Philosophy
Article supplied by POSP stringer Tim.
Sometimes, I don't think the college or university give a damn...just give us the tuition bucks. Besides, it's party time. Seriously, this stems from attitude and academic background i.e., high school.
Nearly half of the nation's undergraduates show almost no gains in learning in their first two years of college, in large part because colleges don't make academics a priority, a new report shows.
Instructors tend to be more focused on their own faculty research than teaching younger students, who in turn are more tuned in to their social lives, according to the report, based on a book titled Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses. Findings are based on transcripts and surveys of more than 3,000 full-time traditional-age students on 29 campuses nationwide, along with their results on the Collegiate Learning Assessment, a standardized test that gauges students' critical thinking, analytic reasoning and writing skills.
After two years in college, 45% of students showed no significant gains in learning; after four years, 36% showed little change.
Students also spent 50% less time studying compared with students a few decades ago, the research shows.
"These are really kind of shocking, disturbing numbers," says New York University professor Richard Arum, lead author of the book, published by the University of Chicago Press.
He noted that students in the study, on average, earned a 3.2 grade-point average. "Students are able to navigate through the system quite well with little effort," Arum said.
COLLEGE: Can students learn as well on iPads, e-books?
The Department of Education and Congress in recent years have looked for ways to hold colleges and universities accountable for student learning, but researchers say that federal intervention would be counterproductive.
"We can hope that the (new research) encourages rather than discourages college faculty to learn more about what works in terms of fostering higher levels of student learning," said George Kuh of the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University.
Charles Blaich, director of the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium, used by 130 private colleges to improve education quality, said he thinks colleges are aware of the shortcomings but are trying to improve.
"I wouldn't want to create the impression that schools are blind to this," he said.
Other details in the research:
•35% of students report spending five or fewer hours per week studying alone. Yet, despite an "ever-growing emphasis" on study groups and collaborative projects, students who study in groups tend to have lower gains in learning.
•50% said they never took a class in a typical semester where they wrote more than 20 pages; 32% never took a course in a typical semester where they read more than 40 pages per week.
- The Final Exam
Might be a good idea. The only exam I had for undergraduate work was an English proficiency exam. "The New College Exam: A Test to Graduate" Schools are increasingly making students sit for one last exam before they get that diploma by Jon Marcus January...
- Online Classes...having Problems
"The Trouble With Online College" February 18th, 2013 The New York Times Stanford University ratcheted up interest in online education when a pair of celebrity professors attracted more than 150,000 students from around the world to a noncredit, open...
- Remedial Educational Costs And Who Is At Fault
It is obvious that the core of the problem lies at the high school level...it has been a problem for years and probably won't get any better. "CUNY Adjusts Amid Tide of Remedial Students" by Lisa W. Foderaro March 3rd, 2011 The New York Times The...
- College Beyond The Reach Of Some?
It's high time to re-evaluate the functions of higher education and professions. "College May Become Unaffordable for Most in U.S." by Tamar Lewin December 3rd, 2008 The New York Times The rising cost of college — even before the recession —...
- Higher Education--costly
The Boston Globe this morning reported that Massachusetts's schools of higher education have "...received nearly 15 percent more financial aid applications over the first half of 2008, compared to the same period last year...." This no doubt is indicative...
Philosophy
Undergraduates in trouble?
Article supplied by POSP stringer Tim.
Sometimes, I don't think the college or university give a damn...just give us the tuition bucks. Besides, it's party time. Seriously, this stems from attitude and academic background i.e., high school.
"Report: First two years of college show small gains"
by
Mary Beth Marklein
January 18th, 2011
USA TODAY
by
Mary Beth Marklein
January 18th, 2011
USA TODAY
Nearly half of the nation's undergraduates show almost no gains in learning in their first two years of college, in large part because colleges don't make academics a priority, a new report shows.
Instructors tend to be more focused on their own faculty research than teaching younger students, who in turn are more tuned in to their social lives, according to the report, based on a book titled Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses. Findings are based on transcripts and surveys of more than 3,000 full-time traditional-age students on 29 campuses nationwide, along with their results on the Collegiate Learning Assessment, a standardized test that gauges students' critical thinking, analytic reasoning and writing skills.
After two years in college, 45% of students showed no significant gains in learning; after four years, 36% showed little change.
Students also spent 50% less time studying compared with students a few decades ago, the research shows.
"These are really kind of shocking, disturbing numbers," says New York University professor Richard Arum, lead author of the book, published by the University of Chicago Press.
He noted that students in the study, on average, earned a 3.2 grade-point average. "Students are able to navigate through the system quite well with little effort," Arum said.
COLLEGE: Can students learn as well on iPads, e-books?
The Department of Education and Congress in recent years have looked for ways to hold colleges and universities accountable for student learning, but researchers say that federal intervention would be counterproductive.
"We can hope that the (new research) encourages rather than discourages college faculty to learn more about what works in terms of fostering higher levels of student learning," said George Kuh of the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University.
Charles Blaich, director of the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium, used by 130 private colleges to improve education quality, said he thinks colleges are aware of the shortcomings but are trying to improve.
"I wouldn't want to create the impression that schools are blind to this," he said.
Other details in the research:
•35% of students report spending five or fewer hours per week studying alone. Yet, despite an "ever-growing emphasis" on study groups and collaborative projects, students who study in groups tend to have lower gains in learning.
•50% said they never took a class in a typical semester where they wrote more than 20 pages; 32% never took a course in a typical semester where they read more than 40 pages per week.
- The Final Exam
Might be a good idea. The only exam I had for undergraduate work was an English proficiency exam. "The New College Exam: A Test to Graduate" Schools are increasingly making students sit for one last exam before they get that diploma by Jon Marcus January...
- Online Classes...having Problems
"The Trouble With Online College" February 18th, 2013 The New York Times Stanford University ratcheted up interest in online education when a pair of celebrity professors attracted more than 150,000 students from around the world to a noncredit, open...
- Remedial Educational Costs And Who Is At Fault
It is obvious that the core of the problem lies at the high school level...it has been a problem for years and probably won't get any better. "CUNY Adjusts Amid Tide of Remedial Students" by Lisa W. Foderaro March 3rd, 2011 The New York Times The...
- College Beyond The Reach Of Some?
It's high time to re-evaluate the functions of higher education and professions. "College May Become Unaffordable for Most in U.S." by Tamar Lewin December 3rd, 2008 The New York Times The rising cost of college — even before the recession —...
- Higher Education--costly
The Boston Globe this morning reported that Massachusetts's schools of higher education have "...received nearly 15 percent more financial aid applications over the first half of 2008, compared to the same period last year...." This no doubt is indicative...