Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Studies of Three Student Development Programs

Beatrice L. Bridglall - Contributions by Freeman A. Hrabowski III; Kenneth I. Maton; Susan Layden and Sheldon Solomon

Concerns with how students are taught, and whether and how they learn, has become particularly salient in higher education. This is evident in growing awareness of increases in time-to-degree and declines in attainment rates for many students, including those who are underrepresented, in our nation’s community and public and private colleges and universities. It is also demonstrated vis-à-vis recent findings that more than a third of college students evinced no noticeable improvement in critical thinking, writing, and complex reasoning skills after four years as an undergraduate. These findings suggest that while a focus on access to and participation in the nation’s colleges and universities remain a prominent goal, it is no longer sufficient given persistent disparities in post secondary student learning.
There are a few models however, from which we can distill a set of strategies for promoting not only high achievement, but also retention and completion rates. This book examines three such models in higher education — the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; the Opportunity Programs at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York; and the Premedical Program at Xavier University in New Orleans – with a proven record of student achievement and completion.

Lexington Books

Pages: 204 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-0-7391-7733-4 • Hardback • August 2013 • $107.00 • (£82.00)

978-1-4985-5724-5 • Paperback • March 2017 • $52.99 • (£41.00)

978-0-7391-7734-1 • eBook • August 2013 • $47.50 • (£37.00)

Subjects: Education / Organizations & Institutions, Education / Educational Policy & Reform / General, Education / Higher

Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Studies of Three Student Development Programs

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Concerns with how students are taught, and whether and how they learn, has become particularly salient in higher education. This is evident in growing awareness of increases in time-to-degree and declines in attainment rates for many students, including those who are underrepresented, in our nation’s community and public and private colleges and universities. It is also demonstrated vis-à-vis recent findings that more than a third of college students evinced no noticeable improvement in critical thinking, writing, and complex reasoning skills after four years as an undergraduate. These findings suggest that while a focus on access to and participation in the nation’s colleges and universities remain a prominent goal, it is no longer sufficient given persistent disparities in post secondary student learning.
There are a few models however, from which we can distill a set of strategies for promoting not only high achievement, but also retention and completion rates. This book examines three such models in higher education — the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; the Opportunity Programs at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York; and the Premedical Program at Xavier University in New Orleans – with a proven record of student achievement and completion.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 204 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-0-7391-7733-4 • Hardback • August 2013 • $107.00 • (£82.00)

978-1-4985-5724-5 • Paperback • March 2017 • $52.99 • (£41.00)

978-0-7391-7734-1 • eBook • August 2013 • $47.50 • (£37.00)

Subjects: Education / Organizations & Institutions, Education / Educational Policy & Reform / General, Education / Higher

Author

Beatrice L. Bridglall currently teaches at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey. Her research areas include higher, international and comparative education; student development, engagement and persistence in K-12 and higher education; school reform; and program research and evaluation. She has co-edited several books, including Supplementary Education: The Hidden Curriculum of High Academic Achievement (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005), and Affirmative Development: Cultivating Academic Ability (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008).

Table of Contents

Part I: Persistent Underperformance & Underrepresentation
Chapter 1: Current Issues and Trends in Higher Education
Chapter 2: Creating Effective Social and Intellectual Communities/Environments in Higher Education: A Theoretical Perspective
Part II: Contemporary exemplars of excellence
Introducing Chapter 3: Student Underrepresentation in STEM
Chapter 3: Preparing Students for Research Careers: The Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Beatrice L. Bridglall, Freeman A. Hrabowski III, and Kenneth Maton
Introducing Chapter 4: The Benefits of High Attainment/Completion Rates in Context
Chapter 4: Creating Opportunities to Learn: The Opportunity Programs at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY
Susan Layden, Beatrice L. Bridglall, and Sheldon Solomon
Introducing Chapter 5: A Brief Historical Overview of Medical Education
Chapter 5: A Model for Increasing Access to Medical School: The Premedical Program at Xavier University in New Orleans
Part III: Research and Policy Implications
Chapter 6: Recommendations & Policy Implications
Appendix A: Overview of the Study

Reviews

Too many U.S. colleges blame their mediocre completion rates on the poor preparation of their students. This book chronicles how three campuses have ditched these excuses and created programs that meet the needs of traditionally under-served students.
— Matthew M. Chingos, Fellow, Brookings Institution, Brown Center on Education Policy

Dr. Bridglall’s study underscores the value of well-researched, rigorous educational programs and how they can contribute to student achievement, post-secondary success, career advancement and a passion for lifelong learning.
— Charlotte Frank, senior adviser, McGraw-Hill Education