Experience, Reflection, Action First-Year Program’s Post

Here is an important event: How can we better support neurodivergent students in higher education? You can sign up for the workshop here:

Over the last several weeks I've been fortunate to be included in discussions organized by Jeff Doyle as part of a class he is offering on the Future of Higher Education. This week we were looking at predictions/trends in higher education. Based on the readings and discussion, here is a little more detail on the fourth hot topics/trend that I feel will be front and center for the 24-25 academic year. Would love to hear thoughts from others: 4️. Redefining How We Determine and Award Credit for Learning Innovations in awarding credit for learning are redefining higher education. The fairly recently established Carnegie Post-Secondary Commission is at the forefront, examining how to create scalable, affordable, and career-aligned pathways for all but particularly for low-income, underrepresented, and first-generation students.. This may even lead to a redefinition of what has been the standard for awarding college credit for decades, the Carnegie Unit. Learn more about their initiatives here: Carnegie Post-Secondary Commission and Carnegie Foundation. https://lnkd.in/e9iGM-Uh

Registration is open!! https://lnkd.in/ed6583iT The 20th Annual York University Graduate Student Conference in Education will be taking place from May 6-8, 2024. This milestone year marks a bold exploration of uncharted territories within the field of education under the theme Beyond Taboos: Rethinking Education for a Changing World. Theme Overview: In the realm of education, we often encounter unspoken norms, silenced narratives, and forbidden territories. The theme of "Taboo" invites us to delve into the unconventional, challenging the status quo and questioning the boundaries of conventional educational discourse. This conference seeks to confront the uncomfortable, address silenced narratives, and provoke critical dialogue on the power dynamics, social constructs, and systemic structures that contribute to what is considered taboo in education.

The work of the Kessler Scholars Collaborative is grounded in evidence-based practices to support first-generation, limited-income college students and guided by ongoing external evaluation led by Ithaka S+R. We are pleased to share an overview of initial work on the project by Ifeatu Oliobi, PhD, Caroline Doglio, and Dillon Ruddell that captures program activities and student experiences across the 2022-2023 academic year, just ahead of this past year’s launch of 10 new Kessler Scholars campus sites. The evaluation team's report reflects strong student engagement with the cohort-based model of the Kessler Scholars Program, with 92% of scholars during the 2022-2023 academic year reporting they were satisfied with their program experience, 94% of scholars reporting that support they received from the program met or exceeded their expectations, and 98% of scholars saying they had benefited from program assistance. The Ithaka team also points to the importance of further study of the kind of holistic structure the Kessler Scholars provides: “Emerging scholarship from the past decade suggests that a more coordinated approach—one that aligns support efforts to meet students’ multifaceted needs and holistically engages students’ multiple identities, assets, and experiences—may be more effective.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gnxXSmpt

Nice to see this first review by James McDonald of THE NEW GLOBAL UNIVERSITIES: “Penprase and Pickus lead us through a cutting-edge exploration of new, innovative global universities, and one that recenters the powerful teaching-learning approach of liberal education as a transformative experience for individuals, but also the regions and nations in which they serve and contribute.”—New York Journal of Books https://shorturl.at/iTZ17

Higher education aims to educate diverse and unique professionals. However, assessment still relies upon standardisation, namely, that all students should demonstrate their achievement in ways that are largely comparable, if not identical. Herein lies the fundamental paradox between student diversity and assessment. In our new study with Mollie Dollinger and Rachel Finneran called ‘There was very little room for me to be me’, we explore the lived tensions between assessment standardisation and student diversity. We discuss how diverse students must 'fit in the box' of assessment, as phrased by one of our participants. Our study is conducted in the context of placements, but the findings will surely resonate beyond this immediate context. This makes us wonder: If students cannot bring who they truly are to these assessments, who and what are we actually assessing? Likely, the answer is standardised, normalised versions of students – the parts of them that ‘fit in the box’ – that neither value the full range of their strengths nor encourage inclusive, diverse higher education. Read the whole study here, it's Open Access! https://lnkd.in/g2dVhJmH

The Transition from High School to College One of life's largest shifts, the transition from excessive faculty to university, is complete with growth, excitement, and uncertainty. https://lnkd.in/gNFzwHiS

Understanding the importance of nurturing students' academic confidence as the academic year progresses is crucial for parents. As students transition from Spring Break to the end of the school year, this period becomes pivotal for laying a strong foundation for future success. By instilling a sense of achievement and self-assurance in students during this time, parents help equip them with the resilience and determination needed to tackle academic challenges ahead.

World Class Universities ( WCU ) & Our Universities : Where We Fail really ? Transformation of a university into a World Class University (WCU) is a dream for every higher education institution (HEI). However, ambition alone doesn't guarantee success. In fact, many universities invest heavily in physical facilities instead of academics and research, neglecting the need to attract the best talent from around the world. In my observation, less than 10% of teachers in universities aspiring for WCU are of high quality, and talented individuals are not given the support and freedom they need to thrive. Instead, only sycophant teachers are promoted, creating a situation where self-respecting talented teachers are forced to leave the organization. This results in a "Talent Draining" situation rather than "Talent Retaining." To become a magnetic force of attracting talent from the world, universities must invest in attracting the best students and teachers-researchers from across the globe. Let's work towards turning the dream of becoming a WCU into a reality by investing in academics, research, and attracting the best talent from around the world. Instead of “ Concentration of Talent” , mostly we find “Concentration of Sycophants “ . This is our tragedy. Will our university founders and management learn a lesson to overcome this kind of felure ? What you say ? #WorldClassUniversity #IndianUniversities #ConcentrationOfTalent #CrisisOfIndianUniversities #HigherEducationInstitutions #ProfSudhirGavhane

To what extent do my assessment practices permit for, value, and let shine the diversity of learners? This study is great food for thought and a wonderful contribution to assessment and inclusivity, diversity, equity, accessibility (IDEA) scholarship.