Higher Education

Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Higher Education February 21, 2016

Study: Nearly 90 percent of full-time professors are white

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, just 16 percent of full-time professors at post-secondary institutions are minorities. That means that 84 percent of those in full-time professorships are white, 60 percent are men and 25 percent are white women.

Those numbers decrease slightly with faculty. 79 percent of the “instructional faculty“ within this nation’s colleges and universities are white and just six percent are black.

Considering the hiring boom that many schools have experienced since the start of the 1990’s, it’s mildly surprising that not many minorities were included in that growth.

“The Condition of Education: Characteristics of Post-secondary Faculty“ shows that there was a 42 percent increase in the number of instructional faculty hired from 1991-2011. During that 20 year period, not many institutions hired minorities to fill their vacant positions.

Outside of ethnicity and growth, the study also found that the wage gender gap between men and women professors was well north of $16,000. Less than half of America’s private and non-private post-secondary institutions had tenure systems, faculty at for-profit colleges and universities make far less than those at non-profit schools, and less than 10 percent of all faculty within higher education are employed at for-profit institutions.

What’s striking is the gross under-representation of minority professors at America’s higher education schools. While many may be concentrated within Historically Black Colleges and Universities or schools who have a high number of black students, that percentage makes barely a dent in the overall number of black, Asian, Hispanic, American indigenous who may teach at America’s best schools of higher learning.

While the government is rightly focused on the rising cost of education, we should slightly turn our attention towards why many colleges and universities fail to hire minorities for faculty and professorship positions.

Matthew Lynch published in Equity, HBCU's, Higher Education February 21, 2016

Diverse Conversations: The Crucial Role of Student Life

In this installment of “Diverse Conversations,” I sat down with Dr. Marcus Chanay, Vice President of the Division of Student Life at Jackson State University. Dr. Chanay is a expert in the area of student life, having spent a decade helping to shape and mold his department. In this interview, he discusses the crucial role that student life plays within the modern university. Without further ado, let’s begin.

Q: What role does student life play at a medium-sized urban HBCU?

A: Student Life plays a vital role in the holistic development of students especially at HBCU’s. At Jackson State University we meet the students where they are and ensure they are competitive in this global world and are successful citizens. We believe in developing their mind, body and spirit as they are engaging in their academic pursuant. We work with our students in becoming civic minded professionals. All students are required to have a minimum of 120 hours of community service and or service learning hours to graduate from Jackson State University. For our student engaging in the community the University has received the Carnegie Foundation Award for the Advancement of Teaching for our Community Engagement Classification through 2014 and the 2010 President’s High Honor Roll for Commitment to service. As a medium sized HBCU we are engage our students in leadership through our Center for Student Leadership and Inclusion which our 120 Student Organizations are housed and our Student Leadership Institute. As a medium sized HBCU we are preparing our students for graduate and professional school and careers through our Career Services Center. Our students participate in our Tigers2Work which alerts them of employees on campus, graduate professional day, Military Day, Federal Works Forum, Internships and Career Fair. Our goal is to ensure we provide as many opportunities to ensure students success.

Q: What is the relationship between student life and the academic program?

A: The relationship between student life and academics is seamless. Our Service Learning offering is a great example for the past 10 years Student Life and Academic Affairs have had a great relationship in developing service learning courses and ensuring all students enrolled in these courses have off-campus sites to ensure their success. We established a Service Learning Fellows program which Deans and Chairs make faculty recommendations. Through this year long process faculty were coached in learning how to develop their courses to involve a service learning component. We now have course offerings for all five academic colleges.

Q: Please talk more about student life in the context of Jackson State University’s Strategic Plan. What excites you and what possibilities do you see?

A: The Division of Student Life was very much a part of the University’s Strategic Plan. The University believes every student has an opportunity to be a leader and every student should be engaged in the community through civic engagement. This is a very exciting time at the University where we believe there is only “One JSU.” From the moment our students step on campus to when they walk across the stage at commencement, we as a University believe students are our priority. Engaging our students in community service gives them an opportunity to give back. These students are our future so we want to ensure our preparation ensures their success. We want our students to believe they are future leaders of tomorrow in their perspective disciplines. Our President Dr. Carolyn Meyers fully understands this and fully believes in the “One”. In her vision it’s all about the students, without our students, where would we be.

Q: How do you, as Vice President for the Division of Student Life, interact with students?

A: As Vice President I totally enjoy the interaction with students. I make myself assessable and support students and student organizations in their endeavors. I believe in walking the campus, hanging out with students in the Student Center. Involvement with students keeps the pulse going. I have an open door policy for all students and will go all the way with students to help them achieve their goals. I am a mentor to many current and former students, something that I do not take lightly.

Q: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing college students today?

A: There are many challenges I thing that students are facing today, trying for find the ability to afford college tuition. Many of our students struggle each semester with trying to pay for school. The sad part about many students is they have debt from undergraduate and they have not even stepped into a graduate program and they are unsure of what they want to do. Students come to college with dreams of what they want to do or what mom, dad, grandparents want them to do but are underprepared. Students are also faced with trying to find themselves. They are not sure who they are or really what they really want out of life. Social media has taken over our students. They tend to be more engaged in twitter, instagram, facebook, etc., instead of books

Q: What are some of the biggest changes you’ve witnessed during your time at Jackson State University?

A: The biggest changes at Jackson State are the combination of facilities, academic offerings and support services being offered. I have been at the University since 2001. In that time I have seen the construction of our Walter Payton Recreational & Wellness Center, Student Center, College of Liberal Arts, College of Business, Campbell College Suites, Engineering Building, Johnson Hall, One Jackson Place and the renovation of Dixon Residence Hall and the Reddix Office Complex. I have seen and experienced academic offerings increase which includes our engineering program, Ph.D. in Urban Higher Education and the establishment of the School of Lifelong Learning, to name a few. These past 12 years I have seen the development of many support services for our students which include Center for Service and Community Engaged Learning, Center for Student Leadership and Inclusion, JSU Veteran Center, University Commuter Program, Parents Program and the Latasha Norman Center for Counseling and Disability Services.

Q: What’s your proudest accomplishment in your time here?

A: I have many proud accomplishments at the University. The one that rally stands out is when this student from New Orleans, LA came to the University as a freshman in the Fall Semester of 2005, the same fall that Hurricane Katrina hit. The hurricane hit during the first week of the semester beginning. This student was one that was hanging with the wrong crowd and found himself getting into trouble during freshmen orientation. When the Hurricane hit his family was displaced. This actually increased his acting out. In his first semester, he was in trouble at least three times and was on the verge of being suspended from school, at that time I was the Dean of Students. I and two other co-workers decided to take this student under our wings. As we begin to learn more about him, he begins to trust us and slowly began to pull away from his crew that he was hanging with. The trust led him to improve in grades which lead to a summer intern, which led to him graduating with honors participating in several student organizations and going on to pursue a M.B.A and is now successful and working for a fortune 500 company.

Well, that concludes my interview with Dr. Marcus Chanay. I would like to thank him for consenting to this interview and for his contributions to the field of higher education.

Read all of our posts about HBCUs by clicking here.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education February 21, 2016

Reducing MOOC dropout rates

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.**

A guest post by Chakradhar Munjuluri

The Massive open online course (MOOC) providers have witnessed a rapid growth in the total number of students. The top providers namely Coursera, EdX and Udacity have a combined strength of approximately 15M1 students.

Varying intentions for enrollments induces a difficulty in measuring the success of a course. The popular intentions like gaining certificate, auditing, browsing etc. suggest a different value proposition from the student’s point of view. Ensuring an alignment of the course with the student’s expectations is key to improving MOOC business model.

Although the total number of students is increasing the dropout rates for free online course providers is extremely high with estimates ranging from 85% – 95%. Researchers have varying opinions on the relevance of current dropout rates in MOOC context, measurement methodologies etc.

However drop rate is a key indicator which enables the provider and instructors to understand the student’s needs and hence improve the value of the course.

In order to reduce drop rate a two-step strategy needs to be employed by the MOOC.

Eliminate zero enrollment barrier
Redefine course success measurement criteria
Eliminate zero enrollment barrier:

Currently any student can enroll for a particular course freely with no “investment”. Since enrollment as a first step is allowed, many students who find the course irrelevant also are enrolled.

Below process when enforced prior to enrollment would ensure students having a basic idea on the course offering would proceed to enrollment

Forcing the student to go through the course details, timelines, expected time investment, pre requisites and passing criteria
Expose the student to a short duration introductory course video
A basic quiz to ensure the student knows / understands about the course
Allow enrollment only after successful completion of the quiz

The above process will filter a majority of students who “Enroll with no clear expectation” and ensure an “investment” prior to enrollment.

Redefine course success measurement criteria:

Currently meeting the minimum pass criteria as defined by the instructor is the only success measure.

However this might not be the only success criteria from the wide spectrum of enrolled student’s point of view. Other reasons for students enrolling like a ) Student is interested only in gaining knowledge but not the certificate b) Student is interested only in a particular section of course are not accounted for in this method of measurement.

The quiz in step c during enrollment should include responses to determine the success criteria from each individual student’s point of view. This ensures students expectation from the course is properly captured prior to enrollment.

The success measurement in accordance to the student’s expectation should be employed as the metric for course improvement process.

1 https://www.class-central.com/report/moocs-stats-and-trends-2014/

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Chakradhar Munjuluri is a business consultant working with Cognizant Business Consulting – Education Practice . As a product manager he has successfully designed and implemented digital products for education clients . He holds a MBA from Indian Institute of Management and has more than 7 years experience in Consulting and IT .

Matthew Lynch published in Equity, HBCU's, Higher Education February 20, 2016

Diverse Conversations: The Academic Entrepreneur: Supplementing Your Income

More and more academics are recognizing the potential to supplement their income from higher education positions with out-of-the-box projects and schemes. To try and get to grips with the so called academic entrepreneur, I met with Shonell Bacon, Instructor of Mass Communication at McNeese State University.

The goal of this discussion is to help other academics understand the relationship between academic standing and entrepreneurship, how you can marry the two concepts together to generate supplementary income.

Q: So, the first question is about characterization – how would you characterize the academic entrepreneur in today’s world? Who are these people and what is it that they are doing, what makes them unique? What, too, are the benefits of being an academic entrepreneur in terms of how it benefits the individual and one’s career in academia?

A: The academic entrepreneur is someone who knows what their talents are and is able to capitalize on them. That’s my short definition. They are able to take those qualities that make them excel in the academic arena and apply them to additional revenue streams. I’m not sure if they are unique so much as their are always looking for opportunities. They are broad thinkers with narrow goals and lanes to optimize success for those goals. ——-

Q: Considering your own experiences and efforts in academia and the business world, can you share some insights about what it is like to be an academic entrepreneur and what it is that’s particularly advantageous about this approach?

A: For me, the biggest advantage to this approach is how I use knowledge from these two worlds, academic and business, to better myself in both worlds. For example, outside of academia, I am an author and an editor. With both, I constantly use my creativity; my knowledge of grammar, structure, and organization; my ability to think outside the box to strengthen my own writing as an author and others’ writing as an editor. When I’m in the classroom, I bring these tools with me. When I’m considering academic research projects, I use my creative, my outside-the- box thinking to explore topics that on the surface might not seem as academic as other topics, but in the end, they are creative endeavors for me that satisfy their academic requirements.

Q: How would you describe the relationship between entrepreneurship and academia?

A: How, would you say, is the world of higher education working to accommodate entrepreneurialism? I think, more or less, I cover the first question in bits and pieces in other responses. With the second question, I would probably say that higher education’s embrace of technology, especially with moving some classes online, allows for this accomodation in a way because it forces educators to think outside the box and figure out how to deliver the same quality education electronically. That might not seem like a big thing, but I think about my first foray into online teaching, and I clearly remember how teaching online made me consider how I might offer my expertise in other areas digitally. The minute I had to reconsider and think creatively about my teaching, those same reconsiderations came to me in regards to entrepreneurial endeavors. I also think about the “leisure learning” style courses that are offered at most colleges and universities. Oftentimes, these courses enable academics to make a little money in activities outside of their academic work. For example, I’ve taught leisure learning classes in fiction writing, fiction workshop, and developing projects for submissions. These courses allowed me to blend my teaching qualities with those qualities often exhibited in my entrepreneurial activities. I also think that schools, such as University of Phoenix, those schools that offer credit for “life learning” and business activities and experience suggest that entrepreneuralism–the work we do outside of academia–is important.

Q: What, would you say, are some of the biggest challenges for someone in academia looking to also become entrepreneur, looking to take that step to achieving some real financial independence through entrepreneurial ventures?

A: Biggest challenge is time. I think about my own experiences, and I can say that most of my time is dedicated to academic endeavors. Work doesn’t end because you leave your campus office. With working 60+ hours a week, sometimes more, academics often don’t have the time for entrepreneurial activities, especially if they want to have some life to live while also taking care of home and family. And that time affects them in another way, too, because you have to make time to think on the idea of entrepreneurship: what skills do I have as an academic? How might those skills be useful outside of academia? What non-academic skills do I have? How can I bridge these skills to develop real financial independence through entrepreneurial ventures? There has to be time taken to consider these questions and others before a person can even get to developing the success s/he wants.

Q: Do you think entrepreneurship is something that more academics will go on to embrace? How do you see the role of the academic entrepreneur emerging? Do you see it expanding, perhaps? If so, why? If not, why not?

A: I definitely think more academics will embrace entrepreneurship. One reason will be out of necessity, say for example, the need for additional money. But others will come to embrace it because we live in such a fluid, technological world where one person can seamlessly move in and through many identities at any one time. Technology, whether it’s the actual device, or the app, or the software, etc., enables us to branch into other arenas, and more academics can take part of entrepreneurship through technology. Because of technology and the ability for an academic to blend multiple identities simultaneously, the field will definitely not only emerge, but also expand. I definitely see this more so for the future as younger academics come into the landscape, particularly those who are digital natives, from birth living with Internet and the many other advances of technology.

We would like to thank Shonell for sitting down with us.

Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Higher Education, list, Matthew Lynch February 20, 2016

4 Reasons Why We Need More Minority Instructors in Schools and Colleges

The number of minority students enrolled in U.S. schools and colleges is growing at a rapid rate, yet student enrollment is not matched by minority teacher representation.

In this article, I will discuss four reasons it is important to have more minority instructors in our schools and colleges.

1. The numbers don’t match up.

In K-12 schools, black and Hispanic students are two to three times more common than teachers of the same ethnicity. The gap is typically the widest in areas of the country with high percentages of students of color. Meanwhile, nearly 82 percent of public school teachers are white.

In colleges, the numbers are even more dismal. A report from the National Center for Education Statistics found that full-time faculty on college campuses heavily favors white candidates (at just over 1 million) over black (not even 100,000), Asian (86,000) and Hispanic (under 60,000) faculty. These numbers may not mean much out of context however, so let’s take a closer look at why they matter.
While nearly 30 percent of undergraduate students around the nation are considered minorities, just over 12 percent of full-time faculty are minorities. That number drops to around 9 percent for full-time professors of color. Though half of all undergraduate students are women, roughly one-third of full-time professors are women. In 1940, the number of women faculty was at 25 percent, showing just how slowly this particular minority group is climbing. The numbers are going in the right direction, but not quickly enough.

2. Minority students will perform better. Students will perform better when they can identify with and relate to their teachers. Minority teachers are in a position to put a stop to negative stereotypes and act as role models and mentors for students of color. Teachers who can relate to their students’ backgrounds usually are better able to look past biases of their abilities.

Even the research seems to support this point, as a study in Economics of Education Reviews tells us minority students perform better with minority teachers.

3. Minority instructors will influence the culture of the school in the long run. As far as colleges are concerned, yes, it is important to have diversity in student populations but those groups are temporary college residents. Faculty members have the long-term ability to shape the campus culture and make it more in sync with the rest of the real world. This idea can apply to K-12 schools as well.

4. Non-minority students can benefit. Increasing the number of teachers of color will help students who are not of color too. Putting minority teachers in front of children who are not minorities could prevent stereotyping and promote acceptance of diversity and equity.

The education gap is a serious obstacle our country faces – and I think that the “diversity gap” is a major part of our struggle. The education gap is staggering and it is hindering our country socially and economically. We have to find ways to get more instructors of color in our schools. Students perform better when they can relate to their teachers, and teachers who can relate to their students are less likely to have a preconceived idea of how each student will perform.

Matthew Lynch published in HBCU's, Higher Education February 20, 2016

HBCU Insights: A guide to maximizing your HBCU experience

A column by Larry J. Walker

Over the next several weeks thousands of students will arrive at private and public HBCUs throughout the nation. A new cadre of scholars will continue the tradition of contributing to education, literature, politics and science. However, the beginning of the school year includes a variety of challenges for students. For instance, anxious first generation college students may struggle balancing the expectations of family members and peers while adapting to a different environment. Students transferring from another post secondary institution have to meet the expectations of faculty members while developing relationships with classmates. By contrast, returning students fresh from a summer internship, international travel or vacation will easily transition into their respective on or off campus housing. The varied experiences of each group add to the overall campus environment and offer opportunities for students to connect. Maximizing academic and social experiences at an HBCU can propel the career of new and returning students. Since their inception HBCUs have successfully prepared students to challenge injustices and overcome economic and political barriers.

Throughout the Civil Rights era students and alumni of Lincoln University, Morehouse College, Howard University and Shaw University successfully challenged discriminatory policies. Today, HBCUs continue the tradition of fighting for social justice by challenging students to defy conventional thinking regarding ethnicity, gender and race. Embracing HBCUs distinguished history of fighting injustices represents one of the many benefits of attending these institutions. For example, students benefit from enriching social experiences including homecoming, step shows, pageants, student organizations, fraternities and sororities, rallies and protests. Although HBCUs offer rich social experiences they provide a roadmap for budding entrepreneurs and change agents.

Ensuring students capitalize on opportunities to network with future corporate leaders, venture capitalists, social activists, app developers and trendsetters are crucial. HBCUs provide nurturing environments that allow students to develop strong relationships with peers while simultaneously examining important issues including income and health disparities. New students have the opportunity to interact with administrators, faculty members and staff developing cutting edge technologies, supporting emerging leaders and eradicating deadly diseases. In addition, HBCUs provide Black students with safe campus communities that embrace cultural diversity and beliefs. Supporting certain cultural norms including communalism makes HBCUs unique in comparison to other post-secondary institutions. For this reason, students should become actively involved in a variety of activities to fully embrace the HBCU experience including:

Joining student government, clubs, honor societies, Black Greek lettered organizations (BGLOs): Participating in on campus student organizations provides vital training for individuals interested in a career in public service. Furthermore, members of student government develop important skills that are transferable to the workforce and help students’ identify and address pressing issues. Honor societies offer scholarships, opportunities to network with scholars from other schools and give students a competitive edge when applying to graduate or professional school. BGLOs traditionally refer to members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council including Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi, Phi Beta Sigma, Iota Phi Theta, Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Zeta Phi Beta and Sigma Gamma Rho. Each organization has a long and distinguished history of fighting for equal rights throughout the globe.
Continuing the fight for social justice: The majority of HBCUs have chapters, groups or individuals involved in important issues including the National Association of Colored People (NAACP), #BlackLivesMatter, National Urban League, National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) and 100 Black Men of America among others. Joining an organization focused on closing inequities is consistent with the history of HBCUs.
Research opportunities with faculty, staff and off campus institutes and think tanks: HBCUs have a distinguished intellectual history of cultivating the minds of young academics dedicated to solving important issues. Continuing the tradition of challenging economic, educational, political, social and technological issues is vital. Ambitious student’s interested in examining important issues benefit from opportunities interacting with knowledgeable experts in various disciplines. Furthermore, working with a mentor establishes relationships that could lead to research and/or publication opportunities after college.

Students attending HBCUs have the chance to honor the memory of alumni that fought to address national and international issues including Kwame Nkrumah and Martin Luther King, Jr. Recent incidents including the murders in South Carolina highlight the importance of working together to solve problems that continue to persist. It is imperative that students utilize opportunities to interact with individuals with similar interests. Establishing relationships with peers could led to addressing systemic issues that undermine efforts to create an egalitarian society.

Read all of our posts about HBCUs by clicking here.

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Dr. Larry J. Walker is an educational consultant focused on supporting historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). His research examines the impact environmental factors have on the academic performance and social emotional functioning of students from HBCUs.

Matthew Lynch published in HBCU's, Higher Education February 19, 2016

Let’s Sum Up Louisiana’s Approach to Higher Education Spending with 5 Events

A report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) shines a spotlight on how far funding for higher education has fallen since the start of the recession. Particularly for states in the south, funding “is down by more than 35 percent since the start of the recession.”

Overall tuition at public four-year colleges is up almost 30 percent since 2007. Even worse for students who attend schools in the south– like Florida and Georgia–the report states that tuition skyrocketed 60 percent.

Considering the government has cut Pell Grants and wage growth has been stagnant, such a steep rise in tuition has likely priced many students out of attending college.

Louisiana is no exception to the Southern states whose policy has once included serious budget cuts for higher education. But, believe it or not, even Louisiana, one of the most severely cost-cutting states, has had a turnaround when it comes to higher education. Here are five steps in the journey to keep Louisiana’s colleges safe from loss of funds.

Governor Bobby Jindal suggested cuts to higher education—as high as $600 million. Louisiana State University (LSU) went so far as to draw paperwork to file for academic bankruptcy just in case the state decided to go through with the decreases.
Louisiana legislators approved a “spending plan that favors higher education.” The plan included $615 million in new revenue that would save the state’s colleges and universities, including LSU, from having to lay off employees and cut programs and services due to the budget shortfall.

According to NOLA.com, the original plan had the House Appropriations Committee raising close to $1 billion. Because that plan didn’t go through, the House still had to make cuts. Fortunately for higher education, those reductions were redirected elsewhere.

Healthcare funding will “fall $180 million short” and the new University Medical Center in New Orleans is missing close to $90 million due to the lack of state revenue.

On one hand, it’s great that the future of the state’s college students will not be compromised due to a budget shortfall, but Louisiana’s most vulnerable may be in peril because of bad money decisions by the state’s leaders.

The state’s scholarship program called TOPS would see funding limitations as a result of the budget shortfall. This will require families in the state to assume more responsibility “for coverage more of their tuition bills moving forward.”
Louisiana education leaders are asking for “twice as much money next year” after the state’s budget crisis this past year.

Currently state schools receive nearly $770 million in funding, but due to the shortfall and other needs, leaders are requesting $1.4 billion in funding for 2016-2017.

But the request is steeped in good news. While Louisiana may have budget issues, the additional money is needed to keep up with a growing workforce in the state.

“Higher education needs to add slots and expand programs at both two-year and four-year colleges to meet these needs, but doesn’t have resources to do so currently,” officials said.

According to NOLA.com, the state’s job market demands cannot be met if new money isn’t approved.

It will be tough sledding as education leaders had to fight just to get the current level of funding. In order to meet budget needs, many states–including Louisiana–will cut higher education funding to stay afloat.

NOLA.com reports that “[s]ince 2008, more than $700 million has been removed from Louisiana’s colleges and universities’ budgets — a larger cut than any other state higher education system in the country has had to endure.”

It’s why leaders are concerned that filling critical positions in the state’s workforce will be compromised if the new money isn’t approved.

A decision on when, or if, the request will be approved will not come until the state legislature meets for its next session in 2016.

Bobby Jindal wanted more education cuts in Louisiana. Governor Bobby Jindal reportedly wanted to cut over $600 million from higher education, but was rebuffed by leaders in the state legislature.

In speaking with the press in late 2015, Jindal notes that he was upset that lawmakers didn’t cut from the state’s higher education fund.

To close the state’s budget shortfall, lawmakers used money from the rainy day fund. Despite Jindal’s opposition, the fact that higher education funds weren’t slashed even further is good for just about everyone else.

Nola.com notes that the move saved many schools from being reorganized.

“The Louisiana Legislature voted overwhelmingly last week to draw down around $28 million from the rainy day fund to cope with a midyear budget shortfall. The move allowed public colleges and universities to avoid reductions in the current budget cycle — though the outgoing governor said he would have preferred more reductions.”

Governor-Elect John Bel Edwards says that he wants to increase the budget for higher education, which will undoubtedly appease education leaders in the state.

Louisiana changed their course, but many other states are not so lucky. Students are being priced out of attending post-secondary institutions, the quality of higher education has been compromised, and we’re still grappling with how to properly keep many colleges afloat.

That, unfortunately, is the price we pay for bad policy.

Thoughts on the trend of higher education cuts? Did Louisiana make the right decision in bucking this trend? Please share your thoughts.

Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation, Matthew Lynch, OpEducation February 18, 2016

What’s Wrong with MOOCs and Why Aren’t They Working?

Note: The following guest piece comes to us courtesy of Harman Singh, CEO of WizIQ. He founded the company in 2006, which has evolved to be the first and only online global education marketplace to offer live instructor-led learning. His career as a visionary e-learning innovator spans more than 13 years. Singh has successfully leveraged technology to replicate the classroom experience online making it more accessible, for both students and teachers. Singh has directed the company’s growth, while developing and creating WizIQ’s vision and business strategy.

As technology advances, we have more access to information. One technology, Massive Open Online Courses (better known as MOOCs) is beginning to change the way we look at education. These online courses are free and filled with information on just about anything you want to learn – from project management skills to learning a new language. And because MOOCs are free, access is open to anyone with a computer.

Just as learners have open access to MOOCs, instructors from schools and universities to a variety of education providers, and practically anyone with a skill to share can host a MOOC. The emergence of MOOCs has the potential to inevitably change the way we receive our education.

Just how prevalent are MOOCs? There are hundreds of MOOCs globally, some from even established universities such as Harvard and Stanford. MOOCs fill a void for learners who lack the time – and/or dollars – to physically attend a course featuring high-quality content. Needless to say, MOOCs are regarded as a game-changer in online education.

But are they really changing the game in learning?

Why MOOCs Aren’t Working Right Now

In the future, MOOCs have the potential to completely transform education. However, as of right now, don’t expect to see universities shutting down as a result, as some experts have begun projecting. Despite the recent rapid rise in MOOCs, this format continues to be an evolving model, and one that isn’t quite established yet.

Despite the seemingly unlimited access to free information through MOOCs, a 2012-2013 study conducted by MIT and Harvard revealed an overwhelming 95 percent of students dropped their online courses before completion, a rate substantially higher than traditional education’s dropout rates. While some students have expressed satisfaction taking MOOCs, others give various reasons for dropping them. Among the most common reason cited behind this dropout rate: there is no live teacher engagement.

Currently, just 10 percent of MOOC registrants complete their courses. Why – if all the materials are free and available with the click of a mouse? MOOCs are structured using a series of pre-recorded video-based, self-paced classes offered to students for free. There are no live instructors to help facilitate the classes, lectures or content. There is also no straight-and-narrow path from beginning-to-end and the format does not encourage the exchange of different thoughts and ideas among learners. The lack of live instructor involvement also means no follow-up with the student, or any assurance along the way that the student’s learning trajectory is heading in the right direction. At the course’s conclusion, only the learner can determine if he or she was successful.

The modern MOOC – without live and interactive teacher engagement – is essentially an Internet version of a book. That said, there is tremendous potential for the MOOC to evolve in a major way. To reduce dropout rates, the MOOC must be structured around live teacher engagement.

Some online learning platforms are now taking notice of this need for student-teacher engagement. At WizIQ, for example, our platform is an open marketplace where anyone can offer a MOOC, but we are integrating actual teacher engagement into the MOOC, filling a need within the online education sector.

Still Plenty of Room – and Time – For Growth

With the potential evolution for more online courses to include live instructor interaction, MOOCs can have a significant impact in higher education. Economics alone provides a huge advantage for MOOCs. According to a Deloitte study: “Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): Not Disrupted Yet, But The Future Looks Bright,” in 2003, the total amount of student debt in the U.S. had reached more than $200 billion. Just nine years later, that debt ballooned to $1 trillion. In that same study, since 2000, the tuition cost in colleges has increased by 72 percent, whereas earnings for people ages 25-30 have decreased by 15 percent. Looking at this information, it’s obvious that economics are on the side of MOOCs.

Some colleges have partnered with companies to develop programs and pipelines that meet the student’s current and future needs. This type of partnership could also help students enter the workforce fresh out of graduation. If, somehow, MOOCs are able to establish similar partnerships with companies and provide better opportunities for students to find work, there is a real incentive for people not to go to college and just register for MOOCs. This shift will not occur anytime soon, however, because the social pressure to go to college and get a degree still exists. Such pressure results in the ongoing issue of student debt in our country. When this pressure no longer exists, and when economics play a larger role in determining how students receive their education, it is at that point when MOOCs could potentially replace higher education as we know it.

In addition to its potential in higher education, MOOCs that feature instructor engagement will also benefit those taking courses to enrich their lives. Classes like learning an instrument, a foreign language or how to cook would be enhanced by the presence of a live instructor, who can exchange feedback with the student on whether or not the assignments are being done properly. Programming courses on WizIQ, for example, allow students access to remote, virtual labs with live lab instructors to run programs practicing real world scenarios. This method is far more efficient than learning from a video-based course, or trying to understand course lessons on YouTube.

Where Will MOOCs Be Just Two Years From Now?

Within the next two years, MOOCs will quickly evolve from lacking teacher engagement to having a lot of teacher engagement. Right now, it’s essentially a model where computers are teaching students. This model is simply not sustainable in the long run without live student-teacher engagement. Teachers are the key that unlocks learning in these courses. They help students resolve issues and problems.

Will the biggest change in online education moving forward be putting live teachers at the center of the MOOC (not just on video)? We will know the answer very soon.

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Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, Matthew Lynch February 17, 2016

Grading Obama on Higher Education: Part II

By Matthew Lynch

Several weeks ago, I discussed President Obama’s education record in my introduction to education class. In particular, we talked about P-20 education, which begins in preschool and ends with graduate school. Predictably, the debate became quite contentious. Most of us had to agree to disagree on the most central points of educational politics. Partly in response to this debate, though, I decided to write an assessment of Obama’s education record in several areas of P-20 education issuing a letter grade (A-F) to make my position on his record abundantly clear.

Here is part II of my assessment of the president’s major initiatives in postsecondary education.

Plans to Make College More Affordable. While not a direct K-12 initiative, the President’s desire to make college education affordable for all Americans will impact future K-12 classrooms. In August, 2013, the President announced plans to assign a ratings systems to colleges by the 2015 school year, factoring tuition, graduation rate, debt and earnings ratios of graduates, and percentage of low-income students.

The grand plan? To base the amount of federal financial aid colleges receive on the rankings system by 2018. The overall principle is not to call out colleges but rather to make them more accountable to students, to ensure that every American is able to attend college if they want to. Long term, this initiative aims to enhance teacher quality in the classrooms, particularly in urban settings. Having more lower-income college graduates should enhance the entire education system and the college scorecard initiative is a step in that direction based on research, including evidence suggesting that the most effective teachers are generally those who come from the same background

Recently, President Obama also made waves when he visited three college campuses and talked about the possibility of implementing a rating system to provide the public with greater details about the total cost, graduation rates, and alumni earnings of individual colleges and universities. Students choosing schools with higher ratings would have more access to Pell Grants and affordable loan programs. The plan is twofold. First it aims to put more useful information into the hands of consumers. Second, it aims to provide better affordability for young people who seek out higher education.

College Scorecard Proposal. Obama’s “college scorecard” proposal is just one more step in the right direction. The system aims to make colleges more accountable to the federal government. Right now federal student aid is doled out mainly on college enrollment numbers, to the tune of $150 billion annually, and there is no accountability for that money.

Numerous publications claim to have the perfect formula for ranking the “best colleges and universities” but none are officially sanctioned by the government. The President’s ranking plan would avoid the fluff of other rating systems and address the core of educational matters: cost, graduation rates, and employment rates for graduates.

The college ranking plan aims to benefit minority students in particular as well. Though minority college student numbers are rising, 61 percent of college students in 2010 were considered Caucasian compared to just 14 percent Black students, 13 percent Hispanic students and 6 percent Asian or Pacific Islander students. Based on these statistics alone, minority students are at a disadvantage when it comes to attending and graduating from college.

A rankings system providing more grant money and more affordable loan options to students aims to make the dream of a college a reality to more minorities. As more first-generation minorities attend colleges, choosing schools with high graduation rates (many of which likely have strong guidance policies in place) and good job placement will mean more career successes. Not only does the plan aim to drive down individual costs of college attendance, but it aims to ensure that those same students complete their college training and find work. A ranking system with federal oversight will aim to put pressure on institutions of higher learning to perform well, benefitting attendees.

Solely on higher education record, I will have to give President Obama an A. The Obama administration’s education agenda began in the midst of one of the worst economic downturns since the Great Depression. Since his inauguration, President Obama and Arne Duncan have aggressively tackled the tough problems in higher education, and have made genuine progress. He has certainly earned his A in my opinion.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, Matthew Lynch February 16, 2016

College Scorecards and Affordability for Minorities

Recently, President Obama made waves when he visited three college campuses and talked about plans to make higher education more affordable. His proposals include implementation of a rating system that would provide the general public with greater details about the total cost, graduation rates and alumni earnings of individual colleges and universities. Students choosing schools with higher ratings would have more access to Pell Grants and affordable loan programs. The plan is twofold in nature – first, getting more useful information into the hands of consumers and second, providing better affordability for young people who seek out higher education.

The rising cost of a college degree has been a concern of the Obama administration throughout both terms in the White House. College graduates in 2010 left their schools with an average of $26,000 in debt, leading to higher student loan debt in America than credit card debt. In order to reach his goal of leading the world in percentage of college graduates by 2020, Obama has been vocal about lowering the cost of the college process and providing more targeted, useful programs that address the needs of the economy. He has also called for more investments in community colleges and individual vigilance on the part of colleges to help rein in costs of higher education.

This new “college scorecard” proposal is just one more step in that direction. Like public K-12 schools, colleges would be held more accountable by the federal government and would be compared to each other through data that truly matters. Right now federal student aid is doled out mainly on college enrollment numbers, to the tune of $150 billion annually, and there is no accountability for that money. This plan would ensure that the schools benefitting students the most would be rewarded.

Numerous publications claim to have the perfect formula in place for ranking the “best colleges and universities” based on a variety of factors but none are officially sanctioned by the government. The President’s ranking plan would avoid the fluff of other rating systems and address the core of educational matters: cost, graduation success and chances for achievement in the career that follows. These are the real stats that all students, whether recent high school graduates or those returning to campus for the first time in a few decades, need to make informed decisions.

In terms of minority students, the college ranking plan is beneficial. Though minority college student numbers are rising, 61 percent of college students in 2010 were considered Caucasian in comparison to just 14 percent Black students, 13 percent Hispanic students and 6 percent Asian or Pacific Islander students. Based on these statistics alone, minority students are at a disadvantage when it comes to attending and graduating from college. Every student situation is different but the cost of college and accompanying loan interest rates certainly play into the unbalanced collective college population.

A rankings system that effectively provides more grant money and more affordable loan options to students will make the dream of a college education a reality to more minorities. As more first-generation minorities attend colleges, choosing schools with high graduation rates (many of which likely have strong guidance policies in place) and good job placement will mean more career successes. Not only will the plan drive down individual costs of college attendance, but it will better ensure that those same students complete their college training and find work.

The time has arrived for colleges to be held more accountable to their consumers. A ranking system with federal oversight will certainly put the pressure on institutions of higher learning to perform well, benefitting attendees.

What do you think the college scorecard system should definitely include?