Page 23 - Crisis in Higher Education

xxii • About the Book

rate of increase in inflation from 2003 to 2013. It should be noted that
community and technical colleges have much lower average tuition than
public or private universities, and, as mentioned later, are not the primary
focus of this book.
Although the international ranking of U.S. universities is still strong,
especially for elite universities, other countries are improving their higher
education systems and closing the gap. Past success may have led to com-
placency among U.S. universities. In addition, increasing enrollment and
a lack of pushback on tuition hikes may have caused universities to focus
less intently on ways to improve learning. One result is that instructional
methods have not advanced substantially in a very long time, unless the
transition from chalk and blackboards to overhead projectors and mark-
ing pens to PowerPoint presentations and video projectors is considered
substantial. In many ways, these tools have made life easier for faculty, but
it is not clear if they have enhanced student learning in meaningful ways.
There are also three quality-related questions that concern parents.
They may not come to the minds of students, but they should: Will stu-
dents drop out? How long will it take? Will they get a good job at gradu-
ation? Unfortunately for too many universities, graduation rates are low;
completion times are too long; and job placement rates in some fields of
study are poor. Part of the explanation may be that students are poorly
prepared and not capable of doing the work, or they may not put forth
enough effort. Another part, possibly a big part, is that universities are
not offering knowledge in ways that students learn best, that is, student-
centered learning, where knowledge is presented in different ways using
different formats so students can pick the ones best suited to their learning
style. In addition, universities place roadblocks in students’ paths, which
postpone graduation and increase dropout rates. High costs can be one of
those impediments. Or universities may offer majors and recruit students
to majors where there are not enough jobs for the number of graduates or
the jobs that are available do not pay well.
These underlying problems have a set of root causes, which include a lack
of understanding about customers, escalating administrative spending,
limited productivity, and a lack of student preparation. These issues must
be addressed in order to resolve the problems. The relationships between
the root causes and the underlying problems are summarized in Table 4.3.
A comprehensive and integrated solution with nine different elements
is developed and presented to address the root causes. The relationships
between the elements of the solution and the root causes are summarized