I have been a professor in the architecture program at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston for 35 years and have also taught at other universities in the Boston area. In addition, I am a professional structural engineer with over 55 years of experience, having worked at several prominent design firms in positions including Chief Engineer and Vice President. My engineering experience includes the design and construction of buildings, bridges, and other structures in both the U.S. and Europe.
Over the past decades, I have witnessed a decline in the preparedness of high school graduates for college and the readiness of college graduates for work in design professions. As a professor teaching engineering to architecture students, this lack of academic competency has been particularly noticeable in mathematics and was exacerbated by the educational challenges presented by the pandemic.

Both high schools and universities have attempted to address these issues by offering additional courses and tutoring for students who require extra support. As these gaps have widened, institutions of higher learning are spending more and more effort and resources in closing the gaps between the preparation of incoming first-year students for college-level work and the universities’ ability to educate students to the level required by their future professions.

Many universities offer various summer programs to help high school students prepare for the academic rigors they will face over the next four years. These programs give the institutions an additional revenue stream and also provide students who can afford the often hefty fees a chance to further “pad” their application resumes.

However, summer programs have their obvious limitations: students must travel (in some cases) significant distances at a particular scheduled time and stay at the university for a specified period. If you add to this a variety of levels of preparedness, there is an apparent difficulty in addressing all these students simultaneously.

Much has been written about the competition to attract incoming students as the number of U.S. high school students continues to drop, with many small colleges across the country forced to close their doors. A shrinking pool of potential students, a reduction in federal education funding, and a decline in academic preparedness underscore the need for change. Universities need to attract and retain a steady flow of students and control the expenses required to “bring them up to speed”. The industry needs the students that these institutions graduate to be able to perform the necessary work to be successful professionals.

In my paper, I will present research on how remote learning can help my school and other universities increase the number of incoming first-year students and also enhance their preparation for becoming successful university students.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, almost everyone has been exposed to remote work. Using these kinds of tools, we can reach more potential students earlier, more affordably, both for the student and the university, and help students catch up to the necessary level at their speed and location. We can also tailor the length and difficulty of these trainings.

Keywords: Remote learning, academic preparedness, profession readiness.