Mission: Uplifting communities by providing working adults a no-cost, debt-free bachelor’s degree.
The Working Scholars program launched in 2017 in Mountain View, California and is a non-profit, fiscally-sponsored program between Study.com (an online learning company) and Community Initiatives. The Working Scholars’ mission is to uplift communities by providing working adults a no-cost, debt-free bachelor’s degree. The program uses Study.com’s existing online courses which are then transferred to a regionally accredited partner university where participants complete their final requirements online.
Working Scholars was founded as a means to combat the primary barriers to education (lack of time, money and guidance). The program achieves this by offering on-demand, accessible courses available on smart phones or computer and are presented in 5-minute, easily digestible video-based lessons.
The Working Scholars’ higher education model focuses on an incremental development of foundational skills that participants can fit it into busy schedules. It is intentionally designed with the working adult in mind, with convenient, flexible coursework that is tailored to individuals whose lives/schedules/incomes do not allow them to enroll in college full time. Many must work one or more low-wage jobs - often with unpredictable schedules. Without a college degree, these individuals are often shut out from higher paying jobs in the region and in their fields of work.
In the program, students are supported with academic coaching, degree mapping, transfer assistance and counseling from the program’s success coaches. Community members apply for qualification to the program based on need and performance within a rigorous qualification process. Local businesses, philanthropic organizations, local governments and individual donors fund the program.
Working Scholars’ coaching staff regularly engages the students, and in turn, students can share what is/isn’t working so corrections can be made which support retention and completion. Monthly meetings bring students together to assist with math and writing - the most challenging aspects of the program. These meetings not only help ease fears the students may have about coursework, but also serve as a means of socializing and networking so students can find ways to support each other. All of these supports are vital as Working Scholars serves those which the higher education system has largely forgot.
