Discounted dreams: high hopes and harsh realities at America's community colleges by Carrie Glasser
Call Number: DVD LB2328.15.U6D57 2007
ISBN: 9780793693566
Publication Date: 2007
The Hunting Ground by Kirby DickFrom Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning director Kirby Dick, and Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning producer Amy Ziering comes a startling expose of sexual assault on US campuses, their institutional cover-ups, and the devastating toll they take on students and their families. Weaving together cinema verite footage and first person testimonies, the film follows the lives of several undergraduate assault survivors as they attempt to pursue both their education and justice.
Balancing Work and Learning: Implications for Low-Income StudentsIn August 2018, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (Georgetown Center) published a new report examining college students who work while enrolled. This report "explores the impact of hours worked, types of work, and completion rates by education level between low-income and higher-income working learners" and was written by Anthony P. Carnevale, Director of the Georgetown Center, and Nicole Smith, Chief Economist of the Georgetown Center. The researchers found that low-income students, who make up 43 percent of the working student body nationwide, tend to work more hours and have jobs unrelated to their studies and "as a result, are less likely than their higher-income peers to get good grades and attain bachelor's degrees or any credential at all." By contrast, higher-income working college students tend to work fewer hours and have better access to resume-building positions like internships while enrolled. Interested readers can download the full 40-page report or its 12-page executive summary as PDFs, and they can also view a PowerPoint presentation and a brief video summarizing the report.
Community College DailyA free publication of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the periodical offers a wide scope. For instance, readers may like to begin with the In Focus section, which highlights students and programs that are fulfilling the promise of community college education, whether that be by transferring into four-year programs, earning practical certificates, or transitioning into top jobs in tech and other fields. The News Topics section features articles on topics frequently making headlines, including categories on Campus Issues, Academic Programs, Sustainability, Funding, Government, and Technology. Recent pieces have asked how tech is changing teaching and learning, examined the possible federal expansion of Pell Grants, and provided an overview of recent improvements in state funding for community colleges.
Online Clearinghouse on Postsecondary Education for Individuals with Disabilities
How to Create a SyllabusCollege or university instructors who have a new course coming up (or are redesigning an old one) may want to check out this in-depth guide from The Chronicle of Higher Education entitled How to Create a Syllabus. This resource offers readers a conversational tutorial detailing the what, why, and how of a successful syllabus, and it includes some helpful suggestions for what not to do as well. The guide is organized into four sections: Syllabus Essentials (and Two to Avoid), The Syllabus Components, Putting It All Together, and The Work Isn't Done: Assessing and Revising Your Syllabus. Readers will find links to these sections at the beginning, so they can skip ahead if they choose. Examples from real syllabi link to supporting information and suggestions of ways to engage students productively and inclusively are sprinkled throughout this guide, as are questions that encourage self-reflection of readers' pedagogical practices, making this a helpful resource for both new and veteran instructors. How to Create a Syllabus was written by Kevin Gannon, Professor of History at Grand View University and the director of their Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
Inside Higher Ed: Community CollegesInside Higher Ed's coverage of community colleges offers an insider's perspective on the trends and developments taking place within two-year colleges across the country. Readers may like to start with the landing page, which usually features a recently published survey, a recently published booklet, community college-related posts from the Inside Higher Ed blog, and popular articles from the archives, as well as sidebar listing jobs on community colleges around the country. Readers may then like to scout the latest in Section Topics such as Curriculum, Enrollment, Finances, Leadership, and Views. For example, a recent article in the Leadership section profiles City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Cheryl Hyman, who has been commended for graduation-rate improvements, but faces challenges from faculty and other difficulties.
Mapping Student Debt: How Borrowing for College Affects the NationOver the past several years student loan debt has emerged as an issue for many, and in August 2017 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a report stating among its findings that approximately 44 million Americans collectively owe a staggering total of more than $1.4 trillion in student debt. Mapping Student Debt is a project that explores the geography of this debt burden and "[shows] how borrowing for college affects the nation, your city, and even your neighborhood, giving a new perspective on the way in which student debt relates to economic inequality." Visitors can examine three zoomable maps, each with several layer options, to get an introductory overview of student debt distribution, see how loan delinquency disproportionately affects minority populations, and learn how student loans relate to problems in the US labor market. Each map is accompanied by explanatory text highlighting particular locations of interest and describing the researchers' methodology, with links to lengthier explanations published elsewhere. Mapping Student Debt began in 2015 as a project of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth in partnership with Generation Progress and Higher Ed, Not Debt, but as of 2018, the project's updates have been made by independent researchers. [JDC]
Models of Global LearningThe Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) recently published this thirty-two-page report about the General Education for a Global Century (GEGC), a recent project of the AACU's Shared Futures Initiative. This initiative, implemented at thirty-two colleges and universities across the United States, aims to "increase the capacity of colleges and universities to help all undergraduates understand and engage the diversities and commonalities among the world's peoples, cultures, nations, and regions" through curriculum development, faculty professional development, and pilot programs. This report investigates the impact of the GEGC initiative at twenty-four of the thirty-two participating institutions. Participating colleges and universities included both public and private schools as well as two-year and four-year institutions. This report, which can be downloaded in full, allows higher education professionals to learn a bit more about how GEGC was enacted at participating colleges and how these participating institutions accessed the value of the initiative.
Open Syllabus Project: Co-Assignment GalaxyThe Open Syllabus Project (featured in the 7-15-2016 Scout Report) uses machine learning to analyze "a corpus of seven million English-language syllabi from over 80 countries." At the link above, readers will find the project's Co-Assignment Galaxy, a fascinating interactive visualization of more than 160,000 of the most commonly assigned texts in the Open Syllabus database. Upon arrival, visitors first see a concise yet detailed explanation of what the visualization shows and how it was created. The visualization itself is an intriguing, multicolored concoction that is well worth exploring. Each dot represents a text, with the more popular texts represented by larger dots. These are positioned such that "books that are close together in the layout are assigned in similar courses." Clicking a dot brings up a link to the text's profile page, where users can see more details like which other texts are frequently assigned alongside the selected item. A search bar in the upper left of the Galaxy enables readers to look for a particular title. Launched in 2016 and currently in its second database iteration, the Open Syllabus Project is directed by Joe Karaganis, who is also the vice president of the American Assembly, an independent nonprofit located at Columbia University.
Pedagogy UnboundDavid Gooblar, a lecturer in the Rhetoric Department at the University of Iowa, launched Pedagogy Unbound in 2013 in order to provide a space for college instructors to discuss and share ideas about curriculum, instruction, and pedagogy in higher education. Gooblar also authors a column by the same name for the Chronicle of Higher Education's Vitae. On this website, visitors can access a number of teaching ideas and tips submitted by Gooblar and other contributors. These tips are organized into categories such as Academic Honesty, Online and Hybrid Courses, Using Technology, and Making Better Writers. Some of these tips include citations for those interested in reading more. College-level instructors are invited to submit their own tips to this growing collection.
College Behind BarsPBS's "four-part documentary film series," College Behind Bars follows the lives of incarcerated individuals enrolled in the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI). BPI gives individuals an opportunity to earn associate's and bachelor's degrees while they are incarcerated and is known as "one of the most rigorous and effective prison education programs in the United States." The series encapsulates the "transformative power of education," by demonstrating the common struggles that incarcerated students share with traditional students - long hours spent studying, tedious paper re-drafts, and preparation for debate competitions, to name a few. The series also invites viewers to share in intimate stories of loss, pain, and second-chances. The four episodes are available to view at the link above under Watch Now. Educators may also want to check out the For the Classroom section, where they will find a lesson plan on "Education as a Means to Citizenship." This curriculum features five video clips on topics such as "The Politics of Incarceration," Support Materials such as discussion questions and handouts, and standards information. College Behind Bars was directed by Lynn Novick, produced by Sarah Botstein, and executive produced by Ken Burns, all of whom have won awards for their work in the film industry.
The Equal Protection Clause Forbids Racial Preferences in State University Admissions: A DebateThe equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides that "No State shall … deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Yet many state universities give preferences to members of certain races and groups when deciding whom to admit. In Regents of the University of California v. Bakke in 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court approved such preferences but only in specific circumstances and under narrow guidelines, and the issue has come before the Court several times since. Defenders of racial preferences argue that they help level the playing field for people from historically disadvantaged groups, remedy prior discrimination, and enhance diversity within the classroom, thus redeeming the true promise of equal protection. But opponents of such preferences argue that they are in themselves discriminatory, that they stigmatize recipients as being less qualified for admission, and that they thus violate the Constitution. Does the equal protection clause forbid racial preferences in state university admissions?
Ever EducatingPlenty of education and pedagogy resources exist, but Ever Educating stands out because it is designed for a niche audience: graduate students who are performing teaching duties, perhaps with limited training. Of course, the channel is a wonderful resource for other educators, too (especially those in higher education). Erika Romero, an English Studies PhD candidate and adjunct professor, runs the YouTube channel. Romero launched Ever Educating in 2019 as a way to share teaching tips and ideas with a broader audience. Like many education resources, Romero's recent content focuses on online teaching and virtual learning. For example, readers will find a playlist about synchronous hybrid teaching and a playlist on creating recorded lectures. Other videos discuss all aspects of teaching, from beginning (e.g., icebreaker activities and syllabus design) to end (e.g., grading and evaluations). Videos range in length, though most are less than 20 minutes long, and are frequently uploaded, with two new videos added most weeks. For additional content from Romero, follow @EverEducating on social media or check out the blog, linked on the About page.
Free Speech Is Threatened on Campus: A DebateProtests have erupted on university campuses across the country. College students are speaking out against racism, bigotry, and offensive language, which, they claim, fosters an unwelcoming, sometimes hostile, learning environment. Opponents, however, charge that their demands have gone too far, creating an atmosphere of intolerance that limits intellectual discourse and silences unpopular points of view. Are the protesters on campus fighting injustice or threatening free speech?
The Future of Business Education: Ethical Markets 6Chair of the Business Administration Department at Flagler College Dr. Allison Roberts and Hazel Henderson explore the values underlying much traditional business education. Most business schools still teach with obsolete textbooks and assumptions that self-interest competition is “human nature” and that the impacts of business activities harming others and their environmental costs can be “externalized” from company balance sheets.
Grad Rates Double after Reinvention of Chicago City Colleges (6/28/14)Just 20 percent of community college students complete a degree in the United States. Cheryl Hyman, chief of City Colleges of Chicago, is reshaping her school system not only to provide wide access to higher education, but to put students on the fastest track to relevant credentials. Hari Sreenivasan talks to Hyman, whose reforms have come with criticism for making major cuts.
How Faculty Mentors Can Help First-Generation Students SucceedA new initiative by the University of California system uses first-generation faculty to guide first-generation students, with the goal of decreasing dropout rates. As part of our series Rethinking College, Hari Sreenivasan visits UCLA to see how the program is working.
Personalized Learning' Can Put College In Reach For Non-Traditional StudentsA program in Arizona supports nontraditional students who want to pursue degrees at their own speed. Much like a Netflix subscription, the new program lets students pay a flat fee for a personalized curriculum that works within their schedules. Hari Sreenivasan reports on how Northern Arizona University is putting bachelor's degrees within reach for many.
Too Many Kids Go to College: A DebateDo too many people go to college? The belief that college is essential to reaching one’s full potential is under fire. Student loan debt has surpassed credit card debt, unemployment for those with bachelor’s degrees is at an all-time high, and entrepreneurs like the founders of Microsoft and Facebook prove that extraordinary success is possible without graduating college. But recent studies show that college is economically beneficial even to those whose jobs don’t require it. Is it still the best way to ensure social mobility, or is America’s love affair with higher education unjustified?
Discounted dreams: high hopes and harsh realities at America's community colleges by 
A subprime education by