Higher education must redefine access by embedding flexibility into everything from course delivery to credential design, argues Christie Schultz (University of Regina). In a recent interview on the Illumination Podcast, Schultz called on institutions to support the “60-year curriculum”—a lifelong learning model where individuals move fluidly between learning and earning. In addition, Schultz posits that this shift requires stackable, transferable credentials that bridge microlearning and degrees, rather than treating them as separate tracks. At the heart of this transformation, Schultz adds, is empathy: institutions must respect the complex lives of today’s learners and make education truly accessible—not just in theory, but in design.
