Page 376 - Crisis in Higher Education

346 • Appendix B

B.4 IMPACTS OF THE SOLUTION ON LOW GRADUATION
RATES AND LONG COMPLETION TIMES

As the cost of higher education escalates, students face more pressure to
work while attending school, so students are more likely to fail, drop out,
or delay graduation. Once again, the cost reduction recommendations are
not repeated.

1. Students must have a plan of study that identifies which courses to
take and when to take them in order to graduate in the shortest pos-
sible time and with the lowest possible cost.
2. State and local governments can condition their funding for higher
education on meeting mission-appropriate goals for graduation
rates, time to completion, and job placements.
3. Bachelor’s degrees should be limited to 120 credit hours to lower
tuition costs and enable students to graduate in four years, which
reduces cost further.
4. Universities should engage in effective long-term and short-term
planning to ensure that students do not face closed classes that pro-
hibit them from graduating in four years.
5. Student-centered learning, which is designed to satisfy individual
learning styles, makes it easier and faster to learn so quality, gradua-
tion rate, completion time, and job placement improve.

B.5 IMPACTS OF THE SOLUTION ON
POOR JOB PLACEMENT
Activities that improve the quality of higher education are likely to
increase students’ knowledge and capabilities, which should enhance job
placement. With a few key exceptions, the recommendations to improve
quality are not listed here.

1. Students should pick their major bases on both interest in the work
and the opportunity to secure a job that pays well. Too often students
pick majors with limited job opportunities.