Read an Excerpt
What Makes Students Tick?
Unlocking the Passion for Learning
By Udoh Elijah Udom Balboa Press
Copyright © 2014 UDOH ELIJAH UDOM
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-1724-7
CHAPTER 1
LIGHT BULB 1
INSTITUTION
"We have responsibilities for others, not just across space but across time. We have responsibilities to people who came before us. They left us a world of institutions, ideas or possibilities for which we, in turn, owe them something. One of the things we owe them is not to squander them."
Tony Judt
Institutions do not exist in a vacuum. People make up an institution. Institutions cannot be ineffective, but people can. The word "institution" is used here to refer to educational institutions—schools at all levels. An educational institution is an establishment dedicated to the provision of education. Such institutions are identified with a social purpose, transcending individual human lives and intentions, and with the making and enforcing of rules governing cooperative human behavior. These institutions play a vital role in the preparation of citizens for various roles in the society through well-developed programs of study. Stakeholders of academic institutions include the governing boards of the institutions, students, governments, parents, employers, and the society as a whole. An effective institution makes for effective realization of the institutional missions and programs relating to the goals of the stakeholders. There is no wonder, therefore, that students rank educational institutions high among the factors that make them tick.
The citizens of the United States have an unquenchable desire for education. It is difficult to state with exactitude the number of colleges and universities in the United States of America. What is certain is that the supply would continue to tail the demand. This reflects the recognition of the importance of education over the lifetime of a person. To some extent, the quality of individual lifestyle depends on one's education level. This is true because illiteracy is more than the absence of the ability to read and write. Illiteracy is a disease and can lead to poverty, ill-health, and inferiority complex. The American Dream would be a forlorn hope without education. Education facilitates the American Dream. People who grew up poor in an urban or rural setting have through education pulled themselves up out of poverty.
Competition among Students for Seats in Highly Rated Institutions
We live in a world in which only the fittest survive; a world in which name and who you know take precedence over what you know. Employers are more and more looking for applicants with skills that will contribute to the immediate growth of their companies. This means, applicants without college education are less competitive. In searching for qualified applicants for employment, employers take into consideration the colleges and universities applicants attended. The time-honored conception that students in the Ivy League and highly-rated state and private universities receive better education is still in the minds of employers. As would be expected, students are not only seeking sound education, but the institution that offers the degree matters greatly to them. The more prestigious educational institutions may also provide better networking opportunities.
We hear politicians on the campaign trail referring to education as a right for all citizens willing to go to school; but the right for admission to any school, especially the highly rated universities (e.g. Harvard, Yale, London, Cambridge, Paris, Moscow, etc.), is not mentioned in the national constitutions. That being the case, admission officers can discriminate against candidates for admission. Ivy League schools are notoriously expensive. Admission to these highly rated institutions is based first and foremost on the ability to pay for the tuition, and also on the intellectual capacity of the students. This means candidates who are intellectually strong may be disqualified on financial grounds and since universities need funding to meet their operating costs, the candidates with marginal intellectual ability, but from wealthy families, may find themselves in the Ivy League universities. One dare not call this discrimination. And no one needs deny that this is in furtherance of a free enterprise culture. The competition for admission to these highly rated colleges does have self-inflicted consequences because high demand for seats gives the institutions the ability to raise tuition rates.
Competition among Academic Institutions for Highly Qualified Students
Colleges and universities always compete for the best students. Students committed to remaining in school through graduation are what educational institutions want. Highly qualified students are more likely to enjoy their studies, do not see dropout as an option, thus contributing to the high retention rate. High student retention rate is a mirror through which the public assesses the standing of any institution. A high turnover rate among students is certainly an indication of absence of motivating factors (light bulbs) that turn on students.
Highly qualified students are more likely to come from among the economically strong families. Colleges and universities scramble for those students because their parents are more likely to have the ability to pay the high school fees. That means students from rich families are not likely to request grants and other financial aid; thus allowing the university to use the scarce financial resources to help other qualified students that would not ordinarily attend colleges without financial aid. On the other hand, a smart student can use this competition as leverage to secure a more attractive financial aid package.
Another reason why colleges and universities scramble for highly qualified students is that these students are more likely to come in with pre-determined educational goals. They are more likely to know what they want to study. Such students are more likely to leave the university with skills needed by employers. Upon graduation, they will earn relatively high income, and, of course, the university is likely to benefit through alumnae support of the programs.
The pay level for a college graduate depends more on the institution that granted the degree than one would expect. Employers are more likely to choose candidates from among those applicants that attended an Ivy League or top-level state universities, and less likely to recruit an applicant with a diploma from an unaccredited institution. Since the value of anything depends on its utility, students tend to scramble for admission to institutions with a strong academic and administrative structure
For more than five years, I asked hundreds of students the question, "What makes students tick?" The students responded with exciting comments that expand across institutional, faculty, family, societal, and student factors that turn students on. These factors are discussed below in the form of light bulb that turns on students.
CHAPTER 2
LIGHT BULB 2
ACCREDITATION
"Only the educated are free"
Epictetus
Let me start with a short story from my early life, the impact of which is now clear and has relevance to accreditation. In the country I know best and, of course, in most African countries in the colonial era (1884 to 1961), European missionaries established and managed primary and secondary schools in competition with public schools. Many of the missionaries were agents of colonialism. The schools were established first and foremost as money-making enterprises and secondly to socialize Africans into European culture.
The missionary schools were superior to public schools because the former were better funded and staffed. Besides the resources, Africans were already brainwashed to believe, and they did believe and still believe, that anything European or non-African is bound to be good. I hasten to say here that until independence in 1960, Nigeria had only one non-degree granting college—Ibadan University College. This was a college affiliated with the University of London. It was so small in terms of the programs offered and the student body, a student had to come from a well-known family or a graduate of one of the European missionary schools to be admitted.
In order to secure admission to the University College Ibadan (UCI), parents scrambled to secure admission for their children in one of the missionary schools. Pupils admitted to missionary schools were viewed as acme of good breeding. I was fortunate to study in one such missionary school, but that did not help me secure admission to UCI. The fact that missionary schools were highly rated by the society was enough incentive for us to study hard with a view to graduating and continuing on to the university. Name and reputation matter when considering enrollment in any institution. Also, most students who studied in missionary schools were well prepared to sit and pass the London University General Certificate of Education (GCE). With GCE, a student would easily secure admission to any university, anywhere in the world. After my GCE, I was admitted to study law at the University of London. I declined the offer and opted to go to the United States for higher education.
Missionary schools were accredited by the colonial governments in Paris or London with authority to establish the schools and prepare students for GCE or the French Baccalauréat. This accreditation received the local support by the court of public opinion. The favorable evaluation that came from the court of public opinion was based on the quality of education and available resources for students. The overwhelming public opinion about the superiority of missionary schools was accreditation in microcosm.
Accreditation should be viewed as a process of validation in which colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning are evaluated. The standards for accreditation are set by a peer review board whose members include faculty from various accredited colleges and universities. The board aids in the evaluation of each potential new school accreditation or the renewals of previously accredited colleges and schools.
Accreditation process can be tedious, time consuming, and frustrating to the leaders of the institution. Each state has an accreditation board responsible for granting or renewing previous accreditation. To be accredited, educational institutions must meet the general standards set by the peer review accreditation boards. Each educational institution is typically assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
• Quality of education
• Admissions requirements
• Overall mission and the philosophy of the institution
• Goals and objectives of the institution
• Quality of services available to students
• Quality and reputation of the faculty members
Accreditation is a form of quality assurance developed by American colleges over one-hundred years ago, aimed at ensuring that schools adhere to a set of educational standards prescribed by the Accreditation Boards. Through continuous evaluation of schools, the Accreditation Boards monitor the whole institution—program of studies, students' graduation rate, dropout rate, quality of faculty, the community of stakeholders, institutional improvement in education—to determine how well the parts work together to meet the needs of students.
Voices of the Students
Many of the students I interviewed would not attend an unaccredited institution. Their reasons why accreditation is the light bulb that turns them on are reproduced below in their own words unedited:
• Accredited institutions are important because no one wants to waste time taking classes and obtaining a degree and it is not recognized by anybody.
• Accredited institutions hold a high standard for instruction and strive to ensure that each student receives the best education that they deserve.
• Accreditation is a must. If a school can't obtain or keep their accreditation that speaks for the school itself. It seems pointless to attend a non-accredited school. To me it would be like almost graduating or getting a certificate instead of a degree.
• The institution must be accredited and in good standing.
In choosing an educational institution, students are more likely to think about their career, reputation, and prospect of finding jobs after graduation. One student told me that realizing a successful career is linked to choosing a reputable college. Students also believe that colleges that have been through the accreditation process are more likely to offer degrees that employers and recruiters recognize. Another student said, "Companies want to know that I have a quality education and that I will have something to bring to the table when I join their team." For this purpose, accreditation enables companies to filter those individuals who have obtained a degree from an accredited institution from those who have not.
Another reason students seek admission to an accredited institution is that the accreditation process offers students a better chance of having their credits transferred to other reputable institutions should they decide to transfer to another college or to change to another university for a graduate level education.
Students who attend an accredited institution are more likely to have a sense of accomplishment, which in turn motivates them to study hard and graduate. As one student said to me, "I feel I have the right degree when obtained from a credible source. There are many colleges in this country that take students' money and in four years' time issue fake diploma that is not worth the paper it is written on."
Accreditation is by no means an incentive for hard work among students. Students are proud to identify themselves with institutions that have been evaluated and approved by either the regional or national Accreditation Boards.
CHAPTER 3
LIGHT BULB 3
ADMISSION OFFICERS
"You don't have to be a genius or a visionary or even a college graduate to be successful. You just need a framework and a dream."
Michael Dell
Admission Officers are neither students nor faculty, but play a vital role in the academic industry. As part of the educational institution, Admission Officers (AO), have a hands-on opportunity to work with the new and continuing students, faculty, and the institutional leaders. Having worked with AOs for several years, I can say that this is more than a job. In addition to the basic role of searching and recruiting students, AOs help shape or cultivate a desirable academic environment for both students and faculty. In their everyday contact with prospective students, AOs are able to influence or shape the future of young people preparing to enroll in college.
Admission Officers do more than contact prospective students and market the institution. Their job is as complex and technical as any other administrative management function. They review applications from potential students in addition to transcripts and test scores to ascertain a student's suitability for admission. To be successful in this kind of job, the AO must first be versed with the institutional mission, philosophy, and admission policies. This is critical because as one student puts it, "Admission officers are very important because wrong advice will frustrate students, and could lead to loss of financial aid, etc...."
In many colleges, prospective students are required to submit personal essays which would include extra-curricular activities and academic interest. During the admission process, admission officers evaluate the potential of every student on the basis of his or her past academic performance and extracurricular activities. It is the role of the AOs to make sure that all details regarding the student's background, strengths, and weaknesses, are properly maintained in the form of report files or database system. Such records help the institution to identify talented students, those that are not qualified for admission, and in some cases, students with special needs for accommodation. The evaluation of prospective students allows the Admissions Officer to determine if the university has something to offer its applicants. A student may have excellent academic records and still be unsuited for a particular school. It is therefore the admissions officer's duty to make an intelligent judgment in the course of the admissions process.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from What Makes Students Tick? by Udoh Elijah Udom. Copyright © 2014 UDOH ELIJAH UDOM. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
