Education Commons^™

Designing A Summer Transition Program For Incoming And Current College Students On The Autism Spectrum: A Participatory Approach, Emily Hotez, Christina Shane-Simpson, Rita Obeid, Danielle Denigris, Michael Siller, Corinna Costikas, Jonathan Pickens, Anthony Massa, Michael Giannola, Joanne D'Onofrio, Kristen Gillespie-Lynch

Publications and Research

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face unique challenges transitioning from high school to college and receive insufficient support to help them navigate this transition. Through a participatory collaboration with incoming and current autistic college students, we developed, implemented, and evaluated two intensive week-long summer programs to help autistic students transition into and succeed in college. This process included: (1) developing an initial summer transition program curriculum guided by recommendations from autistic college students in our ongoing mentorship program, (2) conducting an initial feasibility assessment of the curriculum [Summer Transition Program 1 (STP1)], (3) revising our initial curriculum, guided by …

Exploring Shifting Moments Of Remediation: An Analysis Of Policies Of Developmental Education Policies In The City University Of New York, Charles Jordan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

For decades the City University of New York has served as a model for public higher education in the United States. Since 1969, CUNY has attempted to construct policies that support the postsecondary ambitions of New York’s underrepresented students. The era of Open Admissions that ushered in the 1970s remains one of the greatest social experiments in the history of higher education, permitting access to the university to all local high school graduates. Through fiscal erosion and shifts in legislative policy, the open admissions period devolved into a period of stagnation and low standards over the next thirty years. By …

From College To Careers: Tracking The First Two Years For Graphic Design Graduates, Kathryn Weinstein

Publications and Research

This article presents the findings of a two-year longitudinal pilot study of one graduating class from an undergraduate graphic design degree program of a New York City public college. Through an initial survey and four subsequent surveys over a two-year period, the study has sought to determine the percentage of graduates who found employment in the field of graphic design, the length of time graduates persisted before exiting the field, and the identification of factors that influenced the ability of these thirty-seven graduates to secure employment as graphic designers. Two years after graduation, the majority (65 percent) of the cohort …

The History Books Tell It? Collective Bargaining In Higher Education In The 1940s, William A. Herbert

Publications and Research

This article presents a history of collective bargaining in higher education during and just after World War II, decades before the establishment of applicable statutory frameworks for labor representation. It examines the collective bargaining program adopted by the University of Illinois in 1945, along with contracts negotiated at other institutions. The article also examines the role of United Public Workers of America (UPWA) and its predecessor unions in organizing and negotiating on behalf of faculty, teachers, and instructors. The first known collective agreements applicable to faculty, teachers and instructors, were negotiated by those unions before UPWA was destroyed during the …

Institutional Investment In Teaching Excellence, Steven C. Taylor, Catherine Haras, Emily Daniell Magruder, Eva Fernández, Margery Ginsberg, Jake Glover

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The War On Higher Education Is Now Underway., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

In 1969, President Richard Nixon formally declared

a “war on drugs” that would be directed to combat the

use of illicit drugs in the U.S. This and other “wars,”

such as the “war on gangs” or “war on cancer” have

come to signify major efforts by the federal government

against something they perceive as a threat.

In past articles in this column I have written about

concerted efforts by some groups and conservative

media to diminish funding for higher education, defame

college education as a passport to better standards

of living, portray colleges and universities as “liberal

nests” out of …

Quality Of General Ed Generally Satisfactory., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

During the last few years, media have inundated us with bad news about higher education. Whether it is student debt, sexual assaults, or decreased enrollments, colleges and universities seem to be under siege. Add to that the bad press from op-ed writers about political correctness, uselessness of certain degrees, and the fascination with techno- logical fads such as MOOCs, and one can see how controversial higher education has become.

Apparently, someone forgot to ask students what they think.

Now a new national study seems to take care of that. According to a survey conducted with Gallup and Strada Educational Network …

The Economics Of American Higher Education, Robin Freedman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Economics of American Higher Education

by

Robin Freedman

Advisor: Anthony G. Picciano

American higher education is facing a perfect storm of converging issues and challenges which are threatening the demand for its product and the value proposition it offers. Many of these challenges, such as changing delivery models, rising student debt, lower government funding, growing economic inequality and job readiness concerns are all potential obstacles to a college degree, which continues to command a wage premium in the job market. Using a literature review methodology to examine the body of material that is available on this topic, a synthesis …

Female Administrators Face Discrimination In Ed., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

In past articles of this column we have reported

data that show that women in general find more

barriers than their male counterparts in getting

into academic careers. Further, female college professors

earn on average 10 percent less in salaries

than their male colleagues.

If you are a woman in academia and aspire to

an administrative job in order to substantially

improve your earnings and make them more in

par with the males around you, you should think

twice.

Reframing Readiness: Through The Cracked Looking Glass: The Framework For Success In Postsecondary Writing As Assessment Model, David Hyman

Publications and Research

The Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing (Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of Teachers of English, and National Writing Project) describes experiences and habits of mind that will equip students for success in college writing. This column highlights examples of the values espoused by the Framework and aims to increase understanding of this statement, advocating for its rich conception of writing.

Department Chairs Play Key Role In Education., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

In higher education, it has always been said

that the position of departmental chair is one of

the most difficult jobs. Chairs usually take over

the responsibility of managing the affairs of

their academic units without previous in-depth

preparation for the job and do so in a difficult

position where they have to implement policies

and practices from the college and university’s

administration, while having to still deal with

their colleagues on a daily basis.

On top of that they tend to return to the faculty

as another foot soldier after their stint as chair,

having to live with the …

The Winds Of Changes Shift: An Analyis Of Recent Growth In Bargaining Units And Representation Efforts In Higher Education, William A. Herbert

Publications and Research

This article analyzes data accumulated during the first three quarters of 2016 regarding completed and pending questions of representation involving faculty and student employees in higher education. It is part of a larger and continuing National Center research project that tracks faculty and graduate student employee unionization growth and representation efforts at private and public institutions of higher learning since January 1, 2013. The data presented in this article demonstrates that the rate of newly certified units at private colleges and universities since January 1, 2016 far outpaces new units in the public sector. There has been a 25.9% increase …

Higher Education Losing Ground In Public Opinion., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Student Evaluations Of Instructors May Be Flawed., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

For years, one of the most standard practices in

higher education has been what’s called “student

evaluation of teaching,” also known by its acronym

SET. This is a process that is carried out in just about

every college and university course every semester or

term. They are used essentially to measure how effective

a teacher is by surveying student satisfaction.

And the results of these surveys are used to make

many important decisions, such as whether or not

faculty members should be granted tenure – or even

keep their jobs.

A new study, however, is challenging the conventional

wisdom that …

College Libraries Eye Tradition In Era Of Change., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

One could argue that universities originated

from places like the Library of Alexandria, established

23 centuries ago in Egypt. Libraries like

the one in Alexandria attracted the most talented

intellectuals.

They contained not only a large number of

papyrus scrolls but also served as botanical gardens,

collections of art and places of residence

for scholars.

When modern universities were built, libraries

occupied a distinctive place where students and

faculty went on an almost daily basis to seek the

information they needed for their studies. But

over the last few decades their role has transformed

and lessened. One reason for this …

What Democrats Have Planned For Higher Education., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

The Democrats have made a number of concrete

promises regarding higher education if they win

the presidential elections. They promise concerted

actions against sexual assaults on campuses that

include comprehensive support for survivors, fair

judicial processes that prevent the use of cultural

biases against females as “inciters,” and increased

prevention efforts through education programs.

The Clinton campaign also promises support for

net neutrality, the idea that Internet service providers

should enable access to all content and applications

regardless of the source without favoring or blocking

particular products or websites. The Democratic plan

also proposes expanding availability of fiber-optic

broadband Internet …

How Higher Ed Will Fare Under Gop President., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

Last week we reported that when it comes to

higher education, the Republican platform for this

election was a single paragraph with no real details

of what they propose to do for the next four years.

Given that, the only thing we can do to discern what

their policies will be for the sector is to analyze their

speeches and past policies and stances.

For example, during their Cleveland convention

Republican leaders propose to decouple accreditation

from federal financial aid. That means that a lot

of colleges and universities will feel no pressure to

maintain a minimum of standards and …

What The Candidates Promise For Higher Ed, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

With the general elections just one month away it is

time to look at what the candidates for president of the

United States and their party platforms offer in terms of

higher education. Let’s start with the Republican party.

Donald Trump has not said much on the issue and his

party platform on higher education is confined to one

paragraph. “When student loan debt exceeds the nation’s

credit card debt, we must recognize that our higher education

system is on an unsustainable path. The Republican

Party supports an education system that provides families

with greater transparency and more information so …

The Critical Social Ecology Of Student Success In Higher Education: A Transformative Mixed Methods Study Of Undergraduates' Experiences And Outcomes At The City University Of New York (Cuny), Leigh Shebanie Mccallen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Ensuring success in higher education among historically underserved students is integral to social equity and mobility in the United States today. Scholars have called for research examining the complexity of factors determining educational pathways of students encountering circumstances that hinder progress toward a college degree in the context of broad-access public four-year universities and two-year community colleges, institutions most affected by declining federal and state support for higher education. The current research proposed a multidisciplinary applied model of underserved college student success to examine factors constraining and promoting the educational outcomes and social opportunities of undergraduate low-income, first in family …

What The Death Of Moocs Has Taught Us., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

One of the loudest hypes in the history of higher

education has been all the chat about MOOCs.

The idea of Massive Open Online Courses was

launched five years ago when Stanford University

announced that by using Internet-based technologies

they would be able to offer college classes

for free.

Imagine, a world-class university offering a free

education from the comfort of your home, one that

didn’t require any admission tests or high school

transcripts. The possibilities were so exciting that

immediately there was talk about the final revolution

in higher education – the end of colleges and

universities as we …

Learning From Australia’S Funding Of Higher Ed., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

One of the most controversial issues in higher education today is its cost, particularly for the students who end up carrying the burden of heavy college loan debt. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the total U.S student loan debt was $1.26 trillion in 2016, which is more than the total credit card debt in the country.

Despite Changes, College’S Role Remains The Same., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

In these times of continuous change and challenges

to higher education, it is not a bad idea to ponder

whether or not its fundamental mission has changed.

Most people accept that the main mission of colleges

and universities is the transmission of knowledge.

Whether that knowledge is used to learn

skills, get a better job, or simply for advancement of

intellectual growth, that is and has always been the

mission of higher education.

Should Students Assessed As Needing Remedial Mathematics Take College-Level Quantitative Courses Instead? A Randomized Controlled Trial, Alexandra W. Logue, Mari Watanabe, Daniel Douglas

Publications and Research

Many college students never take, or do not pass, required remedial mathematics courses theorized to increase college-level performance. Some colleges and states are therefore instituting policies allowing students to take college-level courses without first taking remedial courses. However, no experiments have compared the effectiveness of these approaches, and other data are mixed. We randomly assigned 907 students to (a) remedial elementary algebra, (b) that course with workshops, or (c) college-level statistics with workshops (corequisite remediation). Students assigned to statistics passed at a rate 16 percentage points higher than those assigned to algebra (p

Should Students Assessed As Needing Remedial Mathematics Take College-Level Quantitative Courses Instead? A Randomized Controlled Trial, Alexandra W. Logue, Mari Watanabe-Rose, Daniel Douglas

Publications and Research

This data set is for Should Students Assessed as Needing Remedial Mathematics Take College-Level Quantitative Courses Instead? A Randomized Controlled Trial (Logue, Watanabe-Rose, & Douglas, 2016).

Testing The Efficacy Of Mypsychlab To Replace Traditional Instruction In A Hybrid Course, Kasey L. Powers, Patricia J. Brooks, Magdalena Galazyn, Seamus Donnelly

Publications and Research

Online course-packs are marketed as improving grades in introductory-level coursework, yet it is unknown whether these course-packs can effectively replace, as opposed to supplement, in-class instruction. This study compared learning outcomes for Introductory Psychology students in hybrid and traditional sections, with hybrid sections replacing 30% of in-class time with online homework using the MyPsychLab course-pack and Blackboard course management system. Data collected over two semesters (N = 730 students in six hybrid and nine traditional sections of ∼50 students) indicated equivalent final-grade averages and rates of class attrition. Although exam averages did not differ by class format, exam grades in …

Collaboration Between The Library And Office Of Student Disability Services: Document Accessibility In Higher Education, Rebecca Arzola

Publications and Research

Purpose – The paper aims to discuss the relationship between interdepartmental stakeholders in higher education and the information identified as a result of collaborations. It proposes that collaborations can help clarify issues to then advocate for them.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper opted for a naturalistic case study design, gathering direct and participant observation of interdepartmental collaborations including 1 Student Share, 12 one-hour collaborative sessions and 1 Accessibility Conference.

Findings – The paper provides observed insight about student needs to have documents that are accessible for assistive technologies to recognize and read how change is brought about during internal brand building. …

Transdisciplinarity: A Review Of Its Origins, Development, And Current Issues, Jay H. Bernstein

Publications and Research

Transdisciplinarity originated in a critique of the standard configuration of knowledge in disciplines in the curriculum, including moral and ethical concerns. Pronouncements about it were first voiced between the climax of government-supported science and higher education and the long retrenchment that began in the 1970s. Early work focused on questions of epistemology and the planning of future universities and educational programs. After a lull, transdisciplinarity re-emerged in the 1990s as an urgent issue relating to the solution of new, highly complex, global concerns, beginning with climate change and sustainability and extending into many areas concerning science, technology, social problems and …

Structuring Online & Hybrid College Courses, Janet Michello

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Nothing For Money And Your Work For Free: Internships And The Marketing Of Higher Education, Mara Einstein

Publications and Research

American universities have significantly increased their marketing expenditures over the last decade. The high cost of education, reductions in government funding, and precipitous declines in the traditional college-aged population (18-21 year olds) are some of the key factors forcing universities to be more aggressive with the promotional techniques they use to attract prospective students. In this competitive marketplace, schools promote the attributes they believe will be most compelling to high schoolers and their parents, including academics, sports, campus life, and careers. Tied into this last factor is the promotion of internship opportunities. While some of these hands-on experiences lead to …

Apparel And Textiles Education: A Case For Rural- Urban Interface, Alyssa Dana Adomaitis, Diana Saiki

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.