How Data-Informed Strategy Creates Learner Value in Continuing Education

As the landscape of higher education continues to evolve, Continuing Education (CE) divisions are uniquely positioned at the intersection of community need, student demand, and institutional sustainability.

For Evan Cortens, Dean of the Faculty of Continuing Education at Mount Royal University, the path forward is clear: leverage data to define and deliver value, always with responsiveness and relevance at the core.

This was the focus of a recent episode of the Illumination podcast, which expanded on comments Cortens shared in CAUCE’s recent Executive Guide, 12 Key Pillars for Success: A Canadian Continuing Education Perspective on Postsecondary Transformation.

Listening First: Delivering Value through Responsiveness

In a world where students can access high-quality education—sometimes for free—from global tech giants, CE divisions must distinguish themselves not only through content but also through context. That means aligning programming closely with regional workforce needs, partnering with local employers, and delivering a student experience rooted in trust and quality.

“We’re not trying to outcompete Google,” Cortens says. “But we are uniquely positioned to provide high-quality programs that are connected to our local communities—something other providers simply can’t replicate.” That community trust, he notes, is the result of decades of consistent delivery and earned reputation.

CE students are often mid-career professionals, self-funding their learning with a clear expectation of return—whether in the form of a job promotion, a new opportunity, or a shift in direction. This makes cost sensitivity a key variable. As Cortens puts it, “cost management means keeping prices reasonable while still delivering strong value for money.”

Programming with Purpose: The Impact of a Revenue-Driven Model

Unlike other faculties that often receive base institutional funding, many CE units operate under a cost-recovery or revenue-generating model. At Mount Royal, some CE programming does receive provincial funding, but the majority does not—and this is consistent with national trends.

According to a recent CAUCE survey, 83% of CE units are expected to return revenue to their institution, while 40% receive no base funding at all.

This financial reality shapes programming decisions from the outset. CE leaders must consider sustainable demand, market price sensitivity, and compensation structures before launching or renewing any course or certificate.

“Sometimes that means we simply can’t offer a program,” Cortens notes. “Even if it’s a great idea, the economics just don’t work.”

Still, he emphasizes a strategic, aggregated approach: while some programs generate more revenue than others, the goal is to ensure overall sustainability—not to expect every single offering to turn a profit.

Designing for the Student: Service and Engagement as Strategy

In CE, where most learners are working professionals, expectations around service and support are different—and often more urgent—than those of traditional students. Courses may run for just one day or one weekend, and students often register with just hours to spare.

“We need to be responsive in real time,” Cortens says. “If someone’s entire course is on a Saturday and they can’t log in, we can’t tell them to wait until Monday.”

This level of responsiveness extends beyond tech support. It means offering services via chat, phone, email—or even social media DMs—depending on what the learner needs. It also means designing programming around real lives: courses delivered during evenings and weekends, in-person or online, synchronous or asynchronous.

Retention also looks different. While a degree student is often committed for four or five years, CE students commit one course at a time.

“If they have a poor experience, they won’t come back,” Cortens says. “We need to treat every registration as both a first impression and a renewal opportunity.”

Efficiency as a Guiding Principle: Operations That Reflect the Mission

Given their funding model, CE divisions must also think differently about operations. Efficiency becomes not just a best practice, but a necessity.

This means investing in systems that make it easy for students to find and register for programs—more like an e-commerce experience than a traditional university registration system. It also means consistently reviewing events, outreach, and internal processes through a return-on-investment lens.

“Are we doing this because it works, or because we’ve always done it?” Cortens asks. “We have to make sure every initiative helps us reach our community in a meaningful way.”

Balancing Access and Revenue: The Future of CE

At its core, Continuing Education has always been about access: removing barriers to learning for adult students, career changers, and professionals seeking advancement. Today, that mission is balanced against the responsibility of financial sustainability—a tension CE leaders navigate daily.

For Cortens and his peers, data is key to striking that balance. It helps identify what learners want, what employers need, and what models work—so CE divisions can continue delivering value where it matters most.

Download 12 Key Pillars for Success: A Canadian Continuing Education Perspective on Postsecondary Transformation to learn more!