A Guide to Improving the Value of Higher Education
What is “value” in higher education?
- Increased potential for earnings
- Expertise in subject matter
- Becoming a well-informed individual
- Network of professionals
Apart from these, a college education should look to make a person understand the world better.
Although higher education is essential, many graduates and degree holders often feel like their education was not worth the money, time, or resources they spent. Also read – do my homework
Around 50% of college alumni feel like their student loans were not worth it. Over 65% of recent graduates in the US feel like their courses could have been better.
One reason for this can be that policymakers are concentrating so hard on increasing the number of graduates and educated people that the quality of education students receive is drastically falling.
Apart from these, other reasons for concern regarding our current higher education are:
- College students these days spend little time doing their coursework than their predecessors. Instead, they tend to use the services of a ghostwriter for writing assignments. Evidence of their skills and abilities also indicates that they are learning less than students did in the past.
- Many employers complain that fresh graduates lack basic skills like writing, problem-solving abilities, critical thinking, and using basic tools like a word counter.
- Many professors and teachers in major institutions worldwide are underqualified, and most of them work on a contract basis. Research indicates that such instructors can lead to an increase in college drop-out rates.
How to Improve the Value Of Higher Education?
An expert panel of teachers, ex-professors, and academicians set up by Strada Education, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving education, sat for an event to enhance our current higher education value. Some of the points they made are given down below.
Experiential learning through internships
The current internship options that are in place for students do little to increase their professional skill set and knowledge. In addition, these internships should pay well so that students feel like they are in an actual professional atmosphere. check this – Paper help
College career mentoring
Colleges should strive to educate their students about the job market. For example, they should hold seminars or webinars where students are mentored on different career prospects and guided through the whole process of applying for a job. In addition, extended career support options should be provided to students where the college continues to guide them even after graduation.
Graduate attributes
Graduate attributes are generic attributes or key skills that graduate students gain after graduation. Therefore, educational institutions should endeavor to map the graduate attributes of every student before they finally say goodbye to their college. This ensures students derive all the skills necessary for progressing and excelling in their careers.
Course outcomes
Course outcomes indicate the skills, values, and knowledge that a student gains after completing their course. Course outcomes should be mapped for every student to ensure they get exactly what the course intended for them. Also, there should be clearly defined course outcomes for each curse that a student takes up.
Teaching methods
There is a lot of room for improvement in the current teaching methods that we have in place today. For example, teaching should be more interactive through videos, presentations, slide shows, and graphics. In addition, the use of technology like AR and VR can also make teaching more fun and engaging for both teachers and students alike.
Education quality assessment
Academic bodies should endeavor to assess the current education quality continuously. This can be achieved by calculating the number of students hired right after graduation and the college fail or drop-out rates. Also read this – Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Tutoring
Final thoughts
Understanding how students feel about their degrees can do a lot in improving the current quality of our higher education. This is because education by itself looks to provide value to an individual. In the absence of any value provided, education becomes obsolete and ineffectual. Thus, there is an immense need to improve the quality of our current higher education to ensure humankind has a more educated, advanced, and developed future.
Author Bio:
Alley John has an MBA in Finance and he provides consultation and business advice in Dubai. He also provides Assignment Help in Dubai via MyAssignmenthelp.com for juniors, business advocates, and students. He is also a traveler and loves to explore different cities of the world.