College » Carol J. Carter

Harnessing the Upside of Technology in Higher Education

Achieving Student Engagement in the Digital Age

How will technology change the college-going experience over the next decade? Can the plugged-in generationÂ harness their proclivity for technology in ways that their professors can understand? Can professors move from teaching and telling to coaching and facilitating? Can faculty across the disciplines understand enough about technology to give their students the reigns they need to craft and deliver their own interactive learning? Can students have the self-reflection, judgment, and personal discipline Â to create the boundaries they need to aggregate and create the content from which they can learn? Can they resist the temptations to camp on Facebook or play video games to join on-line class discussions and make meaningful, thoughtful contributions to their fellow classmates while juggling reading and other self-paced class responsibilities?
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Do Remedial College Classes Cost More Than They’re Worth?

Only 32 percent of students who graduate from high school are academically prepared for college, according to research from the Manhattan Institute Center for Civic Information¹. Remedial classes in English, writing, and math are offered at many of today’s community and four-year colleges to address the overwhelming amount of students leaving high school without basic mastery of their core subjects.

Remedial classes are controversial because their worth is questioned in the grand scheme of things. Yes, remedial classes can open opportunities for more students to enter college who otherwise wouldn’t have the academic credentials to pursue an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree. However, remedial classes can also offer a false hope to many students.

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Will Khan Academy Replace the Traditional Classroom?

The flipped classroom model has begun to pick up speed in classrooms around the country, allowing students to watch lectures at home and teachers to spend more one-on-one time with students in the classroom as they complete work that would typically be done at home.

KhanÂ AcademyÂ is an open-source website that has attracted many followers, from teachers creating a curriculum that require students to watch aÂ KhanÂ AcademyÂ video to students looking for online help to complete their homework. Many experts in education believe the flipped classroom, with the help ofÂ KhanÂ Academy or websites like it, will change the traditional classroom for the 21st century student. However,Â KhanÂ AcademyÂ and the freedom that comes with learning behind a computer doesn’t come without its critics.

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Career Readiness Evaluated by a Test? The ACT Career Series

ACT Inc. just announced they are developing new assessments aimed at students between 3rd and 10th grade to test their college and career readiness skills. Many states are pushing for more students to leave school with the skills they need to succeed in college and career and ACT believes their new series, to be launched in 2014, will be the answer.

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Is College Worth It? When School Loan Debt Brings Less Opportunities

Higher education usually leads to higher pay and more job opportunities. With high unemployment rates, more people are staying in school longer — or returning to school — to reap these increased employment opportunities. In 2009, bachelor’s degree holders earned more than twice as much as those without a high school diploma, 50 percent more than those with a high school diploma, and 25 percent more than associate’s degree holders.¹
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Finding Higher Education that Fits Your Passions and Financial Ability

Raised prices and lowered standards. That’s a familiar expectation for many of our experiences and products today.

In his recent article, “Subprime College Educations,” George F. Will shares some statistics that shed light on how increased prices and lower standards are changing higher education. Over the last 30 years, college tuition and fees have risen over 440 percent. Today, twenty-nine percent of student-loan borrowers will not graduate. Many college grads are entering the workforce unable to get a job that can put a dent in their student loans (He gives the example of one young woman who graduated with a degree in religious and women’s studies and $100,000 in debt making barely enough to pay off her monthly student loan bill).

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Maximize Summer Learning: Tips for Brain Growth Over the Summer Months

Most summer learning programs are designed for younger students. A summer program or a list of books to checkout from the library is all it takes to help kids stay academically active over the summer months and ready to take on the next school year.

But what about college students? After a stressful senior year in high school or a challenging semester in college, many students are inclined to take a break from learning before the next semester. This can do more harm than good. Putting the brakes on learning at any point in one’s life is discouraged, especially in college where we hope students are learning knowledge is power, knowledge is infinite, and knowledge fades if it’s not put to use.

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Is Being “Special” a Responsibility?

Everyone is special.

That’s the message many students have learned over the last decade in supportive classrooms and home environments. That’s why for many a commencement speech that recently went viral was such a shock (and for some a breath of fresh air). Â In her article “Should We Stop Telling Our Kids That They’re Special?”Â Erika Christakis responded to the speaker who told the graduating class:Â “You’re not special, you are not exceptional.”
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Finding “Fit”: Aligning Your Gifts, Talents and Interests with Purposeful Education and Work

Half of employees were either ready to leave their jobs or unhappy in their position, according to last year’s Mercer survey.¹

As we discuss how to get more students graduating from high school and college and into a career, it’s important individuals, schools, and businesses align their definitions of successÂ so that an individualâ€™s strengths and abilities are maximized.Â In school, success is largely measured by class standing and grades. In your career, success can be measured by status or money. But what about fulfillment? Purpose? Meaning?Â Contribution?
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Aligning K12, College, and the World of Work

K12 communities want students to have higher scores and higher graduation rates. Colleges want active students and successful grads. The working world wants a bigger talent pool and more creative minds to fuel innovation and job growth.

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