Author Archives: Joseph Valerio

Reading Questions for 04/24/13

1.The Jaschik article mentions that the true value of a college is not recognized by critical thinking or well-roundedness, but rather by the goal of getting a job. How do liberal arts colleges compete with vocational and STEM oriented colleges with this kind of mentality? Are liberal arts colleges becoming an endangered species of university? How can liberal arts colleges begin to attract the masses again?

2. If more Americans attend vocational schools to learn a specific trade or field, does that limit our overall knowledgeably as a people? Can we effectively compete with other countries if we just focus on STEM fields and vocations, or is a worldliness needed?

3. According to the Humphreys presentation, employers are looking for well-rounded critical thinkers to take on their jobs, but they are not getting them. What message is being lost from the employers to the college advertisements/mission? If this was massively distributed as knowledge, wouldn’t the value of liberal arts colleges greatly increase?

4. The Coulson article seems to hint that students should build up a portfolio of jobs rather than attend liberal arts universities. In a very restricted job market, is this opinion viable? Do you think liberal arts colleges can be replaced with an individual drive to learn?

5. Many college students may see their college education as a chore and an obstacle to getting a job. Nussbaum argues that this declining popularity has led to a restriction in humanities. Do we think that humanities are an essential quality of college learning, or are they a waste of elective credit?

Questions for 4/16/13

1. According to the ACE report the number of minorities enrolling in Higher Education is extremely low compared to the number of whites. Is this due to high school completion, cost of higher education, or other factors? In this case, is affirmative action justified?

2. With more college students needing to work part or full time jobs to support themselves through education, is college naturally geared against those of a lower income? Should the government increase financial aid benefits to offset this issue? How do we “fix” this inequality if we can at all?

3. With over 40% of people who cycle in and out of college changing universities, is a system like Pathways (universal across campuses) a good idea? Should there be a universal core curriculum taught throughout the nation to accompany those who cycle in and out? If not, how do we compensate for those classes being counted as credits?

4. Should Affirmative Action still be used or should all college admissions be based on merit? If they are merit based, how do we account for those who are from lower classes or lower incomes who may not have the money for SAT test prep, or to go to a better school in a better area. How do we control for these disparities? Is there another way to admit those students such as an income based affirmative action?

Group 4 Questions for 4/10/13

1. What are the precautions being taken to ensure that online courses are not “gamed” by students. With the lack of a professor, it is very easy to cheat on these tests. On the same note, do these online courses hold the same weight against university courses if there is an academic vulnerability?

2. If there is a greater shift to online learning, how will research and lab work be carried out? Will students have to go to a designated area to apply themselves? Will research become a “thing of the past?”

3. With free learning websites such as khanacademy, what is the benefit of enrolling in a MOOC? Is it the validity of having a professor give the lessons and grade? Will the MOOC business be threatened with free, open-source alternatives

4. One of the Chronicle articles states,
“Regardless of their initial level of preparation … students were more likely to fail or withdraw from online courses than from face-to-face courses. In addition, students who took online coursework in early semesters
were slightly less likely to return to school in subsequent semesters, and students who took a higher proportion of credits online were slightly less likely to attain an educational award or transfer to a four-year institution.” Are MOOCs just a trending phenomenon or do you believe that they offer a low-cost, educational alternative that is equivalent to a face-to-face college education?
Sub-Question: Are MOOCs just a business looking to get low-income students for low-cost prices, or are they genuine in quality?

5. The article by Thomas Friedman states, “We demand that plumbers and kindergarten teachers be certified to do what they do, but there is no requirement that college professors know how to teach. No more. The world of MOOCs is creating a competition that will force every
professor to improve his or her pedagogy or face an online competitor.” Do we actually believe this, or are professors less responsible for teaching in MOOCs? Without face-to-face interaction, a professor may also be able to get away with poor teaching. Furthermore, isn’t there already competition between colleges based on professor quality?

Reading Questions for 04/03/2013

1. The Johnstone piece indicates that there is a fourth force that determines the economic achievement of higher education organizations, “the ratchet”. They define “the ratchet” as the competitive race for prestige between colleges. Is this a direct result of colleges wanting to “be like Harvard,” or is it a product of American ideals/society? Is there any way of decreasing the amount of prestige to focus instead on the proper education of students?

2. It seems that the rising cost of higher education is also due to expensive research. Should the United States higher education system try to focus on advancing academics and education before research to combat these rising costs, or should research expenses just be capped or limited? Is it even possible to cap or limit research costs, when every college is trying to outdo one another?

3. The Johnstone article also addresses the cost of tuition at colleges usually leading students to the same outcome. Even though this may be true with regards to a degree, Johnstone fails to mention that more prestigious colleges usually have more opportunities available (through affiliated organizations and businesses) for their students to succeed after graduation. Do you believe that it is possible to grant all colleges the same types of opportunities? Do you believe it is the college’s job to have those opportunities available, or should it be the students who work to network and create their web of opportunity?

4. To add on to question 3, the Jaschik article highlights that paying more for college does not necessarily increase productivity outcomes. Is paying more for higher education solely for the name of the college and the possible network connections, or are there other benefits to attending more expensive universities and institutions?

5. The Moody article states that college cost and tuition is rising a lot faster than national inflation rates. If this does not stop or slow down, many students of poorer socioeconomic status may never get to attend college. Should more faith and credit be given to online courses and degrees due to their relatively cheap cost? Online degrees would allow a great variety of people of all socioeconomic backgrounds to experience educational opportunities without the rising cost of maintaining a university campus, research lab, library, or other paid services.

Interview Questions–Joseph Valerio

1. According to various college newspapers, the CUNY Board of Trustees is under fire for their new CUNY Pathways system. Many faculty believe that it is taking away their academic freedom to cater their course to their specific interests. Do you believe that the pathways system infringes on that right and are there any compromises being made between the faculty and the administration on the issue? How will the Pathways system affect current students?

2. With a changing economy and the rising unemployment rate, do you believe that a liberal arts education is still as valuable as it used to be, or do you believe that students should learn professions or technical applications instead?

3. With a job market growing in difficulty, what are plans to better prepare graduates to succeed in the world?

4. Do you believe that faculty should receive tenure based on research alone, or should there be more regulation on the teaching qualities of professors?

5. What are some ways that you attract first year students to your school and how do you separate your school’s mission statement from other universities and colleges?

Reading Questions for 03/20/13–Joseph Valerio

1. The articles portray that the president is mostly a figurehead used to gain money/donations for the institution. What are the academic and campus-community based contributions of the college president?

2. Colleges follow their mission statement to stay on track to their goals to the students. If all college mission statements are generic, then what separates the colleges?

3. Is there a way to guarantee academic freedom without having a system of tenure? As we move away from granting tenure, will academic freedom come under fire?

4. If an administration member oversteps their boundaries, who addresses the issue? Does the faculty protest, does the board of trustees clamp down on them, or is it a combination of both?

Questions for Dr. Brier–Joseph Valerio 3/13/13

1. If public institutions are the way to transforming or a pathway from poor to middle class, should they be focusing on a liberal arts education or a more technical and specific education?

2. When any institution broadens its requirements for admissions and accepts a diverse population of all economic backgrounds, it also has to be prepared for the disparities in education. Do you believe universities should have stricter requirements to rid of the issue of remedial classes or SEEK students who may not be able to graduate?

3. Do you also believe modern students need more of a drive to succeed? Or is it solely the fault of the high school and college institutions to fully provide for them.

4. It was mentioned that the young Jewish students learned how to love reading by listening to debates on civic and political life. Do you believe those courses should be mandatory for college students?

5. It seems that many students also learned through a sense of community, by bouncing ideas off each other. Do you think that there is a lack of common community on campuses now, and do you think that contributes to the disparities in education that we see? If so, how could that be revived?