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Dear Colleagues, Partners, and Friends, As we wind down the current academic year and prepare for the next, I find myself reflecting on my experiences this past year in the exciting world of EdTech, my first year as CEO at Hawkes Learning and the ever-evolving landscape of higher education. Join me in this open letter exploring the internal and external pressures significantly impacting both Hawkes Learning and the greater educational community. What a Year The world of higher education is arguably moving faster than ever before. Instructors are being asked to do more with less, while students are arriving less prepared and with shorter attention spans. New technology offers many opportunities, which come along with adjacent challenges. Remote learning is prevalent and here to stay, and while Artificial Intelligence holds promise for new learning methods, it also presents additional challenges in maintaining academic integrity. Schools are under pressure to lower costs and demonstrate their value amidst a politically charged environment. As a partner in higher education, it’s crucial that we fully understand these impacts and ensure we are positioned to help. Hawkes Learning is growing as we approach our 45th anniversary next month and our Mastery Learning approach becomes more widely understood and embraced. In an industry where success is often defined by maintaining the status quo year over year, we are growing by nearly 10% annually; I am immensely proud of our team and their efforts to make this happen. We continue to be a leading innovator in the field and remain focused on providing world-class service to our customers, easing the challenges faced by instructors in every way we can. Challenges in Higher Education Value of Higher Education The pressure on higher education to demonstrate its value in preparing students for a modern workforce has intensified, leading to the unfortunate closure of several smaller liberal arts colleges. This environment challenges us to continuously prove our worth and elevate our contributions to student success and career-focused skill-building. The good news on this front is enrollments for this past Spring were up 4.7% YOY for community colleges1. COVID-19 Impact We continue to see the adverse effects of the pandemic on learning for students entering college, particularly in foundational subjects. Hawkes’ courseware, with its powerful learning aids and mastery-based design, stands ready to address these gaps. However, college instructors face immense pressure to either bridge these gaps themselves or advance students prematurely, a practice that is ultimately unsustainable and detrimental to long-term student and societal success. At Hawkes Learning, our dedicated success team provides instructors with expert course implementation support and guidance that empowers them to create more supportive and efficient learning environments, ultimately enhancing student success and reducing stress for both educators and students. Increased Student Stress and Anxiety According to a 2023 Campus Pulse2 survey by Inside Higher Ed, 3 out of 4 students report that stress negatively impacts their academic focus and performance, and 76% of faculty feel that supporting students’ mental health is a job expectation. In a survey Hawkes conducted with faculty this past May, 87% of instructors surveyed felt under-equipped to navigate conversations with students needing support on topics outside of academic content. Additionally, 58% of instructors reported having insufficient mental health resources available at their institution. To help support this need, Hawkes Learning partnered with a group of passionate instructors during Mental Health Awareness Month to offer a free webinar series, aimed at equipping educators with the knowledge and strategies necessary to nurture wellness in the higher education classroom. This well-received series continues to prove valuable, with many people watching the recorded event to gain insights. Cost Initiatives and Financial Pressures Universities are striving to reduce the cost of course materials amidst rising operational expenses. While Inclusive Access programs adopted by many institutions and publishers, including Hawkes Learning, have been a lifeline for bookstore operators, they often do not translate into savings for students. Hawkes Learning is committed to providing truly affordable learning solutions beyond just Inclusive Access and is actively taking steps to lower our course creation costs, passing those savings on to students. For example, in some courses we leverage OER content as a starting point for new materials, then edit, supplement, and enhance it with robust digital learning tools, keeping student prices much lower. Additionally, to enhance our non-math offerings, we’ve launched StudyText, a cost-effective eReader priced at $36 or less for students. This new eReader is expected to significantly boost accessibility and student engagement, promoting both financial and educational sustainability. AI in Education While AI is clearly at the top of the hype cycle, the reality is the growth of AI use by students presents both challenges and opportunities. We see AI as another learning tool for us to collectively use, much like we did as one of the first innovators using adaptive technology and automated just-in-time tutoring. We are committed to leveraging AI to enhance learning while upholding high standards of academic integrity. Internal Developments at Hawkes Learning Team Growth We have welcomed five new veteran industry executives to our team over the past year and hired 20 new employees in total. We are focused on bringing in good people who are committed to working in education. We also believe in the importance of individual growth within our team, so we are providing opportunities for them to develop both professionally and personally. Innovative Educators Summit (IES) We believe that when instructors connect and collaborate, everyone benefits—especially students. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to foster a vibrant network of educators. For over ten years, the Innovative Educators Summit (IES) hosted by Hawkes Learning has been bringing instructors together to share insights, ignite ideas, and build a community of passionate educators. This spring, we had over 2,400 instructors attend the virtual Innovative Educators Summit; following up on that success, we’re excited to host a Fall IES, happening October 10th and 11th! While we will have several themes at this IES, one of major interest will focus on AI in the classroom. Mark your calendars, as this upcoming Summit will be our best yet. AI-Enhanced Tutoring Inside Higher Ed reports that student use of AI is outpacing its use by instructors3. We are piloting the use of AI to expand on our existing just-in-time tutoring help for students, ensuring they receive the support they need to succeed, exactly when they need it. We have been testing AI tools for content creation and assessment generation, but they are not up to our standard at this point. For example, while simply creating assessments is easy, validating them is an entirely different and complex process that requires a human touch. As AI continues to advance, we are committed to finding innovative ways for instructors to leverage its capabilities to enhance engagement and drive student success. Improved Instructor User Interface Over the next year, we will be rolling out a new User Interface for the instructor platform. We are excited about improving the user experience by incorporating valuable feedback from our customers and implementing ways to make course setup and management more streamlined and effective. Customer Support and Service Our focus on providing world-class customer support and service remains unwavering. All companies tout their service and support, but we live it. Our four-ring policy underscores our dedication to live support. While others continue to reduce support staff and hours to cut costs, we maintain 24/7 Live Chat for both students and instructors, achieving a 99.5% chat satisfaction rating by the end of the academic year in June! A Bright Future in Education It is an exciting time to be part of the education ecosystem. Rapid changes create opportunities for companies like Hawkes Learning to innovate and excel. We are ready to rise to these challenges and will continue to make a meaningful impact on education. My team and I are committed to providing the best learning experience possible for both students and instructors. While we can’t solve all the challenges facing educators, we can ensure we are doing our best in the areas we can impact. This means providing a cost-effective, reliable, and secure platform with easy course setup and management capabilities. Moving forward, we will continue to leverage the latest technologies, like AI and robust LMS integrations, and offer penalty-free online learning approaches to reduce student stress and anxiety. Your students can get immediate help and chat with a real person 24/7. And lastly, if you need help, just call us—we will answer the phone. We are devoted to working with the best instructors and institutions in the world to help students thrive on their learning journey. Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Sincerely, G. Scott Virkler CEO, Hawkes Learning https://nscresearchcenter.org/current-term-enrollment-estimates/#:~:text=Current%20Term%20Enrollment%20Estimates%3A%20Spring%202024&text=Gains%20occurred%20across%20all%20major,4.7%25%20over%20spring%20202 ↩︎ https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2023/05/23/survey-stress-hurting-college-students ↩︎ https://www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-innovation/artificial-intelligence/2023/10/31/most-students-outrunning-faculty-ai-use ↩︎