ERIC ED540133: It’s All about Outcomes: WICHE pdf

ERIC ED540133: It’s All about Outcomes: WICHE

More Book Details

Description of the Book:

When will they ever learn?” is the refrain of a Pete Seeger song from the ’60s. It could also stand as one of the primary questions in higher education today. It’s a question that the educators who teach in institutions, and the businesspeople who hire those institutions’ graduates, are asking about students: When will they learn what they need to know to pass that class, earn that degree and become contributing members of society? It’s a question that legislators and policymakers are asking about colleges and universities: When will they learn how to educate their students–effectively and economically–so that they can succeed at school and life? It’s a question that higher education consumers–college students and their families–are asking about the whole postsecondary setup: When will those who run the system learn how to ensure that students’ investment of money and time truly pays off, in the form of learning?

For many policymakers the focus is on boosting the percentage of students earning degrees: in today’s global economy, it’s thought that higher degree completion rates will make the U.S. more competitive. As educational consultant Arthur Hauptman recently pointed out, focusing too narrowly on raising degree completion rates may undercut the real purpose of higher education: “learning.” Ensuring that all students learn what they need to know so that they can be successful members of their communities is a major priority for WICHE and its units: Policy Analysis and Research, Programs and Services, Mental Health Program, WCET, and the Technology and Innovation initiative. In fiscal 2012 WICHE will strive to assist the West’s institutions to find ways to help students not only to graduate but also to hit their marks when it comes to learning. Its work will focus on five areas: (1) finance; (2) access and success; (3) workforce and society; (4) technology and innovation; and (5) accountability.

Each of these areas is discussed in this paper

• Creator/s: ERIC
• Date: 2012
• Year: 2012
• Book Topics/Themes: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Educational Innovation, Policy Analysis, Global Approach, Access to Education, Online Courses, Adult Students, State Legislation, Technology Uses in Education, Mental Health Programs, Accountability, Labor Force, Educational Resources

An excerpt captured from the PDF book