What does it take to build a truly impactful partnership between edtech companies and public institutions of learning?
That question was asked of Calbright’s President and CEO Ajita Talwalker Menon on a panel during the EdTech Week conference in October, The event brings together education leaders, tech startup CEOs, venture capitalists, nonprofit leaders, and researchers working to solve the challenges facing the education and workforce sectors.,
Menon sat on the panel, along with moderator Rahim Rajan, Chief Executive Officer of AQL Labs, Zach Kennelly, who leads AI and partnerships atDSST Public Schools, and Dr. Melissa Vito, the Vice-Provost for Academic Innovation at the University of Texas, San Antonio.
For Menon, partnerships that work aren’t just about incremental innovations and length-of-contracts, it is about shared values in pursuit of entirely new approaches to delivering education that works for students today.
“We don’t just layer innovation onto old models — we’ve made our students goals our goals and have rethought the higher ed infrastructure and delivery experience students need to reach their goals,” she said.
“Off the shelf solutions don’t work for us. We’re not chasing the newest, shiniest, thing.” – Ajita Talwalker Menon
Calbright is increasingly recognized as a leading innovator in the educational technology space, supporting the development of new tools that increase accessibility and enhance outcomes.
Edtech companies that try to sell technology to Calbright often don’t understand the degree to which Calbright has upended traditional models to completely re-imagine higher education. They don’t realize that Calbright has no credit hours, no semesters, and no grades – focusing on working-age adults achieving direct mastery of vital workplace skills.
“Our unique value proposition is we are a statewide community college deeply connected to the communities we serve AND we are an integrated online higher ed model that leverages skills-based, flexible programs, scaffolded student supports, and hands-on learning opportunities to drive student success for working-age adults.”
To make a good partner for Calbright, an edtech company needs to share both that vision and the values that underlie it. It’s a different approach both to education and technology – not innovation for innovation’s sake, but innovation for the sake of better serving students.
“Off the shelf solutions don’t work for us,” Menon emphasized. “We’re not chasing the newest, shiniest, thing. We need the right partnerships, platforms, and expertise to help keep two doors open for our learners — one is a career-focused foothold into the job market and two is future educational and skilling opportunities. Partners who are invested in sitting in the challenges our learners face with us and who have flexibility built into their backend designs are better fits for us.”
