College Unbound: The Future of Higher Education and What it Means For Students
By Jeffery J Selingo, 2013
Students are pressured to go to a 4 year college, but many drop out. Some find success in a 2 year Community College, but others never finish their education.
We live in a risk adverse, self-satisfied industry. The Education Bubble is about to Burst. The Education System needs to evolve if it is to survive. Online Courses are an example of the evolution of education in the right direction. College is no longer a one size fits all experience.
1999-2009 is referred to as the Lost Decade. There was a flood of new buildings, new students and new student debt.
Chapter 1 Explores How We Got There. The Master’s Degree is the new Bachelor’s Degree. Slowly there has been a “Credential Creep.” The amount of people getting a Master’s Degree has doubled. Colleges have added more degree programs.
Chapter 2 discusses the fallacy of the idea of how The Customer is Always Right. From 1999 to 2009 prices rose 68%. Colleges began using more and more part time professors or adjuncts. This was partly in response to the revolving door of students. Colleges Graduation Rates dropped. Professors were supposed to act as Performers and keep the attention of their students. Many colleges rewarded students with good grades for merely showing up. 45% of College Students showed little to no improvement in their knowledge and skills during their first two of college. See the book Academically Adrift.
Why does Tuition cost so much? Because it can. Some Colleges Compete by having what has been deemed “Resort Campuses.” Because of the outrageous cost of college, most students are no dependent on Student Loans. It is surprising that these colleges are not kicked out of the Federal Loan Program. In the 1950s and 1960s Colleges offered lower tuition in order to gain more students. This was part of the Higher Education Act of 1965. In 1972 the Federal Government took a role in colleges with the creation of the Federal Pell Grant.
Colleges also had a habit of inflating the Rates of Graduation and Job Placement when they advertised. Today most Graduates will fail to obtain a job in their career fields.
Part 2 of College Unbound goes on to talk about The Disruption all this has caused. Colleges have been struggling since 2008. The States have cut budgets and Colleges are unable to expand Programs. Some have even started cutting programs and departments. Due to this lack of resources, the Colleges cut costs wherever they can.
Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization created in 2008 by Salman Khan with the goal of creating a set of online tools that help educate students. The organization produces short lessons in the form of videos. Its website also includes supplementary practice exercises and materials for educators. All resources are available for free to users of the website. Khan Academy is the result of a Nation of Students worried about Student Loan Debt.
Chapter 5 explains how Personalized Education is the next step. Some colleges are working on creating personal algorithm for College Students similar to how Netflix takes our preferences and creates viewing suggestions. There is a program that acts like a Matchmaker for College Students and Colleges.
Check out Naviance, which is an American college and career readiness software provider that partners with high schools and other K–12 institutions to provide students with college planning and career assessment tools.
Colleges are also working to make the Transfer from 2 year to 4 year Colleges almost effortless for the students.
Also mentioned is MOOC, which is a massive open online course, aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web. MOOCs are a recent and widely researched development in distance education, first introduced in 2006 and emerged as a popular mode of learning in 2012. This allows many students to obtain an Elite Education for Free. The University of Manitoba is an example of this. Carnegie Mellon also has an Open Learning Initiative as well. These classes often utilize Hybrid Online and In Person Classes.
Chapter 8 covers Degrees of Value. Money should be a factor in choosing a degree or career, but not the only factor. An Engineering Degree will definitely get the student more money than an English Degree. However, the world needs at least some people with English Degrees. If it is your passion, then you should pursue it. The job market has shown that Employees with Liberal Arts Degrees are Preferable. They are often more well-rounded than someone who has trained for a specific job, trade or role.
The Magazine US News and World Report puts out a yearly Ranking of Colleges. Most people equate a Higher Ranking with a Better Education. Perhaps Colleges should receive certificates and be encouraged to improve weak areas.
Colleges are becoming Ala Cart. They are allowing students to pick and choose not only their degree program, but the classes to meet the degree requirement. They create an education that leads to a specific skill or area of expertise. Some 45% of managers are looking for an employee with a specific skill. However, 55% of managers want a broad base of education in an employee.
Roger Schank says what subjects you take in college really doesn’t matter. It is your cognitive ability that matters. He says that the focus should be on mind, body, law, information, language, networks, space, time, media and money. Deep active learning is what is important. See A Whole New Mind by Daniel H Pink. Pink suggests that we should be moving away from logical, linear education and move toward creative, big picture education that is flexible. Countries like Finland, Sweden and Norway have already implanted programs similar to what Pink outlined where topics are taught in multiple subjects.
Harvard and MIT have created EdX online programs. India wants to copy this education system.
Checklist For The Future:
When Choosing A College Check Out These Factors
Calculate Return Investment For The Education There
Check Out Mobility of Credits or What Transfers
How Tech Savvy is the College
Get A Sense of College’s Priorities and Their Academic Rigor
Find out of the College Prepares Students for the Future
Check Out the Ability to Learn Through Travel Abroad Programs
Study The College’s Financial Aid Programs Closely
Asses The Financial Health of College Overall
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