Truth without Action

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
pp. 93-96
Author(s):  
Theodore Sawruk
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Education Department ◽  
President Obama ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Spellings Commission ◽  
Education Report ◽  
Federal Agents ◽  
Tuition Costs

This reflection utilizes Kevin Casey’s 2007 article, Truth without Action, as a springboard to address contemporary issues related to autonomy, accountability and accreditation in higher-education. With escalating costs, rising unemployment and deepening consumer debt, it is natural for government officials to seek out a cause, or more accurately, a scape-goat for the evolving crisis. Over the last few decades, starting with A Time for Results in 1980, following with The State Post-secondary Review Entities (SPREs) in 1992; and continuing with the Spellings Commission on the Future of Higher Education Report in 2006, federal agents have politicized American education and issued indictments against higher-education. Tuition costs are too high, graduation rates are too low and student learning-outcomes remain ineffable. With the recent re-election of President Obama, “the Education Department will continue to play an active role in regulating and attempting to influence colleges and universities.” (Nelson, 2012) Amy Laitinen, deputy director for higher-education at the New America Foundation and former Education Department policy advisor, recently stated, “The President himself, not just his advisors, is very interested in the college cost and the college outcome issue.” (Nelson, 2012)

Envisioning Workforce Training Differently: The Obama ‘Free’ Community College Initiative

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Holland
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Workforce Training ◽  
President Obama ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Programme Design ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Tuition Costs

Education, particularly at the post-secondary level, does not come cheaply in the USA, with the increase in annual tuition costs far outpacing the inflation rate during the same time period. A core tenet of US President Obama's domestic policy agenda is the belief that increased educational attainment can potentially lead to better economic prospects. As a result of the financial hardship that higher education brings to low-income and middle-income individuals and families, access to these educational opportunities and their benefits are not then fully realized. In response, President Obama has called for a ‘universal community college’, where tuition costs are reduced to zero. The intent and effect of the ‘universal community college’ initiative are identified and this commentary also suggests that additional scrutiny is needed with four questions to ensure that the programme design will later translate into meaningful outcomes, if this policy were to pass in Congress.

scholarly journals A Question of Value: Exploring Perceptions of Higher Education Value in Academic and Popular Literature

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-74
Author(s):  
Ann L. Saurbier
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Popular Literature ◽  
Advanced Degree ◽  
Value Proposition ◽  
Qualitative Synthesis ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
College Degrees ◽  
Marketing Education ◽  
Tuition Costs

AbstractResearch purpose. The pursuit of higher education has, until recently, been viewed as a worthwhile pursuit. However, factors including rising tuition costs, graduate job-readiness, and the associated debt have diminished the perceived value of college degrees at all levels. This research seeks to explore both academic literature and popular publication sources to gain a deeper understanding of the value proposition of higher education in the dynamic 21st century.Design/Methodology/Approach. An aggregative qualitative synthesis of the selected academic and popular sources is examined for emergent themes. Drawing on theory from the disciplines of economics, marketing, education and humanities, a meta-matrix is then constructed from the content analysis, with the goal to not only more effectively describe the variant perceptions of value but also to reconcile and synthesizes these views where possible.Findings. The perceived value of a contemporary higher education has been challenged, requiring post-secondary institutions to find new ways to demonstrate the benefits that accompany an advanced degree. Through a more explicit understanding of the dichotomies that exist between the various perceptions of value, as well as the emergence of thematic agreements, a more holistic depiction of higher education’s value proposition may be created.Originality/Value/Practical implications. The creation of a framework that allows post-secondary institutions to gain a more explicit understanding of the perceptions of value held both within and outside the academy will allow colleges and universities to respond more directly to this critical challenge and more accurately demonstrate both the short-term and life-long value of a college degree.

scholarly journals Leveraging Higher Education Departments to Promote Institutional Change for Equity and the Public Good

10.28945/4511 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 039-055
Author(s):  
Michele Tyson ◽  
Cecilia M. Orphan ◽  
Judy Marquez Kiyama ◽  
Chris A Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Workforce Development ◽  
College Access ◽  
Educational Opportunity ◽  
Postsecondary Institutions ◽  
Education Department ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
University Of Denver ◽  
Neoliberal Ideology

Aim/Purpose: Neoliberal ideology in U.S. society and globally is transforming post-secondary institutions into economic drivers of their public purposes, that of promoting societal betterment and educational opportunity. Attendant with the neoliberal transformation of higher education’s purposes has been an erosion of the equity pursuits of postsecondary institutions as they privilege enrolling less diverse students more likely to persist and graduate. Background: Neoliberalism has also distorted the college access imperative and divorced it from addressing historic inequities and marginalizations present in higher education. Instead, the college access imperative is largely situated in the need to meet workforce development needs. The purpose of this paper is to increase awareness about how Higher Education preparation programs resist the neoliberalism transformation to higher education by describing how one specific such program, the Higher Education Department at the University of Denver, is actively resisting the influence of neoliberal ideology in campus life. Methodology: We offer examples drawn from our curricula and co-curricula in which departmental faculty, staff and students embody and enact grassroots leadership focused on advancing equity and the university’s public purposes. Recommendations for Practitioners: We conclude by describing recommendations for other Higher Education departments interested in promoting their institution’s public purposes and equity pursuits while resisting neoliberalism. We also offer reflections intended to encourage other Higher Education departments to take up this vital work Impact on Society: Our hope is that this paper serves as a call to harness the power and expertise within Higher Education department to actively resist neoliberal practices and center equity and social justice. Our intent is to spark ideas, offering organizing practices, and research focused on examining the role of Higher Education departments and degree programs in leading postsecondary institutions in society.

From Scarcity to Abundance: Achieving Quality-Assured Mass Higher Education

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter P. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Other ◽  
Secondary System ◽  
Mass Higher Education ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
One Year ◽  
The One

The United States is in a bind. On the one hand, we need millions of additional citizens with at least one year of successful post-secondary experience to adapt to the knowledge economy. Both the Gates and Lumina Foundations, and our President, have championed this goal in different ways. On the other hand, we have a post-secondary system that is trapped between rising costs and stagnant effectiveness, seemingly unable to respond effectively to this challenge. This paper analyzes several aspects of this problem, describes changes in the society that create the basis for solutions, and offers several examples from Kaplan University of emerging practice that suggests what good practice might look like in a world where quality-assured mass higher education is the norm.

From Teen Parent to Student Parent: Latina Mothers’ Persistence in Higher Education

2020 ◽  
pp. 153819272098030
Author(s):  
Giselle Emilia Navarro-Cruz ◽  
Brianne A. Dávila ◽  
Claudia Kouyoumdjian
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Adolescent Mothers ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Social Experiences ◽  
Latina Mothers ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Teen Parent ◽  
Academic And Social Experiences ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Persistence In Higher Education

Less than half of adolescent mothers graduate from high school and fewer obtain a post-secondary degree. The purpose of this study is to understand how Latina mothers who experienced childbirth during adolescence transition to parenthood and higher education. We conducted 13 in-depth interviews with Latina mothers enrolled in higher education. We found that Latina mothers’ persistence in higher education is influenced by psychosocial factors, initial commitments, academic and social experiences in college, and final commitments.

scholarly journals Understanding Students’ Experiences of Well-Being in Learning Environments

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alisa Stanton ◽  
David Zandvliet ◽  
Rosie Dhaliwal ◽  
Tara Black
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Interview Protocol ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Qualitative Exploration ◽  
Insight Into

<p>With the recent release of a new international charter on health promoting universities and institutions of higher education, universities and colleges are increasingly interested in providing learning experiences that enhance and support student well-being. Despite the recognition of learning environments as a potential setting for creating and enhancing well-being, limited research has explored students’ own perceptions of well-being in learning environments. This article provides a qualitative exploration of students’ lived experiences of well-being in learning environments within a Canadian post-secondary context. A semi-structured focus group and interview protocol was used to explore students’ own definitions and experiences of well-being in learning environments. The findings illuminate several pathways through which learning experiences contribute to student well-being, and offer insight into how courses may be designed and delivered in ways that enhance student well-being, learning and engagement. The findings also explore the interconnected nature of well-being, satisfaction and deep learning. The relevance for the design and delivery of higher education learning experiences are discussed, and the significance of the findings for university advancement decisions are considered.</p>

scholarly journals Students’ Voice in Learning Style Assessment: The Innovative Learning Experiences Tool (ILE)

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 180
Author(s):  
Nosisana Patricia Mkonto
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Learning Style ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Diverse Learning ◽  
Innovative Learning

<strong></strong><p>Students who enter higher education have diverse learning needs, andhigher education institutions need to provide for these needs. One way of dealing with this variety of learning needs is to empower students to play an active role in their own learning, by making them aware of their learning styles.  Identifying learning styles is an important facet within the learning process. Assessing learning styles could provide students with an opportunity to be reflective, and interrogate how they learn. Students’ learning styles can be assessed by using a learning styles assessment tool. The Innovative Learning Experiences (ILE) which was developed in this study, caters for the students` voice where students reflect on their past and present learning experiences. </p><br /><strong> </strong>

scholarly journals Accounting for institutional variation in expected returns to higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn Dorius ◽  
David Tandberg ◽  
Bridgette Cram
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public University ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Expected Returns ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Institutional Variation ◽  
Returns On Investment

This study leverages human capital theory to identify the correlates of expected returns on investment in higher education at the level of institutions. We leverage estimates of average ROI in post-secondary education among more than 400 baccalaureate degree conferring colleges and universities to understand the correlates of a relatively new metric of institutional ROI. Results indicate that a diverse undergraduate student body, high graduation rate, and public university status are strong, positive, and robustly associated with institutional ROI. The model accounts for more than 70% of inter-university variation in ROI, suggesting that the factors we have identified are among the most important correlates of institutional ROI. We discuss the policy implications of these findings for institutions of higher education in the context of institutional rankings and a rapidly evolving education landscape, giving special attention to student body characteristics colleges and universities.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document