Measuring Higher Education
The metrics used to determine the collegiate hierarchy between institutions are not necessarily indicative of the quality of education that a student receives and therefore poses questions of validity on the hierarchy itself. The collegiate ranking system in question represents the order in which prospective students may discover and learn about the institutions in which they wish to enroll and therefore invest their lives in. In order to understand the metrics used to define higher education, we must first explore the role of higher education in context with society and it’s role in generating social capital. However, some of the most common metrics used such as retention rate, student selectivity, and undergraduate academic reputation does not accurately represent the amount of social capital that is created both during and after the two to four years spent receiving an education.
The role of higher education to society is creating social capital in all facets of the world. According to Dr. Salem Badat, there are five key roles that higher education must play in our society; cultivating highly educated individuals, constructing a democratic citizenship, engaging in the rapidly developing society, contribute to the intellectual and cultural growth of the public through informed commentary and critique, and finally to creatively engage in different kinds of scholarship. These five key roles outline
What are the metrics?
Source
Source 2
Undergraduate academic reputation 22.5 percent
Sub factors: 100% dependent on peer assessment survey – odd, considering weight. Also peers cannot accurately make these judgements based on their lack of experience.
Retention 22.5 percent
Subfactors: 80% avg Graduation rate, 20% avg freshmen retention rate
Student selectivity 12.5 percent
Sub factors: SAT/ACT Scores 65%, High School standing 25%, Acceptance Rate 10%
Financial resources 10 percent
Sub factors: Financial Resources per Student – Arguably a huge indicator of the type of social environment at a particular school.
Faculty Resources 20 percent
Sub factors:
Faculty compensation 35% – Does this really indicate the social capital being generated by the students? Does not necessarily motivate faculty to teach better (where the dissemination of knowledge/inspiration takes place).
Percent faculty with terminal degree in their field 15% – No correlation with teaching ability
Percent faculty that is full time 5% – No correlation with teaching ability
Student-faculty ratio 5% – Very important, indicates amount of personal attention available
Class size, 1-19 students 30% – Good indicator of personal attention in classrooms
Class size, 50+ students 10% – Good indicator of personal attention in classrooms
Graduation rate performance 7.5 percent
Sub Factors: Grad rate Performance
Alumni giving rate 5 percent
Sub Factors: Avg Alumni giving rate
What do these metrics evaluate and what they are influenced by?
Retention: How many students come back. Source.
Influenced directly by:
Finances/home situations/poor fit/transfers – Out of institutional control.
Students don’t come back if the school is not conducive to their learning needs – within institutional control
Inability to assimilate/handle course load
Freshman lack the motivation to do well, failure to comprehend the purpose behind education
Lack of role models
Undergraduate Academic Reputation:
Influenced directly by:
Why are these metrics questionable?
General question looking to be answered; What is the role of higher education in society?
Role of education in society.
Do these metrics help evaluate the contributions to society made by their graduates?
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