Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ In higher education it’s student progress that counts—but prestige that gets measured

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

I think the headline is quite right - if, for example, you look at the rankings of the world's 'leading educational institutions' yopu'll find that one of the major parameters is the institution's 'reputation'. It has nothing to do with performance. The same with learning. "In higher education, the 'best' customers are elite, first-time, full-time students. They pay more; they are academically prepared; they graduate in high numbers; they demand immersive amenities; and their achievements, talents, and predominantly wealthy families contribute significantly to the prestige and reputation of the institution. The industries' obsession with these students has been baked into the data infrastructure of higher education for decades." Quite so; how many studies have looked at what 'students' want or need? As opposed to 'everybody who learns'? So I agree with this article - the system of measurement should be changed.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Apr 19, 2024 1:45 p.m.

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