Experiential Learning and its Potential Impact on our Postsecondary Ecosystem

Experiential Learning and its Potential Impact on our Postsecondary Ecosystem with Howard Lurie, Senior Vice President for Research and Evaluation, Academic Programs International (API) &the API Foundation and Anastasia Vrachnos, Vice Provost of Global Education and Strategic Initiatives,  University of San Francisco.

Amid tightening budgets, challenging demographics and uncertainty in enrollment forecasts, the overall health of the education abroad sector remains at a critical crossroads. Recent global student flow forecasting by the international research firm HolonIQ suggests that a rapid return to pre-pandemic enrollment is not a foregone conclusion. A variety of global and economic factors, including affordability, could continue to limit access to education abroad programs. In this context, schools need a more precise and actionable understanding of demand for education abroad. A more detailed understanding of demand can also help ensure that education abroad programs are more readily accessible and available to the full spectrum of undergraduate students.

Academic Programs International (API), an award-winning provider of experiential learner programming is addressing these challenges through the development of its Experiential Learner Mindsets. This conversation will explore both the current state of the education abroad sector, and the potential impact that an understanding of learner mindsets may have on expanding access and lowering barriers of entry to these experiences.

Episode Guests

Howard Lurie has been the Senior Vice President for Research and Evaluation at Academic Programs International (API) since 2021.  He is responsible for establishing and leading API’s research and evaluation services, focused on assessing the preferences and motivations of both prospective and alumni learners seeking study away/abroad and experiential learning opportunities.

Prior to joining API, Howard served for seven years as the Principal Analyst for Online and Continuing Education at Eduventures, an independent research and advisory firm. At Eduventures, Howard designed and directed nationally representative research studies investigating the adult learner market, competency-based education (CBE), alternative credentials, and Online Program Management (OPM) services. Howard was the principal investigator for Eduventures’ 2016 – 2019 study Deconstructing CBE: An Assessment of Institutional Activity, Goals and Challenges in Higher Education.  Previously, Howard served in management and leadership roles at Acrobatiq, EdX, and WGBH where he co-founded and directed PBS LearningMedia, a free digital resource used by millions of secondary and postsecondary students.

Anastasia Vrachnos works with leadership, academic partners, and business units to advance the scope of the university's global partnerships and immersive learning opportunities. She also coordinates strategic planning implementation and communications, oversees academic planning at Star Route Farms, and helps lead cross-divisional strategic initiatives that advance the academic enterprise.

Before joining USF in 2019, Anastasia was the Vice Provost for International Affairs and Operations at Princeton University, and prior to that, served as dean of international and professional experience for Yale-NUS College in Singapore. She draws on a wide range of professional experience in the fields of education, nonprofit administration, finance, and journalism. She was the executive director of Princeton in Asia, worked as an investment banker for Morgan Stanley, taught middle school in the Bronx, and was an award-winning photojournalist in Indonesia and East Timor.

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