Blogs

Back in October I wrote a post on GradHacker about using checklists in research and as promised, I’m updating you on how I’ve integrated them into my data collection. In January I began to collect data for my thesis (yay!) and had the goal of using checklists to minimize common errors. This post will go over how I developed these checklists, their benefits, issues with implementation, and some final advice.

Student affairs professional association conference session topics are generally a direct reflection of practitioners in the field. Sessions at conferences span a wide array of functional areas, emerging trends, and competency-based tracks. However, there seems to be a trend at these events of favoring a certain demographic of student when it comes to session conversations. The default "student" is almost always an on-campus learner. Online learners are rarely included in session discussions.

Back in my faculty days at DeVry, during the Clinton years, students would ask me on a regular basis why they had to take “general education” courses, like mine. They would have preferred to do nothing other than their technical classes, and they weren’t shy about saying so. I told them that their technical skills would get them their first job, but that their analytical and communication skills would get them promoted. If they only ever wanted to work at the help desk, they didn’t need my class. But if they ever wanted to manage the people at the help desk, the stuff I helped them develop would be crucial.

The 30 essays in Presumed Incompetent expose a nasty truth about Academia: it is not above the realities of everyday American life. It, in fact, reproduces and reinforces society’s inequalities, stereotypes, and hierarchies within its own walls.

Dr. Peter Stokes is currently the executive director of postsecondary innovation in the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University. Many of you probably got to know Peter during his tenure (almost 14 years!) in various leadership roles at Eduventures.

In the United States, college or university is a privilege. It is not a right, it most certainly is not a legal requirement. With their admission, students are invited to join a unique community of scholars and scholarship. Academic integrity is the core component of the expectations we set for students.

I said, "sure, why not?" to something nine years ago, and I'm very glad for it.

A longtime reader writes: "If I start a career in the admin side of higher education, am I heading toward a new ceiling I don't yet see? And what kind of job should I look to start in if I want to be able to grow into positions of greater responsibility as I develop greater skills?"