I often roll my eyes at articles that take millennials to task for not measuring up to the standard of the day. All too often, baby boomers and those in generations before seem to wag their fingers at young people and spew out curmudgeonly laments that inevitably start with, “When I was your age …”
No one disputes that college tuition has risen substantially over the past 20 years.
Ask why, though, and you’ll get vastly different answers.
Higher education has an image problem. And a trust problem.
That should come as no surprise, given the drubbing that public colleges and universities have taken from state legislatures over the past few years. They have also taken criticism from federal policy makers – along with parents and students – about costs and transparency.
Most Americans still see a four-year degree as important, but it is not at the top of the list of things that will help someone achieve a successful career, a recent Heartland Monitor poll suggests.
In the poll, respondents ranked technology skills, an ability to work with diverse groups of people, keeping skills current, and having family connections above a four-year college degree.
Earlier this week, I interrupted two students in a small room at Spahr Engineering Library at KU.
Among academics, online education inspires about as much enthusiasm as a raft sale on a cruise ship.
That’s unfortunate, given that higher education’s cruise ship has a hull full of leaks and has been taking on water for years.
Innovation, meet frustration.
I’ve written frequently about how the lack of a reward system hampers (if not quashes) attempts to improve teaching and learning, especially at research universities. A new survey only reinforces that short-sighted approach.
The future of teaching went on display Friday afternoon in Spooner Hall.
By display, I mean the 30-plus posters that hung from the walls of The Commons, documenting the changes that KU faculty members and post-doctoral teaching fellows made to courses this academic year.
By Doug Ward
Alma Clayton-Pedersen offers this vision for higher education:
“Imagine what a nation we would be if students really took away everything we wanted them to have,” she said at last week’s Teaching Summit in Lawrence.
Here’s a thought to start the semester with:
Education offers only a blueprint. Learning takes place in the application.