Career Advice Administration

Do our university programs have value to students? (Are we sure?)

Ensuring value for students requires thoughtful attention to program design and delivery.

Loleen Berdahl and Marjorie Delbaere

February 10, 2026

Posted in

The Skills Agenda

1 Comments

Students (including prospective students) make a series of choices before ending up in our programs. Do they pursue higher education or not? If they do, do they choose to apply to a university, college or technical institute? If they choose university, do they choose university A or university B? If they choose university B, which program do they choose? If they are already in a program, do they complete it, transfer to another program, or discontinue their studies? These decisions are not always linear and are strongly informed by how students perceive the relative value of their various options.

How can we best convey the value of university programs to students? Many of us at universities are not used to thinking of our programs through a value lens. We are committed to the teaching we do and passionate about the skills and disciplinary knowledge that our programs advance, so naturally we feel that the value of our programs is self-evident. However, for students considering admission to, or continuation in, our programs, the value proposition is not always clear.

As Canadian universities seek to retain and build domestic student markets to replace decreases in international students, we will be increasingly challenged to think about our programs through a value lens. To help advance this discussion, in today’s column, I am joined by my colleague Marjorie Delbaere, a professor of marketing and interim vice-provost, students and learning, at the University of Saskatchewan. Marjorie’s research examines communication and persuasion about complex and controversial topics, including, most recently, the intricate dynamics of patient influencers who share health care experiences on platforms like Instagram.

Seeing value from a student perspective

When we use the term value, we are referring to the economic concept of value in use. From this perspective, value is subjective; it is defined by people using a product and is based on their perceptions of the usefulness of that product. A product, in this context, is a broad category that includes physical goods, professional services and experiences. Value from this perspective is co-created by the providers of the product and the users of the product.

To support informed student choices, universities must be explicit about the value they are offering students. And as student decisions are often based on programs rather institutions, it is important that faculty members consider value to students when they are designing and updating programs. Key factors include experience, outcomes, and cost.

Key factors to consider

Student experience. What is the educational journey like? Factors may include convenience and flexibility, student engagement and cohort opportunities, teaching quality, class sizes, diversity of the student body, access to experiential learning and work-integrated learning, university services and amenities, campus culture, and geographic location. Questions to consider include:

How does our program design support the student connection and engagement? Allow for convenience and flexibility? Ensure high quality teaching and student supports? What design changes might be made to increase the experience value for students?
How does our program marketing ensure that students are aware of the experience value we offer?

Expected outcomes. What opportunities (‘destinations’) lie at the end of the educational journey? How does this support the student’s professional and personal goals? Factors here might include connections between programs and career skills or pathways, career entry or advancement, access to alumni networks, university or program prestige, expected earnings in their future career, and enjoyment of their career. Ask yourself:

How does our program design explicitly develop career-relevant skills and knowledge? Connect to career pathways for students? Foster connections to alumni networks and/or career development? What design changes might be made to increase the outcome value for students?
How does our program marketing ensure that students are aware of the outcome value we offer?

Costs and incentives. Can the student afford to take the educational journey to get to the destination? Factors here include tuition and fees, cost of living, and scholarships or other financial supports. Consider the following:

Given the program and living costs (which are typically outside a unit’s influence), how does the program designcreate a positive return on investment for students? What financial supports and awards are available to students in your program?
How does our program marketing ensure that students are aware of the financial supports and awards available to them?

Students will weigh these value drivers differently depending upon their personal circumstances and goals. Students with fewer fiscal resources may prioritize costs and affordability. For non-traditional students with increased non-academic responsibilities, convenience and flexibility can mean the difference between selecting or not selecting a program. Students who see higher education primarily as career development might value skill and knowledge outcomes. Students who are concerned about social connection may prioritize experience factors.

Programs cannot be all things to all prospective students and should not try to be. Different programs will have different value propositions. The important thing is to ensure that the program’s value proposition is clearly defined and articulated.

Delivering value at the program level

It is not enough to design valuable programs and market them to students; we also need to deliver on the value that we promise. This requires continued attention to student experience and outcomes. Periodic external program reviews and accreditation processes can be helpful but occur too infrequently to serve as the only tool to ensure program value is being delivered. While respecting academic freedom of colleagues, units will want to identify how they will collectively commit to and assess the value of the programs they are delivering.

Universities are increasingly under pressure to articulate their value. We strongly believe that our programs have tremendous value, but in many cases the value proposition is unclear or misunderstood. Looking at our programs from a student perspective through a value lens can help us identify ways to improve understanding of this value.

Loleen Berdahl and Marjorie Delbaere

1 Comments

I really do not like this article, and I rarely say that about UA articles. Saying that a program should create career relevant skills that underscore its value proposition:
1. is not why universities were created, as the university “mission” was not that of colleges and technical schools – which were created to build career relevant skills
2. requires understanding what will be career relevant skills in 5, 10, 15 years. But 15 years ago the iPhone was still in its infancy and a huge contemporary employer – phone related IT – did not exist. University professors (and governments) are not fortune tellers. Even private companies don’t know what AI will do to the labour market – it’s a “known unknown.”
3. assumes that at 19 young adults understand the choices that are available to them. But people – especially young adults – have bounded rationality.
4. suggests that programs with a limited value proposition – say, Sanskrit or economic history or subjects in the fine arts – cannot really be justified. But that is how knowledge is reduced, not produced.

I am all too well aware that most people don’t know what they don’t know. This argument would only deepen that trend.

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