Can Colleges become more efficient?

1.Public Agenda

"Keep Tuition down by Making Colleges More Efficient | Public Agenda." Public Agenda. 21 Oct. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://www.publicagenda.org/discussion-guides/keep-tuition-down-making-colleges-more-efficient>.

Summary Public Agenda is, "an innovative public opinion research and public engagement organization, works to strengthen our democracy's capacity to tackle tough public policy issues." They want to close the gap between the politicians opinions and the public opinions and make sure the public's views are represented in decision making. In this article their goal is to keep tuition down by making colleges more efficient by becoming more competitive and making better use of techniques ssuch as distance learning to reach more students at lower costs. I think this site is very useful because it also offers solutions, arguments for, and arguments against, and they are simply public opinions. Because they are public opinions however, the authoritativeness is slim, but I think it just shapes the picture for us nicely.

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• Can colleges become more efficient

Kelley Boone

2.STUDENT EFFICIENCY

A STUDY ON THE BEHAVIOR AND PRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY OF COLLEGE STUDENTS AND THE DETERMINANTS OF GPA

Nelson, Rebecca. "STUDENT EFFICIENCY: A STUDY ON THE BEHAVIOR AND PRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY OF COLLEGE STUDENTS AND THE DETERMINANTS OF GPA." Issues in Political Economy. Mary Washington College, August 2003. Web. 21 Oct 2011. <http://org.elon.edu/ipe/nelson%20FINAL.pdf>.

Summary This is a study done on the behavior and productive efficiency of college students and the determinants of GPA. It discusses the difference between how students behave in regards to just caring about their grades or actually learning the material. It says GPA is often the determinate when getting a job after college and it frustrates the teachers who don't care about giving grades but simply care that the students learn and know the material. Teachers get frustrated when the students are too focused on their grades. Students see college simply as a means to an end, the key to a good paying job. There are many variables that affect students performance in college. They surveyed students and collected information to study and concluded that students become more efficient the older they get in actions that affect their GPA. This is one study done at one college using 126 students. I think it is rather authoritative in the sense that it is a study and not opinion based.

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On Google:

• Can colleges become more efficient

Kelley Boone

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3. Benefits of a College Education

"10 Benefits of a College Education"

Nohel. "10 Benefits of a College Education." College to Careers. University of Phoenix, August 2010. Web. 23 Oct 2011. <http://www.collegetocareers.com/10-benefits-college-education-2/>.

Summary I found this article really helpful. It gives quick facts that argue the benefits of a college education. It talks about salary, careers, and competitions that come when trying to find a job and tells the benefits of having a college education. It also talks about personal matters such as learning how to provide for oneself and so on. This article is really helpful for trying to get a quick background knowledge of reasons why people go to college. It definitely argues for a college degree.

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• Benefits of a College Education

Shannon Scola

4. Benefits of a College Degree in One Graph

Klein, Ezra. "The Benefits of a College Degree in One Graph." The Washington Post, 11 Aug 2011. Web. 23 Oct 2011. <http://wiki.gonzaga.edu/alfino/index.php?title=Can_Colleges_become_more_efficient%3F&action=edit&section=3>.

Summary I just thought this was an interesting graph giving the statistics of degrees during this state in the economy. It is just a little background information.

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On Google:

• Benefits of a College Education

Shannon Scola

5. There are Not Many Benefits of a College Degree

Kawamoto, Dawn. "Financial Benefits of a College Education Are Smaller Thank You'd Think." Daily Finance, 24 May 2011. Web. 23 Oct 2011. <http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/05/24/financial-benefits-of-a-college-education-are-smaller-than-youd/>.

Summary This article argues the opposite side having a college degree. It states that there is not very much financial difference in careers from those who have college degrees and those that do not. Even in this economy there are still not enough people for jobs, such as plumbers, which does not require a college degree but does pay better than other jobs, and pays almost the same as the average job with a college degree.

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• Benefits of a College Degre

Shannon Scola

6. Improved Efficiency in Colleges, and Other Pipe Dreams

Luzer, Daniel. "Improved Efficiency in Colleges, and Other Pipe Dreams by Daniel Luzer | Washington Monthly." The Washington Monthly. 15 Nov. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/improved_efficiency_in_college.php>.

Summary This is an article from a newspaper based in Washington DC. They say their goal is to report problems with the government and solutions to the issues. It seems very unbiased. This article analyzes a report done about how the United States can hold its position in the global economy and preserve the living standards of its citizens. The key it says is to have more college graduates each year, and still spend less and less money on higher education. The solution as to how to go about this improving the effectiveness of college in a series of five steps. I think this article is very useful to us as it appears unbiased and in the publics best interest. The link on the article for the Report it mentions doesn't not work anymore unfortunately.

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On Google:

• Can colleges become more efficient

Kelley Boone

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Student loans

College Student Debt Grows. Is It Worth It? : NPR." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.npr.org/2011/05/16/136214779/college-student-debt-grows-is-it-worth-it>.

Summary This article talks about whether or not student loans are worth the risk, even if you are getting a college education. The author says that this debt is okay if the student is careful about it. It talks about making sure that you only borrow less than your expected salary for after you graduate, one also has to pick a study in which they will be able to get a job to pay back their loans as quickly as possible.

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• student loans, are they worth it

Elizabeth Breen

Student debt

Price, M. (2011, Oct 05). Big squeeze for grads: Student loans rise, job opportunities dim. The Christian Science Monitor, pp. n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/896370416?accountid=1557

Summary This article discusses student loans in relation to the jobs that people receive after graduation. It says that not only are tuition prices increasing where grants are not but also the job market is not looking good; 13% of grads between 20 and 24 are unemployed. These stats in combination with the current deficit are putting college education in jeopardy. Budget cuts are causing the government to increase interest on the loans, tighten qualifications for federal aid, and eliminate some tax credits on education. If we are not careful the cost of education could greatly impact our economy in more way than one.

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ProQuest:

• student loans

Elizabeth Breen

Making College more Accessible

Leblanc, Paul. "Make College Accessible to the Masses - and Jobless." The Christian Science Monitor: n/a. ProQuest. Sep 12 2011. Web. 24 Oct. 2011 <http://search.proquest.com/docview/888603050?accountid=1557>.

Summary This article discusses alternatives to a traditional university education; claiming that it should not matter where students receive their education as long as they know the material; pushing taking classes online. The author stresses the importance of a college education even though it is harder to get now than ever. There are a few solutions mentioned in the article to avoid the growing inequalities among America’s youth such as cutting out core curriculum and pushing online learning. This was college will be more accessible and affordable to students.

Terms Used

ProQuest:

• students and a higher education

Elizabeth Breen

In State Student Cuts

Brodeur, Nicole. "Out-of-state Money Talks Big at UW." The Seattle Times [Seattle] 22 Mar. 2010. Web.

Summary This is an article from the Seattle Times that talks about what colleges, specifically the University of Washington have done because of recent budget cuts. This university as well as others have been limiting the number of in-state students accepted and taking more out-of-state because of the tuition difference. This makes it difficult for student who want to attend a university in state to save money because they are not getting in; leading to the cycle of student loans to attend other universities.

Terms Used

Seattle Times

• UW in state students

Elizabeth Breen