4/3:

 Economics of Higher Education:

1)  If colleges and universities are receiving less government funds, and tuition rates continue to spike, what will this mean for the future of higher education?

2)   What does the “muddling through” approach refer to? How are faculty members affected by this?

3)   Does the cost of a college have any correlation to its quality of education? What are your thoughts about the results of the Wabash National Study, which show that there is little correlation between the amount of money spent on education and its quality?

4)   When outcomes-based funding is in place in a state, around what percentage of the state’s budget is allocated based on outcomes?

5)   Peter Thiel believes that education is overpriced, and people are not getting their money’s worth. Do you agree with this statement?

4/10:

Technology:

1)   How do you think face-to-face interaction with a professor affects a student’s performance in the class?

2)   Why is it that many students in community colleges end up failing or withdrawing from online courses?

3)   Do you think that students should first have to demonstrate success in traditional classes before being permitted to take online classes?

4)   With all the ways to ensure that no one is searching the web for answers or getting someone else to take their exams for them, do you think that this will be even more successful at preventing/catching cheating than in a traditional classroom setting?

5)   “Administers of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your salaries.” What was the article, “It’s MOOA’s, not MOOAC’s, That Will Transform Higher Education,” proposing? How would this affect certain aspects of higher education, such as cost?

6)   It is often stressful for students to be closed out of a class that they need due to its high demand. California plans to allow these students to take the courses online instead. What are some benefits of this? What could be the downside of this?

4/17:

Who goes to college/Access to Higher Education:

1)   Why is it becoming increasingly important for more individuals to obtain college degrees in the United States?

2)   Many students admitted into college, especially minority students, aren’t well-prepared and tend to do a lot more poorly. Should we be waiting until they reach college to “fix” them with remedial classes? Or should this be addressed in K-12?

3)   Why are people so concerned with the decrease in the amount of students majoring in humanities?

4)   What would be better? Students working during college and not being able to fully focus on their classes? Or going into debt by taking out loans?

5)   Affirmative action- should race be one of the factors in determining acceptance into college? What effect would it have if these minority groups weren’t given this same chance to go to college? Is it even a good thing to admit certain individuals based on race if they are not as ready as most non-minority groups?

6)   What is your opinion on legacy admissions?

4/24:

Liberal Arts Education:

1)   What is the point of a liberal arts education? What advantages does it have compared to if students were to just study for their professions?

2)   What would happen if more students decide to go to vocational schools as opposed to receiving a liberal arts education?

3)   How can the system be changed so that less students view the liberal arts classes that they’re forced to take as pointless?

4)   If students are receiving a liberal arts education, and yet employers are still complaining about them not being ready for the workforce, what else could be done about this?