Posts filed under 'College Trends'
Here’s the scene I saw recently at a public university: Students spread out with laptops perched on tables or their knees, reviewing course material, doing online research, and of course, logging onto Facebook.
It may not be much different than what you see in the halls of your high school or at libraries or coffee shops.
A few of the college students had iPads, Kindles, and Nooks. But for the most part, the majority of them had the essential gear for a college student – a laptop – as they crowded into cozy booths near a coffee shop, claimed cushy chairs around TV screens, took a break to eat at tables in and near restaurants, and even sat on the floor near the stairs.
A lot of them had pricey physical textbooks and required books for class out with them, too.
But that all may be changing. Apple just started selling e-texbooks with a new version of its iBooks store, and high schools can buy them for their students. Plus, five colleges –the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Minnesota, the University of Virginia, the University of Wisconsin, and Cornell University – are planning to purchase e-textbooks in bulk (through the Internet2 program).
It’s great that these colleges are making an effort to curb the high costs of textbooks for students. But one big question is what type of prices can be set for the e-textbooks, and if they can truly be less expensive than traditional textbooks.
Other challenges still exist, such as making sure the e-textbooks are compatible on a laptop, smartphone, and tablet. The students at the colleges in the pilot e-textbooks program will use Courseload software to print, access eTexts on tablets, smartphones, and computers, and use annotation that can be shared with classmates and instructors.
Throughout your college experience, textbooks are going to be a big part of your budgeting each semester and anything that can be done to reduce costs can be helpful. And even better, those bulky backpacks filled with traditional textbooks may no longer be something you have to lug around.
What do you think — is the e-textbook a great idea or tech overload?
-Lori Johnston
January 26th, 2012
Recently, 23 universities were awarded a total of $150 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education and private donors who want these innovative programs to help millions of students.
We took a look at the list of recipients in the 2011 Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund competition. There are some cool efforts that colleges and organizations, from coast to coast, are doing with middle school and high school students. See for yourself – here are four worthy of the spotlight:
Old Dominion University Research Foundation (Norfolk, Va.)
What it’ll do: Improve math instruction in high-need middle schools in Virginia, Texas, and Kansas by using online coaching, videos of effective classroom instruction for teachers, and a virtual community of learners.
North Carolina New Schools Project
What it’ll do: Create Early College High School programs in 18 rural schools that serve high-need students.
Oakland (Calif.) Unified School District
What it’ll do: Help improve college readiness by implementing The College Board’s EXCELerator process and providing other support to students and teachers.
Berea College (Berea, Ky.)
What it’ll do: Use Advanced Placement training in middle schools and high schools participating in the college’s Promise Neighborhoods project.
Do you feel as if your school system or local colleges and universities are helping you get ready for college? Let us know in the comments below.
-Lori Johnston
January 24th, 2012
For the first time, U.S. News has ranked online bachelor’s degree programs, giving another resource for those of you researching online learning in college.
The ranking looked at 196 online bachelor’s degree programs (plus more than 500 master’s degree programs) from for-profit and not-for-profit schools. To be considered an online program, at least 80 percent of the content had to be delivered online.
To stand out, the programs had to have strong faculty credentials and training, student services and technology, and student engagement and assessment – all of which can help enrich the online learning experience.
You may be surprised to see which four schools made the honor roll for online bachelor’s degree programs.
These universities are not for-profit institutions and are not in the online-only business – they have a long history of on-campus education, too. Another thing they all have in common: Classes are recorded and available online, which allows students to listen to lecture material when their schedule allows. Here’s a sneak peek…
Pace University (based in New York, NY) – Pace is proving the bigger doesn’t need to be better. With 196 students in its online bachelor’s degree programs – according to U.S. News data – the school ranked fourth in faculty credentials in and training and 10th in student engagement and assessment.
Granting online bachelor’s degree since: 2004
Online bachelor’s degrees: iPace Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program (B.B.A. in Business Studies w/concentrations in Internal Auditing and Business Communications, B.S. in Professional Technology Studies w/concentration in Computer Forensics)
B.S. in Professional Technology Studies, a part-time program offered in conjunction with the National Coalition for Telecommunications Education and Learning (NACTEL).
Florida Institute of Technology (based in Melbourne, FL) - In Florida Institute of Technology’s online bachelor’s degree program, students can still work full time while earning their degree, and courses last eight weeks. An estimated 4,631 students are enrolled in those programs, according to U.S. News, with the most popular being business administration and management.
Granting online bachelor’s degree since: 2008
Online bachelor’s degrees: B.A. in accounting, applied psychology, business administration, criminal justice; B.S. in computer information systems.
University of Florida (based in Gainesville, FL) – Students are joining the Gator Nation from afar, as online learners at the University of Florida. It has 557 students pursuing their bachelor’s degree online, according to U.S. News. The school cracked the top 20 in faculty credentials and training, coming in at No. 17.
Granting online bachelor’s degrees since: 2002
Online bachelor’s degrees: B.S. in microbiology and cell sciences, business administration, fire and emergency services, health education and behavior, sport management, and applied physiology and kinesiology
Westfield State University (based in Westfield, MA) – Westfield is tops among all online bachelor’s programs for faculty credentials and training, recognizing its focus on ensuring quality education by requiring all faculty who teach online to go through training. The school offers degree completion programs that allow most students with an associate’s degree to complete their bachelor’s degree online. Its online bachelor’s program had 57 students enrolled, according to U.S. News, but the school expects that online student enrollment will increase by a 300 percent this year.
Granting online bachelor’s degrees since: 2008
Online bachelor’s degrees: Business, liberal studies, history and sociology
The fact that online bachelor’s degrees programs are now included in U.S. News’ reflects how they are a viable option for students today.
What about online learning intrigues you most?
January 10th, 2012
When you’re on a campus tour, be sure to check out for yourself all the spots where college students spend time studying. Some stake their claim in spots for hours, preparing for big tests or writing major papers, while others grab theirs for just a few minutes to cram before a test.
Here are 11 spots where you’ll find college students studying – and you may be joining them soon!
1. Outside on the quad
On sunny days, students gravitate outside to soak up some rays while hopefully also soaking up some knowledge. Nice grassy spots on campus, at your school’s intramural fields, or at local parks or nature trails help you make an afternoon of studying. Bring along a picnic and a Frisbee for (hopefully short) study breaks.
2. Bars
Before the music gets blaring at bars and clubs near campus, some students chill out midday with a textbook or their laptops. Some are 18 and up; others are 21 and up. Beverages and food are available, and some students of legal age choose to study with a beer or glass of wine, too.
3. Libraries
At your college, you’ll quickly learn which libraries are most conducive for studying and which ones are best for socializing. At some schools, even certain floors of a library have no-talking zones, while others are open to groups who need to discuss class notes or information for class projects. If you need to get some intense studying done, look for the libraries where graduate students hang out, like a school’s law library, and see if they allow undergraduate students in.
4. Gyms
Working out can be a great stress reliever, and it’s common to see students on treadmills and elliptical machines with reading materials or homemade flash cards in hand. If you’re into weights, reading a few pages also is a way to take a break between sets.
5. On the job
Some jobs in college offer environments where, when there’s no customer or work assigned by your employer, you can hit the books. Maybe it’s working at the library, a movie theater, or checking IDs at a dining hall.
6. Coffee shops
You may already be doing this as a high school student, but coffee shops remain one of the most popular spots for studying while in college. The java keeps flowing while you learn, and there’s often free wireless Internet access. But beware – it can be costly choice for endless lattes or frozen coffee drinks, so think about your budget. Also, seating can be limited, especially near all-important outlets for laptops.
7. Student centers
Although some student centers are tempting environments, with movie theaters, eateries, and video game and pool rooms, they also offer plenty of seating and big tables for studying, as well as rooms you and your study partners can reserve. Some student centers are open 24 hours a day, particularly during finals week.
8. Your dorm room
Sometimes you just want to stay put. So close the dorm room door, get away from Facebook, don’t worry about finally cleaning or making the bed, and see how much you can get done. Your dorm also may have study rooms for you to get away, if your roommate is keeping you from focusing on school, but make sure it’s not a party scene in those rooms.
9. Vacant classrooms
Some buildings keep their classrooms open for studying, even after class is over. Just make sure you’re allowed to be in the rooms before setting up for studying.
10. Near your professor’s office
Especially a good idea if you need help on an assignment, park yourself outside your professor’s office or in a study room nearby, timed when the professor has office hours.
11. Memorial gardens
Some campuses have designated gardens, chapels, and cemeteries in memory of former students and faculty. Although it may seem morbid, the spaces are created for reflection. So the more quiet, reserved settings are spots where studying happens too, especially since there’s often benches or seating.
–Lori Johnston
November 10th, 2011
What’s scarier than the Saw series? More frightening than Freddy Krueger? For colleges and universities, it’s…DISGRUNTLED ALUMNI!!!
(Cue the Psycho music.)
College rankings, like those issued by U.S. News & World Report, have always held a controversial spot in the higher ed world, usually because no one but the staff of USN&WR truly understands the basis of those rankings. That’s why entrepreneur Tom Benghauser has decided to go rogue with College Straight Talk, his unprecedented system of university rankings that involves input from college alumni. And as a result, college administrators across the country find themselves foolishly running back into their houses as the crazed killer is on the loose.
Why are colleges running scared? Well, for one, it makes SENSE to ask the opinion of recent graduates. Most will probably have at least something good to say about their home campuses, but unfortunately for colleges, there will always be alumni who will hold grudges about something during their college years–not to mention that unemployed graduates may hold their alma mater in contempt for their lack of jobs, rather than the depressed economy.
Benghauser himself is a graduate of Princeton University and The University of Pennsylvania, so he got started by using his own alumni databases. UPenn noticed the inordinate amount of searching he was doing, found out why, and so the alumni office shut him down. (Boo, UPenn.) Benghauser labels himself a consumer advocate, but so far, colleges and universities aren’t buying it and are refusing to work with him.
Provided that Benhauser can access alumni to get their feedback, College Straight Talk will plan to calculate the results of its extensive surveys and put the data on one website for college-bound students and their parents to access.
Just like car shoppers can look up ratings on Consumer Reports, it seems as though college-bound students will soon be able to look up ratings from alumni on College Straight Talk. Good idea or ghastly idea? Leave a comment below.
–Barbara Bellesi
October 31st, 2011
You don’t have to look far on a college campus to see how Steve Jobs (ironically a college dropout himself) has helped revolutionize higher education.
During just two hours today at the University of Georgia, where I am an adjunct journalism professor, I saw many students serving as living reminders of Jobs’ creations:
• A female student jogging on the perimeter of campus, with an iPod attached to her arm under a T-shirt and those omnipresent white Apple earbuds sticking out of her ears.
• A group of students huddled in a classroom hallway watching a video on the small iPhone screen.
• Groups of students texting or reading Facebook or Twitter messages from their iPhones while waiting for campus buses outside the football stadium and student center.
• A guy sleeping in the student center with a MacBook Pro in his lap and iTunes piping music into his earphones.
• Students with MacBook screens open, finishing assignments or assigned reading from their laptops, able to squeeze in the work before class begins.
• Mac desktops lined up on workstations in classrooms, where students are learning video editing using Mac software, updating class blogs, working together on group projects and completing other assignments.
• Professors and students toting iPads loaded with apps, textbooks and assigned reading, often making it more affordable to buy the downloadable version instead of a traditional textbook.
The technology advancements that defined Jobs’ career help make the college learning experience more vibrant, in the moment, and even affordable. When I required my magazine writing students to subscribe to a magazine this semester, one iPad owner discovered the iPad subscription was cheaper.
Earlier this week, I sent a message to students about a class assignment, and within seconds, a student responded via iPhone. That accessibility is something that professors and students often appreciate, turning learning into a 24-7 experience.
Many students are bringing Apples to classes these days–and they’re just not giving them to the teachers.
–Lori Johnston (Photos by Michael Barone)
October 6th, 2011
Today, U.S. News & World Report released the 2012 edition of its always-anticipated, much-criticized college and university rankings. (I forgot to write it on my calendar, otherwise I would have baked a cake to celebrate.) But before you break out into your school’s fight song in honor of its being on the “it” list, or lament the fact that one of your choices didn’t make the cut at all, consider a few things:
Yawn. The Ivies always make the list. Do we really need a magazine to tell us that Harvard and Princeton are great schools? No. And I’m fairly certain that the admissions office at Yale isn’t exactly breathing a collective sigh of relief to know that the Bulldogs once again made the cut and that students will be applying this year, all because they are on the list as one of the best national universities. Tell us something we don’t know, for crying out loud…
The rankings are really just a bunch of lists that add up to….? It would be truly an accomplishment if there were one school that came out on the very top of a long, long list of colleges and universities across the country. It would then definitely earn the right to streak naked across its own campus screaming, “I’m the king of the world!” or something. But that’s not how USN&WR works, unfortunately. They divide colleges and universities into lists according to whether they are public or private, national or regional, big or small. Does this make for more manageable reading? Definitely, But depending on to which types of schools you’ll be applying, you won’t even pay attention to some of the lists. And there’s never enough room for all of the “good” schools that are on the list, which means…well, just keep reading.
Do NOT panic if your choice isn’t on the list. Again, there’s a formula at work here, and schools can slip up and down the list–as well as on and off–from year to year. Keep in mind that a good school will give you the proper education you need to succeed in life, but the other definition of “good school”–and a mighty important one at that–is that it is a good match for you.
So what exactly is the formula for these rankings? Don’t get me wrong: I love that both my undergraduate and graduate alma maters–Wagner College and Emerson College–made the list for top regional universities, but I don’t exactly know how they did it. And I don’t get much clarity from the explanation in the FAQs section of how USN&WR compiles their data. Hmm. Just what are the “16 areas related to academic excellence” anyway?
What do you think? Did you even know the rankings came out today, or did you stay up all night waiting for them to arrive like Santa Claus? Let us know what you’re thinking in the comment section below.
–Barbara Bellesi
September 13th, 2011
We’ve had some very wet weather in the New York this week, and I have to say I’m very glad to be tucked away in my office instead of trekking across a soggy campus. It was never fun for me to do so when I was a student, and I can’t imagine it’s a barrel of monkeys now. However, college girls have one thing that I didn’t have: RAIN BOOTS.
When I was in college, if you walked around in the rain with anything else but an umbrella and maybe one of those pullover windbreakers, you’d most likely get ribbed by everyone, including the professors. But now, wearing knee-high boots is not only a practical thing to do, but it’s also really cool. And with so many designs to choose from, you have a good chance of picking one that is uniquely suited to your style and personality. Take a look at some of these (all available at Target, by the way):
The Biker Boot
What it says about you: You can be edgy AND have dry feet.
Who wears it best?: Theatre majors
The Camouflage Boot
What it says about you: You’re ready for anything, though you can always hide in a trench if necessary.
Who wears it best?: Student athletes
The Hello Kitty Boot
What it says about you: You are as girly as they come.
Who wears it best?: Cute sorority girls
The Urban Boot
What it says about you: You really, really, really heart NYC.
Who wears it best?: Anyone but a New Yorker
The Old-School Boot
What it says about you: You enjoy letting your inner child out to play in the puddles.
Who wears it best?: Elementary education majors
The Fire-Engine Red Boot
What it says about you: You are confident and have lots of friends, who are now able to spot you from across campus.
Who wears it best?: Club presidents
The Argyle Boot
What it says about you: You are preppy and don’t care who knows it.
Who wears it best?: Spectators at college polo or crew meet, preferably wearing a string of pearls and a sweater tied around the shoulders.
The Plain Black Boot
What it says about you: You are practical, and this boot will coordinate with every outfit you own.
Who wears it best?: Accounting majors
What do you think? Leave a comment if you agree with my choices or would prefer to give this post the, uh, boot.
–Barbara Bellesi
September 8th, 2011
For years, “recession” has been the word on everyone’s lips. We’ve fretted about students dropping out of school in droves, because who could afford the cost of higher education? But, as it turns out, the recession’s effect on college enrollment – among traditional-age, first-time students (that’s you!) – is nothing to cry about.
According to a new report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, overall enrollments of new students rose from 1.997 million in 2006 to 2.135 million in 2010 – an increase of 6.8 percent. Public and private colleges, two-year and four-year, have maintained and even increased enrollments. The report, “National Postsecondary Enrollment Trends: Before, During, and After the Great Recession,” also examines enrollment patterns by region. Use this interactive tool to check out enrollment trends in your neck of the woods.
Kickin’ it at community college
Gone are the days when the only choice for high school grads is a four-year college. Research reveals that community college has become all the rage. In 2006, 41.7 percent of traditional-age students enrolled at two-year colleges; in 2009, 44.5 percent did so. Did you catch that? Almost half of all the kids going to college are opting for two-year schools.
But what’s in store for community colleges now that the recession is behind us? (Officially, the recession ran from December 2007 to June 2009, though we’re still experiencing its effects.) Between 2008 and 2009, enrollments of traditional-age, first-time students at two-year colleges increased by 8.3 percent. By 2010, however, enrollments decreased by 5.1 percent. The report suggests that many students flocked to community colleges because they couldn’t afford to go elsewhere. But time and again, these schools have proved to be an excellent higher education choice – Jill Biden herself has called community colleges “one of America’s best-kept secrets.”
The report also suggests that during the recession, students who would have gone to work right after high school opted to go to community college instead. Now, with a college education, these students can have much better employment opportunities than they would have had with just a high school diploma. Maybe the recession brought some good our way after all.
Staying in school
Another interesting feature of the recession research is the exploration of retention vs. persistence. Retention refers to a student’s continuing enrollment at the same college and persistence means a student’s continuing enrollment at any college. Oftentimes, we hear about low retention rates and bemoan the fact that students are dropping out of school. But without looking at persistence, we’re not getting the full story.
The research reveals that first- to second-year persistence rates were about 13 percentage points higher than retention rates. So students may have left one school, but they continued their education at another. This is especially true at community colleges, which were found to have the greatest gaps between retention and persistence. But as long as students are going to school somewhere, does it matter that it’s not where they started out? I don’t think so.
And more good news: though persistence rates were higher than retention rates, the report did not reveal significant drops in retention or persistence rates overall. So the recession didn’t bring about the mass dropouts we feared.
Improving your situation by pursuing higher education is always a good choice – no matter what the economic climate.
–Robyn Tellefsen
August 30th, 2011
One of the most burning questions college-bound students have before the start of freshman year is: Who’s gonna bring the TV? Whichever roommate has the biggest screen usually wins, and that means a lot of prime real estate will be reserved for it in a tiny dorm room.
Although you may still be planning on bringing a TV to school with you this fall, chances are you’ll be catching the latest episodes of your favorite show on your laptop or iPad, too. Because young adults like you are watching shows and movies online, it’s one of the reasons why the number of U.S. households with TV sets has dropped for the first time in 20 years, according to data by TV ratings company Nielsen. It declined just 98.9 percent to 96.7 percent, but considering how much our society loves TV, it’s a pretty big drop.
A common sight on college campuses today is students sitting around on campus or in their dorms with a laptop. Sure, they might be checking their email, but chances are they’re catching up with the latest antics of the “Jersey Shore” cast or laughing at a scene from a recently released comedy.
Rebecca Morrow, interim director of residential life at Albright College in Reading, Penn., writes in an e-mail: “In some cases yes, students opt not to have a TV in the room. I would say that for the most part students are still bringing a television (usually a flat screen) to campus. Generally, females bring smaller televisions and guys bring larger TVs for video games.”
Chad Quinones, who is on the residence life staff at Roanoke College in Salem, Va., says that students arrange their rooms around their flat screen HD TVs, which are brought in mostly to play video games.
Are you planning on bringing a TV to college? If so, will you watch TV or movies on it, or is it mostly for playing video games with friends?
–Lori Johnston
August 8th, 2011
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