Higher Education

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, Higher Education EdTech January 19, 2018

What Colleges Should Do to Get Ready for Generation Alpha

They’re coming.

The children of millennials, generation Alpha, are on their way to a college near you, and their expectations for higher education will be unlike anything we’ve seen.

Generation Alpha celebrated its first birthday in 2011. Although these six-year-olds are not yet college-ready, colleges can begin preparations to meet the influencers of the future. These children are already influencing their parents’ spending habits. Millenials are more than willing to provide their generation Alpha children with what they need for success, and these parents are seeking non-traditional opportunities.

There’s no reason to expect that this trend will wane by the time generation Alpha will be ready for college matriculation.

Here’s how colleges can get ready for generation Alpha:

Comfort with Technology

You can expect generation Alpha students to have developed an unprecedented comfort with technology. All they will have known in their lives is the seamless integration between technology and everyday living.

These students will expect technology to be integrated into college life and university studies, and their purchasing and learning will be virtual.

Less is more

Because technology broadens the world, colleges would do well to create programs of study that require deep learning. Generation Alpha is the offspring of millennials who refused to inherit their parents’ collections of furniture, art, and family mementos. They, like their parents, will have a laser-like focus on needs instead of wants. Education will be no exception to this rule.

Colleges can help prepare for this singular approach to studies by offering fewer degrees and providing a richer context for study.

The generation Alpha students will strive to become subject matter specialists in their chosen fields, and they will be willing to invest the time it takes to do that.

Palpable Effects on Learning

Don’t expect the Generation Alphas to wait until college to do their learning. This generation will be more entrepreneurial than any other, and you can expect many of its members to have already started their own companies.

They are coming to your college with experience, and they’ll want you to help them refine their knowledge so they can apply it in creative ways.

Generation Alphas are more likely to live into their 100s, and this longevity will afford them with rich knowledge, learned from their studies and from experiences.

With the right planning, you’ll be ready for the class of 2033.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, Higher Education EdTech January 11, 2018

What Does a College President Do All Day?

Read the job description for a college president, and you’ll notice that the leader’s duties are divided into planning, leadership, and fundraising. As simple and straightforward as it sounds, a college presidency requires commitment and fortitude, and it’s not a position for those looking for fewer responsibilities and hours in a work week.

A college president carries a tremendous amount of responsibility while focusing on leadership, planning, fundraising and developing in-depth knowledge. This leader can pull down an impressive half-million dollar salary or more each year, but what does he or she do all day?

Leadership

A college president is always a leader first. Everything he or she does must forward the university’s goals. A typical day spent leading the campus involves meeting with trustees, faculty, students and state education representatives.

Planning

A college president attends a variety of planning committees, ranging from college focus groups to state agency meetings. Planning meetings also include building and construction meetings, policies and procedures, courses of study, and more.

Fundraising

College presidents are accountable for fundraising, and a president who is also a rainmaker brings in the kind of significant funding necessary for the college to grow. These leaders must demonstrate a willingness to attend functions outside the traditional day, which can eat away at the personal time one might hope to have on evenings and weekends.

Developing deep knowledge

Perhaps most importantly, college presidents need to know their constituents. That means spending time with a variety of stakeholders, including not only donors and education leaders at state and national levels, but also the students and faculty.

You may think the job looks easy, but here’s what a sample schedule for a college president looks like:

5:30 AM Wake up, exercise, shower, dress, check emails

6:30 AM Drive to first meeting

7:00 AM Breakfast meeting with school district superintendents

8:30 AM Meet onsite to review potential land acquisition

9:15 AM Meeting with college deans

10:30 AM Review financial audits and prepare report for the board

11:30 AM Visit campus cafeterias, talk to professors and students

1:00 PM Back to the office, follow up on emails, phone calls

2:00 PM Review new personnel policies and make recommendations for changes

2:30 PM Establish new committees to address campus concerns

3:00 PM Meet with the accreditation committee

4:30 PM Scheduled meetings with individuals

6:00 PM Check emails, follow up on requests

7:00 PM Attend fundraiser gala

11:00 PM Professional reading and writing

12:00 AM End of day

What does a college president do all day? She – or he – epitomizes the college’s philosophy through complete devotion to the job at hand.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, Higher Education EdTech January 10, 2018

How Exchange Students Are China’s Trojan Horse

Are you an advocate of diversity and inclusion?

That’s good, because part of diversity and inclusion in schools today comes from an influx of Chinese students, and they’re not immigrants.

They are exchange students, and they are China’s Trojan horse.

University infiltration

Since the early 1980s, Chinese students have flocked to American universities. College students sought a Western-style education that would give them an advantage when beginning their professional careers.

Today the influx of exchange students are also part of Confucius Institutes housed at more than 100 universities in the US. The Chinese government sanctions these institutes and approves all curriculum taught at the institute. In a sense, the Confucius Institutes usurp American free speech rights, limiting academic content and thought to that aligned with Chinese politics.

Confucius Institutes are not confined to America; these academic dens of higher learning have infiltrated universities around the world.

Dropping in on high school

The value of an American education has not gone unnoticed in China. Chinese students fill high school classroom seats as quickly as possible. Chinese parents and their children value American high school diplomas almost as much as they do an American university degree.

The American high school diploma is the bridge to entrance in an American university, and three states have become favorites for Chinese exchange students: California, Michigan, and Texas. In fact, Chinese students make up nearly half of all high school exchange students in the United States.

Chinese exchange students have been called the Parachute Generation. They may be more of a paratrooper generation because they are matriculating in US schools in overwhelming numbers.

What it means

A Chinese proverb states, “You will never lose a battle if you know your own situation as well as that of your enemy.”

The United States is in a precarious position. We owe China $1.1 trillion in debt, and we need to understand our situation. While the debt is unlikely to be a coercive tool, it does make China a power player.

Chinese exchange students may be secretly getting a Western education to learn about those that China perceives as an enemy. These students are learning firsthand about Western culture, and they immerse themselves in English. Exchange students are China’s competitive edge in assuming prominence as an international presence in a global economy.

These exchange students have become the Trojan horse of China. These students will return to their homeland to one day become the most powerful nation in the world.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education January 6, 2018

Does Tenure Matter? It Depends on Who You Ask

Higher education has reached a point where tenure is no longer an aspiration but a lofty goal and reward given after decades of dedication (and plenty of research success).

But what does tenure mean in today’s world, and more importantly does tenure matter?

The answer is usually yes, but the reason depends on who you ask.

Tenure Protects Academic Freedom

Too often, the benefits of tenure for both universities and staff are considered only in terms of the budget. But the benefits of tenure – and why it matters – lies in academic freedom.

If the bulk of college and university staff in the classroom are ineligible for tenure, then it defeats the purpose of taking risks and teaching. Staff who aren’t protected aren’t free to teach in the most meaningful and beneficial way possible.

There’s no room for error or change or challenge for teaching staff who don’t have the security of tenure or even the security of a multi-year contract.

Instead, staff must balance keeping students happy – whatever that means – with being on the job market and with participating in the research and publication duties expected of them even without hopes of a tenure track.

There’s also the issue of the rise in volatile politics. As local, state, and national policies veer in drastically different directions every election cycle, tenure protects those doing good work from becoming victims of politics.

Few have figured out how to preserve academic freedom when the outlook for tenure is bleak.

Tenure Hurts New Research

Tenure helps young teacher and researchers work hard and stay the course, but the current tenure system also hurts them.

The old guard holding onto positions until death or retirement, whichever comes first, prevent the opening of space for new research.

Additionally, tenure forces faculty to split their time, taking good researchers out of the lab and putting them in the classroom and forcing good teachers out of the classroom and into the lab because of a system focused on research income rather than merit.

Can We Balance Tenure?

Tenure matters in positive and negative ways. But is there a way to balance tenure to protect academic staff without sheltering them?

Potentially.

Some say that finding parity in a world without tenure means ensuring the non-tenure track staff are protected. The use of multi-year contracts could be replaced by fair salaries, particularly because those salaries aren’t promised until retirement.

Additionally, as Bernstein and Kezar point out over at The Conversation, there is the option of re-thinking the tenure system to be based on incentives that focus on more than research revenue includes a teaching tenure track for those who dedicate their time to the classroom.

What is your experience with tenure? Does it matter anymore, or does it matter more than ever?

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education January 3, 2018

5 Trends Disrupting Higher Education

Hospitality and travel aren’t the only sectors seeing disruption from new trends and emerging technologies.

Higher education has seen its fair share of disruption. In some cases, innovation is threatening the very model higher education is based on.

Here are five trends set to disrupt higher education:

Virtual Reality

A few years ago, MOOCs were a primary concern of administrators across the country because the promise they held threatened to replace campuses. That concern has waned because students prefer a more formal classroom setting to achieve.

However, the advancements in virtual reality threaten to pick up where MOOCs left off. Investment in virtual reality technologies in the classroom will allow VR to bridge the gap that separated MOOCs from traditional classrooms by providing the human connection students seek.

Skills Crisis

For years, millennials were pushed into higher education classrooms by their parents. The result has been a generation who is better educated than ever before, but who lack the skills to fill trade roles, creating a skills crisis.

As we acknowledge the need to learn trades and skills, more and more students who weren’t a good fit for the traditional four-year degree in the first place will see it as a viable option for a comfortable career.

Failing University Finances

Universities facing budget crises pass their rising costs on to students. Both public and private institutions have raised their fees by 28% and 27% respectively.

However, as students begin to see a smaller tradeoff between growing fees and well-paying jobs, more students will likely change their minds about the true value of a four-year education.

Better Options for Learning

At this point, it is well recognized that a strict classroom education doesn’t work for everyone. More importantly, many fail to emphasize learning outside the classroom.

Technological disruption has plagued higher education since the invention of the internet, but it’s not a trend that is going away anytime soon. While one swift technological swoop, like MOOCs, won’t kill higher education, little advancements and new products will take more and more students out of classrooms and give them a total education experience.

A Change in Funding

Rising costs aren’t the only thing affecting universities: the federal government has started to take a more hands-off role to funding universities, too.

Even Democratic administrations, which historically favor more public spending on education, have said universities need to sort out their finances if they want to stay afloat. These aren’t just words; many American universities generate more money from tuition fees than they do from public funds.

Whether you look at funding, teaching, or attendance, new trends are disrupting higher education as we’ve come to know it. How have you seen your universities change?

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education December 22, 2017

How Colleges Can Use Data Analytics to Improve Student Retention and Graduation Rates

Unlike K-12 schools, colleges and universities have not traditionally placed a huge focus on student retention and graduation. Students who couldn’t make it in college dropped out and colleges could easily fill their spot. But today’s higher education landscape is changing. There is more pressure on colleges and universities to keep students in school and ensure they graduate.

This has left colleges scrambling to find new ways they can better serve students. One method many schools are trying? Using data analytics to improve retention and graduation rates.

Data analytics can be used in a variety of ways. First, they can help colleges find patterns among students who are failing courses. Colleges can figure out whether there’s a particular subset of students that are more likely to fail. First generation college students, minorities, or female students may all be more likely to struggle in college. By determining if these groups are falling behind, colleges can figure out their next steps to help these students.

Colleges can also use data analytics to find the courses that are most challenging for students. It may be a particular department, professor, or type of course that is causing a disproportionate number of students to fail and ultimately drop out.

Keeping data on individual students can also help target struggling students. Data analytics can reveal exactly what students struggle with. This can be accomplished by tagging assignment types or course types and measuring where a student performs the worst.

Sharing this data with students and professors can also be a powerful tool for improving outcomes. Once it’s clear what a student, or a group of students, is struggling with, interventions can be used. Professors who find that many students fail a particular course may offer more tutoring or additional resources. Students who learn that they struggle with a particular skill, such as writing, can seek out help with that specific skill.

Now that more colleges and universities are working harder to retain students and increase graduation rates, it’s time to start looking for the best ways to do this. Data analytics will bring colleges into the 21^st century and allow them to better target and serve students who are at risk of failing or even dropping out of school altogether.

How does your institution use data analytics to target students and increase achievement? Do you think data analytics are a necessary tool?

Matthew Lynch published in Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech, Higher Education, Higher Education EdTech, K-12 December 6, 2017

What Does a Future Ready Education Leader Look Like?

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology (OET) knows a thing or two about “Future Ready Leaders.” In 2016 they began the Future Ready Leaders Project in response to requests from superintendents across America.

These district leaders recognize the importance of preparing education leaders for the future, and in response, the OET has already compiled fifty videos sharing best future forward practices from around the country.

The Future Ready Education Leader

While that may sound open-ended, some compelling tenets of future ready leadership have already begun to emerge. Overwhelmingly, the skills needed center around four distinct themes.

You can expect that future ready education leaders will need to focus on the following:

Schools as models of equity. Future leaders will have to find ways to assure that every student will have a positive learning environment. Edtech tools can provide the digital equity that all students need, regardless of race, gender, religion or socioeconomic background.
Tech robust learning environments. Schools of he future must have a robust infrastructure that can support edtech solutions in a variety of creative ways, from wireless classrooms to BYOD policies. As more schools and districts transition to cloud based learning management systems, the education leaders of the future will be more comfortable with technology than ever before.
Personalization in learning. Future ready education leaders will find ways to provide personalized learning experience for students at every age. These leaders will do the same for all stakeholders in education, providing customized training opportunities. They’ll also do the same thing for themselves.
Collaborative efforts in leadership building. In the past, being an educational leader meant being in power. It was a top down approach where those not in a leadership position did what they were told. Future leaders can expect to find support in grassroots movements where everyone is empowered to contribute and collaborate inside and outside the classroom.

And finally, the future ready education leaders will be innovators who can inspire others to reach new heights in digital leadership.

The leaders who build the future in education will use research and best practices to create rigorous learning environments suited to the interests of students. They will need educational technology to provide the rigor and relevance required for college and career readiness. These leaders will use their strategic planning skills to prepare the path.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, Higher Education EdTech December 5, 2017

Top 5 Higher Education Podcasts You Need to Listen To

Podcasts are an incredible resource for anyone involved in higher education.

Whether you’re a student, teacher, administrator, or innovator, there’s a higher education podcast out there that aims to answer your questions and tell your story.

We’re such big believers in the power of the podcast that we’ve put together a list of our five favorite higher education podcasts for you here.

1. The College Info Geek Podcast: Study Tips & Advice for Students

Thomas Frank puts out a weekly podcast covering everything you need to know about college and life. His episodes are timely, wide-ranging and offer both general advice in areas like productivity and time management as well as specific advice for people on a particular trajectory like filmmaking or blogging.

Must-Listen Episodes for Freshmen:

Should You Take an Unpaid Internship?
How to Take Good Notes from Books
How to Live with Roommates Without Losing Your Mind

2. Getting In: Your College Admissions Companion

The end of high school is all about ‘getting in’, but college admissions is an esoteric process. No one is quite sure just what will open the door to their dream college.

Getting In is designed to lift the veil of the college admissions process from beginning to end.

Must-Listen Episodes for College Hopefuls:

Tips for Non-Traditional Students
The Checklist Every College-Bound Junior Needs Now
When You’re the First In Your Family to Apply to College

3. Admissions Straight Talk

Applying to grad school? What about business, law, or medical school?

Admissions Straight Talk is a weekly podcast broaching what’s new and how to navigate the process of applying to graduate school. Episodes cover a diverse range of topics from finance, to navigating MBA options, to delving into specific programs at universities.

Must-Listen Episodes for Prospective Grad Students:

Your Past Doesn’t Define You
What to do About a Low GPA, an Encore
Stand Out! A critical Goal for Your Application

4. Higher Ed Live

Higher Ed Live is a weekly podcast covering a wide range of topics across the higher education sector. Admissions, student affairs, marketing, and advancement are all covered. But this podcast isn’t a vacuum of insider ideas – episodes also contain interviews with professionals and thought leaders from across the industry.

Must-Listen Episodes for Professionals:

Admissions Live – #NACACREADS: How to Raise and Adult
Special Edition – The State of Online Education
Ending Sexual Violence on Campus

5. Life101

Anthropologist Michael Welsh presents a monthly podcast in the style of “This American Life”. Although there’s only one episode, it’s essential listening for everyone in, near, or around the world of higher education.

Must-Listen Episodes for Everyone:

Professor’s Night Out

Do you listen to any of these podcasts? Have we missed your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education December 1, 2017

How to Protect Your University from Malware

When university computer systems suffer a malware attack, it is a nightmare. In addition to slowing down the entire campus’s internet services, malware can steal personal information and create data breaches campus-wide.

Unfortunately, cybercriminals are well aware of the possibilities for data retrieval on college campuses. As Sue Marquette Poremba explains, “Not only does the university store the personal information and medical records of 70,000 students and 20,000 faculty members and other staffers, but it also has financial data for sports and theater season-ticket holders […] Then there is all of the intellectual property generated by professors, graduate students and other research professionals.”

For these reasons and more, universities must protect themselves from malware and other internet security attacks. Let’s look at some ways universities can avoid data breaches and other cyber headaches.

What is Malware?

Malware is malicious software that is designed to retrieve information from computer users or cause damage to the computer system. Malware consists of adware, spyware, viruses, keyloggers, ransomware, botnets, and more. Some malware is sophisticated codes, while others are phishing attempts that prey on vulnerable, unsuspecting email users.

Plan for Security

First things first, universities should plan for security. This means having a top-notch IT department that carefully monitors the university’s network and plans for the best security possible. This means having security protocols in place before events occurred and making sure

Purchase Educational Security Solutions

There are several educational companies that provide security solutions for schools and universities. These companies protect against security threats (such as malware detection software), as well as emergency management technology.

Use Antivirus Software

All schools should use up-to-date antivirus software that regularly updates, and they should provide access to the entire campus community. This means providing the software to each student and professor who utilizes the university’s network.

Utilize the Cloud

Universities should take advantage of the cloud-based anti-virus software programs. Also, the university should do as much work in the cloud as possible. This will ensure that should information be lost during potential security breaches that the most important information will still be accessible via a cloud service.

Encourage Staff and Students to Have Strong Passwords

The stronger the password, the harder it is to hack. Therefore, encourage all staff and students using the university network to have a unique login and a strong password. Establish guidelines for strong passwords.

In Conclusion

To protect the university’s campus network, students and staff must understand their role. On that account, you must teach your staff and students about digital responsibility. Provide information about how to protect their personal computers and devices from malware and other security threats.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education November 28, 2017

Top Universities in Asia 2018

Asian universities are continuing their ascent into the top universities in the world. In fact, established universities aren’t just gaining ground, new universities are forming and joining them in their quest to provide world-class education.

Looking for a university in Asia? Here are four of our favorites:

1. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is a medium-size research school based on the island of Hong Kong. Founded in 19991, HKUST is a premier destination for students with a keen interest in the sciences as well as technology, business, and engineering.

The university often ranks among the top 10 universities in Asia, but recently it has aimed for the top of the list of global universities, coming in at #36 on QS’s list.

2. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) makes the list because of its position as a highly-productive research university and its global academic reputation.

KAIST was Korea’s first major public research institution in 1971. Today, it is home to just over 10,000 students. However, its student makeup is unique because there are more postgraduate and doctoral students combined than there are undergraduates.

Located in Daejeon, South Korea, this university is a huge get for postgraduates interested in a career in research and the number of citations produced among the faculty is second to none not only in Asia but globally.

3. Nanyang Technological University

Nanyang Technical University is one of the best universities in the world and is consistently ranked as one of the best in Asia. Additionally, it’s been ranked in the number one spot on the QS Top 50 Under 50.

Located in Singapore, Nanyang Technological University is a science school, but it hasn’t pigeonholed itself. From materials science to engineering to natural sciences, there is no shortage of great programs for students at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels.

4. Fudan University

Fudan University is the oldest and largest university on this list. Based in Shanghai, it is one of the most competitive universities in mainland China and is known for both its wide range of disciplines and the quality of graduates it produces across politics, medicine, science, and in the humanities.

Fudan isn’t as research-oriented as KAIST or HKUST, but it does have a strong academic reputation and an international faculty, both of which benefit the student experience.

Will you be studying at any of these top universities in 2018? Did we miss a university from your list? Let us know in the comments.