of PENSOLE and President of PLC Detroit, he has built industry-driven talent pipelines and led the reinstatement of Michigan’s only HBCU as the nation’s first design-focused historically Black college.
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