ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Searching for the Holy Grail of Learning Outcomes. SERU Project and Consortium Research Paper. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.3.12
Author: Douglass, John Aubrey
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: College Outcomes Assessment,Standardized Tests,Test Validity,Student Experience,Student Surveys,International Organizations,Feasibility Studies,Politics of Education,Foreign Countries

The search for the Holy Grail to measure learning gains started in the US, but the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) wants to take it global. Here we tell a bit of this story and raise serious questions regarding the validity of the Collegiate Learning Assessment test and suggest there are alternatives. The merit of the CLA as a true assessment of learning outcomes is, we dare say, debatable. In part, the arrival and success of the CLA is a story of markets. In essence, it is a successfully marketed product that is fulfilling a growing demand with few recognized competitors. As a result, the CLA is winning the "learning outcomes race," essentially becoming the "gold standard" in the US. We worry that the CLA's early market success is potentially thwarting the development of other valuable and more nuanced alternatives--whether it be other types of standardized tests that attest to measuring the learning curve of students, or other approaches such as student portfolios, contextually designed surveys on the student experience, and alumni feedback. In a new study published in the journal "Higher Education", we examine the relative merits of student experience surveys in gauging learning outcomes by analyzing results from the data from the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Survey. This essay discusses some of the main points from that article. There are real problems with student self-assessments. But as we argue here, universities can probably learn more about learning outcomes in a wide range of disciplines via properly designed census surveys than by standardized tests like the CLA. At present, we suggest there is tension between the accountability desires of governments and the needs of individual universities who must focus on institutional self-improvement. One might hope that they would be synonymous. But how to make ministries and other policymakers more fully understand the perils of a silver bullet test tool?
Diversity Matters: New Directions for Institutional Research on Undergraduate Racial/Ethnic and Economic Diversity. SERU Project and Consortium Research Paper. Research &amp; Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.8.11
Author: Thomson, Gregg
Date: 2011-05-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: First Generation College Students,Institutional Research,Ethnic Groups,Student Diversity,Multiracial Persons,Academic Achievement,Ethnic Diversity,Racial Differences,Socioeconomic Influences,Socioeconomic Status,Census Figures,Ethnicity,Undergraduate Students,Undergraduate Study,Immigrants,Correlation,Classification,Higher Education,Research Methodology,Trend Analysis

This paper reviews the new directions in institutional research on undergraduate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity at the University of California, Berkeley. The use of SERU/UCUES and other web-based census surveys has made possible more detailed and extensive analysis of student diversity. Included is research on an expanded number of racial/ethnic groups and on multiracial students, the significance of the African American experience, implications of the new IPEDS racial/ethnic reporting requirements, and a closer examination of Pell Grant and first-generation college students. UCUES survey results are used to development a more comprehensive parental education and immigrant generation diversity (EID) typology that is then used to examine the interrelationships among student demographics and various facets of the undergraduate academic experience. Finally, an analysis of student accounts of the experience of diversity at Berkeley provides an example of how web-based census surveys afford new opportunities for cost-effective qualitative diversity research. (Contains 19 tables, 1 figure and 1 footnote.)
Internationalizing Brazil's Universities: Creating Coherent National Policies Must Be a Priority. Research &amp; Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.11.11
Author: Knobel, Marcelo
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Higher Education,Competition,Educational Change,Administrative Organization,Foreign Countries,Student Mobility,Educational Policy,Politics of Education,Demography,Global Approach,Federal Aid,Change Strategies,Social Change,Case Studies,Foreign Students,Talent Identification,Talent Development,Alignment (Education),Public Policy

It is estimated that approximately 3 million students are enrolled as international students, and it is possible to project that this number may reach more than 7 million by 2025. As global demand exceeds the supply, competition is building for the best of these students. Some countries (or regions) clearly envisage the opportunity this represents and have been strongly stimulating student mobility. There is a race for &quot;brains&quot;, be it for professors at the end of their careers looking for new professional opportunities and/or the opportunity to return to their native countries, or for researchers at the beginning of their careers, looking for a place that might offer them a better future, or even for students, who seek more appealing alternatives. How will Brazil fare in this competition for talent? If it is to internationalize its higher education study programs, Brazil must deal with a number of practical problems, including a lack of specific policies and guidelines. Bureaucracy, for instance, is one major problem. A foreigner who comes to live in Brazil faces many obstacles, mainly due to the bureaucracy involved in everything from getting a Visa through the Federal Police office, to opening up a bank account, renting an apartment, registering at school, amongst many other processes and regulations that make it difficult for anyone to come and live in Brazil. One rarely finds a course offered in English or Spanish in a Brazilian university and the selection of faculty are normally held in Portuguese. Currently, there are no plans or projects at either the federal or state level, to address these obstacles. This should be a major concern to all who hold positions of responsibility in the educational process, as Brazil is not keeping pace with higher education reforms found globally. The internationalization movement is growing, and Brazil must actively seek reforms to keep pace with economic competitors.
Literature as an Organic Language Learning Tool
Author: Marek, Michael
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),English Language Learners,Student Motivation,Student Educational Objectives,Teaching Methods,Language Role,Literature,Constructivism (Learning),Recreational Reading,Adult Learning,Reader Text Relationship,Reading Material Selection,Difficulty Level,Readability,Cultural Differences,Figurative Language

This is a conceptual paper, based on several semesters of collaboration in which the American author interacted with students in the Taiwanese author's EFL classes in Taiwan. The best native language users are typically those who read extensively, especially reading for pleasure in their youth. This gives them a large vocabulary and an intuitive feel for how words and ideas should connect together that they then naturally apply to future reading comprehension and writing tasks. Literature can, similarly, be a vehicle for foreign language learning, but how can the natural learning stemming from reading for pleasure be replicated in the more structured classroom? The authors explore approaches that employ student-centered methodologies and foster positive motivation. The metaphor &quot;organic&quot; language learning refers to learning that is natural, without being forced or contrived, and without artificial characteristics. This approach parallels other foreign language learning subjects in which authentic source materials are valued by students. However, use of literature for language learning comes with pitfalls. Culture as portrayed in literature may not be accurate, in order to make literary points, leaving students with serious misunderstandings about the target culture, which teachers must be able to address and explain. The authors present a framework of best practices for teachers of foreign language literature that attempt to mirror the process of learning language via reading for pleasure, and also draw on techniques used in native language literature courses when the text is challenging. (Contains 1 figure.)
U.S. Department of Education Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2011-2014
Author: Department of Education (ED)
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Strategic Planning,Community Colleges,Graduation,Educational Attainment,Graduation Rate,Academic Achievement,Outcomes of Education,Outcome Measures,Equal Education,Access to Education,Accountability,Adult Education,Budgets,Disabilities,Mathematics Achievement,Student Financial Aid,Educational Improvement,Educational Quality,Enrollment,Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation,Elementary Secondary Education,Higher Education,Reading Achievement,Vocational Education,Early Childhood Education

This Fiscal Year 2011-2014 Strategic Plan (this Plan) addresses the key outcome-oriented goals below, focusing on reaching the President's 2020 goal. These goals focus on improving student achievement to increase high school graduation, college completion, and educational attainment--all measures of how the country is performing and how far it has to go. This Plan sets forth a strategy that focuses on improving these &quot;national outcomes&quot; for all groups of students. Because these outcome measures will not change overnight, the Department has also outlined a set of performance measures, closely linked to the Department's own activities, that can serve as indicators of the country's progress. The specific years referenced in the measures vary because they reflect the most recently available data and comparison years that are available and appropriate for each measure. (Contains 57 footnotes.)
Creating Choice in California Higher Education: A Proposed Voucher Program. Research &amp; Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.16.11
Author: Murphy, Patrick
Date: 2011-12-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Higher Education,College Choice,Taxes,Educational Vouchers,Educational Change,Educational Policy,Costs,Educational Finance

The state of California currently has a monopoly on the provision of higher education that is directly subsidized by state taxpayers. This proposal suggests that California abandon the &quot;single provider&quot; approach and offers a choice or voucher program as a substitute. The purpose of proposing such a dramatic change is not necessarily intended to bring about a shift in policy. The paper, instead, uses the voucher proposal as a vehicle to ask: what is the state's interest in supporting higher education with taxpayer dollars and how can it most efficiently pursue that interest? (Contains 3 tables, 2 figures and 4 footnotes.)
Seeking Sustainable Public Universities: The Legacy of the Great Recession. Research &amp; Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.10.11
Author: Lyall, Katharine
Date: 2011-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: State Universities,Sustainability,Economic Factors,Business,Models,State Aid,Trend Analysis,Educational Trends,Governance,Income,Educational Finance,Financial Support,Incentives,Statewide Planning,Futures (of Society)

The business models under which most public universities in the U.S. operate have become unsustainable. They were put in place when state economies were stronger and there were fewer programs making competing claims on state funds. The current Great Recession has made things worse, but the unsustainability of current business models derives from longer-term trends that will prevent state investment in higher education from rebounding to prior levels. States and universities are making both incremental and structural changes in response. Incremental changes work within existing financial and governance parameters to effect cost savings and/or to extend services; they stretch the use of existing or shrinking resources. Structural reforms change financial and/or governance parameters to create different incentives, which focus on performance, outcomes, and stabilizing capacity. A number of these new models are summarized including: &quot;charter&quot; and &quot;public authority&quot; models, the Virginia tiered system model, the Oregon public endowment model, and the UK income-contingent model. Current conditions create both a challenge and an opportunity for statewide higher education systems to re-define their missions and priorities to sustain their public universities for the future. Whether changes are made by drift or by design will determine how well public universities can contribute to the growth of the country in future decades. (Contains 16 endnotes.)
Wealth, Cost, and the Undergraduate Student Experience at Large Public Research Universities. SERU Project and Consortium Research Paper. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE 13.11
Author: Chatman, Steve
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: State Universities,Research Papers (Students),Undergraduate Students,Research Universities,Family Income,Consortia,Student Experience,Student Financial Aid,Educational Experience,Costs,Student Attitudes,Enrollment,Socioeconomic Status

Relying primarily on the responses of a proportionally weighted sample of undergraduate students attending eighteen major public research universities (N greater than 300K, responses from greater than 130K, n greater than 40K) that are part of the Student Experience in the Research University Consortium, this paper concludes that students from households at all income levels have been impacted by the increasing expense of higher education. The large majority of students from households at all income levels have changed behaviors to make college more affordable. However, the most remarkable result was that dependent students from households with incomes up to $100,000 experienced college much the same. Thus far, it appears that financial aid has been very successful at mitigating the challenges of limited or inadequate household financial resources--generally households with incomes less than $100,000. In contrast, students from wealthier households, that is households with income greater than $200,000, have a more satisfied, more enriching educational experience and worry about financial debt less. As is generally true, it is better to be wealthy. The perception of value for price paid varied by state and was not directly associated with cost to attend or by selectivity, except that the top-rated public universities were considered to be good values regardless of relative cost. And last, there was no clear evidence of middle-class squeeze in the experience of undergraduate students. There were no behaviors or satisfaction ratings with U-shaped relationships where poor and wealthy students had better experiences than students from households in the middle ranges. The relationships were linear or curvilinear with monotonic increases. Note that the lack of middle-class squeeze was based on currently enrolled students' experiences, not the experiences of their parents, students who did not enroll or enrolled elsewhere, or of recent graduates. One question is whether we will see similar findings over time, and as public universities increase their tuition and financial aid programs. (Contains 7 tables, 10 figures and 9 endnotes.)
Dynamics of American Universities. Research &amp; Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.1.12
Author: Smelser, Neil J.
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Higher Education,Universities,Educational Research,Educational History,Educational Practices,Educational Administration,Educational Change,Educational Development,Change Strategies,Competition,Educational Opportunities,Institutional Mission,Institutional Characteristics,Role of Education,Moral Values,Intellectual Disciplines,Conflict,Performance Factors,Barriers,Organizational Change,Educational Planning,Educational Objectives

The history of higher education has revealed all the forms of structural change associated with growth. The following focuses on a special form that involves growth, specialization, and proliferation, and applies mainly but not exclusively to universities. In search for a descriptive term, I have settled on the concept of &quot;structural accretion,&quot; a composite form of growth. Its simple definition is incorporation of new functions over time without, however, shedding existing ones or splitting into separate organizations. It is a complex process reflecting, in the main, the following driving forces: expanding as a result of new opportunities for activities, usually but not always relevant to the main missions of the university: the fact that most growth has been a matter of mutual opportunism; and the power of academic competition and emulation in a highly stratified prestige hierarchy of institutions. This paper reflects the first of three Clark Kerr Lectures on the Role of Higher Education in Society given on January 24, 2012 by Neil J. Smelser on the Berkeley campus and on the subject of &quot;Higher Education: The Play of Continuity and Crisis.&quot;
A European Perspective on New Modes of University Governance and Actorhood. Research &amp; Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.17.11
Author: Krucken, Georg
Date: 2011-12-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Higher Education,State Regulation,Foreign Countries,Governance,Institutional Characteristics,Organizational Theories,Change Agents,Change Strategies,Educational Change,Organizational Change,Recruitment,College Administration,Enrollment Rate,Institutional Mission,College Programs,Gender Issues,Administrative Change,Educational Policy,Politics of Education,Educational Research

Higher education systems in Europe are currently undergoing profound transformations. At the macro-level, there is an increase in the number of students enrolled, subjects of study offered, and university missions that have gained legitimacy over time. At the second level changes are evident at the level of university governance. New Public Management reforms have put into question the traditional mode of governance that was based on the interplay of strong state regulation and academic self-governance. Under the current regime, new actors like accreditation and evaluation bodies or boards of trustees are emerging. At a third institutional level, profound changes can be observed at the university level itself. The university as an organization is transforming into an organizational actor, i.e. an integrated, goal-oriented, and competitive entity in which management and leadership play an ever more important role. In the following paper empirical evidence for social inclusion, new modes of governance and the organizational actorhood of universities will be presented. Furthermore, I will outline an agenda for comparative research. Although the United States is in all three respects a forerunner of what we are observing in Europe, the label &quot;Americanization&quot; is misleading. Instead, a global frame of reference as well as national path-dependencies need to be taken into account. (Contains 3 figures.)
Former University of California Chancellors Urge New Funding Models for UC. Research &amp; Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.15.11
Author: University of California, Berkeley, Center for Studies in Higher Education
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Higher Education,College Presidents,Budgets,Educational Finance,Financial Support,Funding Formulas,Student Financial Aid,Administrator Attitudes

In this era of massive budget cuts, the survival of the University of California as a great institution of learning has become the subject of increasingly urgent debate. Twenty-two of the twenty-nine living former UC chancellors met in San Francisco on June 26-28, 2011 to discuss the current threats facing the University and all of California public higher education. Although the chancellors were not unanimously agreed on every point, there was general consensus regarding the principal recommendations on funding the University and protecting its quality. On August 4, 2011 they sent UC President Mark Yudof this report on their discussions.
2005 Mississippi Curriculum Framework: Secondary Building Trades. (Program CIP: 46.0000 - Construction Trades, General)
Author: Jernigan, Jarvis
Date: 2005-03-18
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Vocational Education,Secondary School Curriculum,Time on Task,Competence,Course Objectives,Teaching Methods,Student Evaluation,Technological Literacy,Academic Standards,Job Skills,Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation,State Legislation,Best Practices,Profiles,Building Trades

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many  challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through increased requirements for mastery and attainment of competency as documented through both formative and summative assessments. The courses in this document reflect the statutory requirements as found in Section 37-3-49, Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended (Section 37-3-46). In addition, this curriculum reflects guidelines imposed by federal and state mandates (Laws, 1988, ch. 487, Section 14; Laws, 1991, ch. 423, Section 1; Laws, 1992, ch. 519, Section 4 effective from and after July 1, 1992; Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act III, 1998; and No Child Left Behind Act of 2001). Building Trades is an instructional program that prepares an individual for employment or continued education in the occupations of Carpentry, Electrical Wiring, Masonry, or Plumbing. Building Trades I is a basic course teaching fundamentals of safety, tools, math, and basic carpentry, electrical, masonry, and plumbing skills. Building Trades II is a continuation of Building Trades I and provides advanced instruction and practical applications in each area. Certification by the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER): This curriculum has been aligned to modules in the Contren Learning Series as endorsed by the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). Students who study this curriculum using the Contren Learning Series materials under the supervision of an instructor who has been certified by the NCCER are eligible to be tested on each module. Students who successfully pass these tests may be certified to the NCCER by the instructor and will receive documentation from NCCER. Appended are: (1) Contren Learning Series Best Practices; (2) Academic Standards; (3) Workplace Skills for the 21st Century; and (4) National Educational Technology Standards for Students. A list of suggested references is provided for each unit. (Contains 7 footnotes.)