There is no doubt that the ideas goals missions andWord文档格式.docx
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There is no doubt that the ideas goals missions andWord文档格式.docx
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KatherineL.Pfeiffer
FordForumPaper
ProfessorJohnston
April21,2009
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Thereisnodoubtthattheideas,goals,missionsandtechniquesofhighereducationarebothwideandvaried.However,allinstitutionsofhigherlearningcertainlyhaveoneveryrudimentarypremiseincommon,andthatisforstudentstolearn.Hereariseseveraldifficulties.Whatarestudentsgoingtolearnintheirundergraduatestudies?
Shouldtheybepersuadedtotakeasamplingofcoursesfromdifferentdisciplines,orshouldtheyfocusontheirchosenmajor?
Shouldtheybetaughttheclassicsorshouldthescopeoftheireducationbelimitedtomoremodernmaterial?
Shouldprofessorssticktostrictlyacademicteaching,orarecitizenshipandmoralityimportantpartsofundergraduateeducation?
Howshouldstudentsbetaught,inalecturehall,laboratoryorseminarcircle?
Perhapsthemostimportantquestionweneedtobeaskingis:
arestudentslearningatall?
Theanswertothatquestionisbothcomplicatedanddisconcerting.
Astheworldhasbecomemoreglobalized,technologicallyadvanced,materialisticallydriven,andunprecedentedlypopulatedansweringthatquestionrequirestherecognitionofseveralnewdimensionsandparadigmsthathaveaffectedlearninginthe21stcentury,apparentlyinanegativeway.AccordingtoLionGardiner,aprofessorofzoologyatRutgersUniversity,“Averyfewstudiesreportexceptionallyhighvalues,suchasstudentsretaining50%ofthecoursecontent,studiesmorecommonlyreportaretentionof20%orless.”Resultsfromthesamestudyalsoindicatethatmanystudentshaveadifficulttimeansweringbasicquestionswithintheirownfieldofstudyandanswerthemcorrectlyonly6%moreoftenthanstudentsinotherfields.Sowhatistheproblem?
Why,afterfouryearsofstudying,dosomanystudentsseemtohavenotlearnedmuchofanything?
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Thereismuchevidencethatindicatesthislackofprocessinghasmoretodowithourculturethananythingelse.Thecentralideabehindthistheoryisthatourculturalenvironmentprovidesaninordinateamountofmentalstimulationtotheextentthatweexpendmorecognitiveenergyweedingouttheinformationthatwedonotneedthanwedoactuallyprocessinganything.AhugepartofthisproblemisrootedinAmericanconsumerismandmaterialism.Advertisementsrepresentasignificantpercentageofthisinformationoverload:
“everyday,anestimated12billiondisplayads,3millionradiocommercials,andmorethan200,000TVcommercialsaredumpedintoNorthAmerica’scollectiveunconscious.”Essentially,thereisjusttoomuchgoingon.Although,wehaveyettoseegenerationaleffectsofconstantmarketing,wecanbesurethatourmindshavebeenaffected.Infact,thereisasetofterminologytodescribetheabusesthathavedestroyedourattentionspans,itincludesnoise,jolts(definedbyLasnasatechnicaleventthatinterruptstheflowofsoundorthoughtorimagery),shock,hypeandunreality.Allofthesethingsaddtothedinofourculturalbackgroundandmakeitalittlebitmoredifficulttopayattentionandlearn.Therearesomanydistractionsinourenvironmentthatitisnearlyimpossibletofocus.
Theageofinformationandtechnologyiscertainlyhavingahugeimpactonhighereducation,andsomeofitisdefinitelypositiveandveryprogressiveintermsoflearning.Computersenableustolearnandrespondmorethaneverbeforewithhighspeedinternetconnectionsandglobaldatabases.Studentstodaycanresearchmoreandresearchfaster,ortheycanperuseFacebook,wheretheymeetmoreadvertisementsanddistractions.Asanationandasaglobalforcewehavecreatedandassimilatedsomanydiversionsthat
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knowledgehasbeenreplacedwithentertainment.Consumerismandglobalizationhavebothincreasedbecauseoftechnologicaladvancesmadeinthepastfewdecadessoitbecomesnowonderthatourmindsareelsewhere.KalleLasn,creatorofAdbustersmagazine,authorofCultureJamandadvocatorofmedialiteracysumsuptheinteractionthisway,
Inthelastquartercenturytheinsatiablecravingfortheconsumerculture’sbig,bigshowhasonlygrownstronger.Tomeetthedemand,mediaspectacleshavecolonizedourmentalenvironment,crowdingouthistoryandcontext.Intheirplacethereisnowonlyafloodofdisconnectedinformation:
Themarketissoaring,theplanetiswarming,thisfall’shemlinesarekneehigh,there’safamineinEastAfrica.
Thereisanotherdimensiontothisexcessofinformationthatwemustconsiderinthecontextofhighereducation,andthatistheoverwhelmingnumberofchoiceswehave.Dystopianliteraturealwaysportraysaworldwheretherearealmostnochoicestobemadeandthisresultsinhappycitizens.Thereader,especiallythewesternreader,refusestobelieveinsuchamindlesshappinessandwilldoubtlesslyrelatetotheprotagonistoftheworkwhodarestothinkoutsidethebox.Ofcourse,thisgenretakesthetruthaboutchoiceandhappinesstotheextreme.
Fromtheresearchitappearsthatthereissomequantitativerelationshipbetweenchoiceandcontentment.BarrySchwartz,socialscientistandauthorofTheParadoxofChoice,explainsthatourmodernworldprovidesuswithanexcessofchoicethatformanyindividualsbecomesdistressing.Thisrelatesbacktotheideaofeverything’sbeing
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biggerandbetterinAmerica.Consumerismpressuresustomaketherightchoicewhileatthesametimesettingthestageforustoregretourdecisionsforfearoffallingshortofourpotential.
Everythinginoursocietyhasbecomemarketableandwehavelearnedtoshopforeverything,evenoureducation.Schwartztellsus,“thesedays,atypicalcollegecataloghasmoreincommonwiththeonefromJ.Crewthanyoumightthink.Mostliberalartscollegesanduniversitiesnowembodyaviewthatcelebratesfreedomofchoiceaboveallelse,andthemodernuniversityisakindofintellectualshoppingmall.”Whileanabundanceofeducationalopportunitiesisnotnecessarilydetrimentaltohighereducation,therearesomefundamentaldrawbackstohavingsuchabroadrangeofchoices,andhowselectionsaremade.
“Shopping”forclasseshasbecomeapopularpracticeinsomeuniversitiesandthisinterpretationofcourseselectionreflectsourlargerpracticeofalwayslookingforsomethingbetter.Schwartzdescribesthisunconventionalmethodofschedulingasanexperiencequitelikeanyothershoppingtrip,“Inthefirstfewweeksofclass,studentssamplethemerchandise.Theygotoaclass,staytenminutestoseewhattheprofessorislike,thenwalkout,ofteninthemiddleoftheprofessor’ssentence,totryanotherclass.”Ourconsumerbingehaspermeatedevenoureducationsystem.Studentscanmakedecisionsabouttheireducationthesamewaytheypickoutanewoutfitatthemall.Unfortunately,apoorlychosencurriculum,oroneselectedforthewrongreasons,canhaveaworseeffectonastudent’sfuturethanafashionfauxpas.AccordingtoHagedorn
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andMaxwell,“occasionalcourseshoppingwasnotassociatedwithloweracademicperformance,butfrequentcyclicshopperswerelesslikelytohavestronggradepoint
averagesandasuccessfulrateofcoursecompletions.”Asaculture,wespendsomuchtimesortingthroughinformationandmakingchoicesthatoureverydaylives,particularlyasstudents,havebecomealmostmind-numbingtasks.
Technologicaladvanceshavealsoledtoanotherphenomenonthatweexperiencedaily,theconstanthumofourelectronics.Therefrigerator,thecomputer,rushhourtraffic,airconditioning,cellphones,music,andofcourseTVallhaveaddedtothedistractingbackgroundnoiseofwesternsocietymorethanwerealizeaswecollectivelystruggletotuneitout.Whenweexpendsomuchenergytryingtoconcentrateinthisnoisyexistence,weoperateatareducedlevelofbrainpower,“tryingtomakesenseoftheworldabovethedinofourwiredworldislikelivingnexttoafreeway–yougetusedtoit,butatamuchdiminishedlevelofmindfulnessandwellbeing.”Needlesstosay,forstudentslisteningtoalectureinaclassroomthatisbuzzingwithheatingorcoolingsystemsandvibratingcellphones,withtheconditionedattentionspanofagoldfish,itcanbeverydifficulttolearnanythingsignificant.
Essentiallywhatweareleftwithisasocietythatisnotconductivetoabsorbingmaterialofanintellectualnature.Nowthatwerecognizethereisalearningissueinhighereducationsettingsinthecontextofwesternculture,andparticularlyAmericanculture,whatcanwedotoreversethelowretentiontrends?
Andhowdowemaketechnologyworktowardhighereducationgoals?
JohnC.Scott,ascholarwhohasdoneresearchonthemissionstatementofmoderneducationalinstitutionsbelieves,“high
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technologyandrapidglobalizationarealteringwork,leisuretime,andformalschoolingstructures.Attheheartofthisnewinformationsociety,academicinstitutionsarepivotal
organizations.Yettheymustremainflexibleenoughtorespondtoemergingsocialdemands,technologicalchangeandeconomicrealignments.”
Indeed,universitieshavealwayshadtorespondtoandevolvewithchangesingreatercivilization.Inourpostmodernage,itseemsthateverythingaboutwhatandhowstudentsarelearningmustbereevaluated.Sinceeducatedcitizensaresuchavitalpartofanation’sgrowth,wemusttakecaretoseethattheyareactually“collegeeducated”bytheendoftheirtimeatcollegeoruniversity.ThefirstpartofthisreevaluationprocessconcernsthemissionstatementoftheAmericanuni
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