Interview: Merodie Hancock

Nimble leader

Online, adult-centric educator focuses on curriculum flexibility to ensure students are ready to enter the workforce

Merodie Hancock

President – Thomas Edison State University

What differentiates Thomas Edison State University? Thomas Edison is the only public institution in New Jersey that was specifically founded for adult education. We are focused on expanding educational opportunities for adults and under-represented populations. These are the hard-working people who use their degrees to change their lives. To accommodate them, we turn every traditional construct on its head. We start terms every month, we have terms of varying length and we accept collegiate-level learning wherever and however it was acquired. We keep our curriculum nimble and stay aligned with employer needs. That nimbleness of curriculum is key for us because our students are going directly to their career path, rather than an 18-year-old who has years before they enter their desired field.

How has demand for your programs shifted? Demand for our programs has been strong, and it was strong before COVID as well. We have invested heavily in online learning for many years. We know what we’re doing, we have the right technology and we’ve built out our classes. We are recognized as leaders in online learning, which has attracted new students in the current remote, pandemic environment. I think students are realizing, if you’re going to be in a remote environment, you might as well be with someone who invests heavily in it and knows what they’re doing.

As well, our students have been demanding more consultative services amid an uncertain economy. They’re trying to find answers to questions related to what they are studying and determine if it is the right thing, how are they going to pay for it and what happens if they lose their job.

What makes Thomas Edison a leader in online learning? Constant investment. We’re constantly reevaluating, challenging and building. We make major investments in building and refreshing courses. When we refresh a course, we bring in subject matter experts from the related industry to look at the content of the course. When we build a course, it’s truly a team effort that requires experts from multiple fields, and we’re constantly monitoring the value of the courses provided as the workforce needs change.

What are some of the challenges of online learning? For online learning, students need to be self-driven. In a face-to-face class, you’re reminded about assignments and tests that are coming up. In an online class, you’re expected to read the syllabus, look at the dates and stay on track. We don’t accept many 18-year-olds because we’re not designed for that. We’ve kept our eyes on who we serve, which is a motivated, adult population.