Over the past few months I have seen a few articles by Alex Usher that I have found to offer some keen insights in Higher Education. Usher is a Higher Education consultant and his company is Higher Education Strategy Associates.
The first article was Back to the future in University Affairs where he offers his perspective on what higher education in Canada will look like over the next 25 years.
The second article, posted yesterday, is an interview of Usher posted on the Higher Education Management group's blog. In this interview he talks about the value of university rankings, compares Canada's higher education system to other countries and he shares his views of how tuition influences access to education.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Blame Roy Giroux for My Blog
Dr. Roy Giroux was a professor in my Master's program who has had quite an impact on many students and education professionals in Canada (including me). He served as a Vice-President at Humber College for many years and was instrument in bringing Central Michigan University's Master of Arts in Education program to Ontario.
Roy taught two of the courses in my Master's program and as we were nearing the end of the program, he challenged my classmates and I to find a way to continue using our new knowledge and to share it with others. He suggested we could present, publish our research or continue with our studies. Blogging was not one of the choices he suggested, but it seemed to me to be a way of extending my learning beyond my masters program while still satisfying Roy's challenge.
It was about a 18 months ago that I started blogging and I recall searching for blogs to see if I could find some examples or models to follow. I did not have much luck. It was not difficult to find blogs about education, but they tended to be elementary or high school teachers or college faculty. It was difficult to find blogs about student affairs in Canada or the US.
I was not sure what to expect when I started sharing my blogs publicly. Part of me wondered if anyone would notice. Making a contribution by writing was not familiar territory for me. Fortunately, given some time, a few people did notice. I recall being surprised to find the first comment on one of my blog posts - it took me a few weeks before I even noticed. Other surprises followed, such as someone signing up to follow my blog, and Joey Coleman, a post-secondary education reporter, sharing a link to one of my posts in his blog.
Blogging has become a new way for me to explore my thoughts about my work and education in general. It has also allowed me to engage with colleagues in a different way. It has been great to discover new blogs about student affairs, especially from Canada. If you have not read the blog Deanne Fisher started called CACUSS Reads or Ross McMillan's blog at studentaffairs.ca then I would encourage you to do so. Perhaps you will even be inspired to start your own blog. Just remember to blame Roy.
Roy taught two of the courses in my Master's program and as we were nearing the end of the program, he challenged my classmates and I to find a way to continue using our new knowledge and to share it with others. He suggested we could present, publish our research or continue with our studies. Blogging was not one of the choices he suggested, but it seemed to me to be a way of extending my learning beyond my masters program while still satisfying Roy's challenge.
It was about a 18 months ago that I started blogging and I recall searching for blogs to see if I could find some examples or models to follow. I did not have much luck. It was not difficult to find blogs about education, but they tended to be elementary or high school teachers or college faculty. It was difficult to find blogs about student affairs in Canada or the US.
I was not sure what to expect when I started sharing my blogs publicly. Part of me wondered if anyone would notice. Making a contribution by writing was not familiar territory for me. Fortunately, given some time, a few people did notice. I recall being surprised to find the first comment on one of my blog posts - it took me a few weeks before I even noticed. Other surprises followed, such as someone signing up to follow my blog, and Joey Coleman, a post-secondary education reporter, sharing a link to one of my posts in his blog.
Blogging has become a new way for me to explore my thoughts about my work and education in general. It has also allowed me to engage with colleagues in a different way. It has been great to discover new blogs about student affairs, especially from Canada. If you have not read the blog Deanne Fisher started called CACUSS Reads or Ross McMillan's blog at studentaffairs.ca then I would encourage you to do so. Perhaps you will even be inspired to start your own blog. Just remember to blame Roy.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Digital Community Facilitator: A New Role at Ryerson
A year ago at the Empire Club my school's President, Sheldon Levy, gave a speech where he said, "In Ontario we are moving away from manufacturing and into technology - and I would refine this by saying we are moving into digital media." The President's overall message was that Ontario has a chance to be a leader in the new digital economy and Ryerson is well placed to take advantage of this opportunity by undergoing an evolution of its role as City-Builder. To be a leader he sees Ontario designing solutions, not implementing solutions created elsewhere.
The President goes on to highlight that "[our] students are the first generation [to grow] up completely digital. So they bring a measure of real comfort and confidence to problems that rely on digital tools for a solution." Traditionally at Ryerson, and elsewhere, activities organized by student affairs units focus on bringing students together face-to-face. The internet has been used in large part to support face-to-face events. This approach will continue to have great value, but digital media is providing new opportunities to help us achieve our goals.
The President goes on to highlight that "[our] students are the first generation [to grow] up completely digital. So they bring a measure of real comfort and confidence to problems that rely on digital tools for a solution." Traditionally at Ryerson, and elsewhere, activities organized by student affairs units focus on bringing students together face-to-face. The internet has been used in large part to support face-to-face events. This approach will continue to have great value, but digital media is providing new opportunities to help us achieve our goals.
To take advantage of these new opportunities we are introducing a new position called Digital Community Facilitator. The idea behind this new role is to leverage Web 2.0 tools, such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, to create community as an end in and of itself. The hope is that we can pair the existing and emerging digital communities with the vibrant face-to-face communities that already exist at Ryerson. As a new role, with few models to compare, the position is bound to evolve over time, but I thought there would be value in sharing the responsibilities we currently envision for this position. Comments and questions are more than welcome.
- Conduct periodic assessments, with input from community members, of the health of our digital media communities, measuring engagement, size of community, participation levels, fan interest and performance against university objectives.
- Grow digital community followers, friends and subscribers within current digital networks related to Ryerson and by identifying emerging digital networks and platforms
- Launch and manage digital communities, including applications, for networks such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, and provide support,encouragement & advice to students and colleagues who wish to leverage these tools to enhance community development by (a) Creating frameworks for determining when new communities should be launched and supported and (b) Making recommendations on timing, roll-out and objectives of new communities
- Keep up to date with the general digital media landscape and act as a digital media evangelist in the Ryerson community for digital media and the digital media communities.
- Identify and support the most relevant influencers in a wide range of digital communities
- Participate in and stimulate online conversations on behalf of Ryerson to enhance student learning and the student's experience
- Leading ongoing education and awareness initiatives to keep community members abreast of marketplace developments and changes in the digital media space. Provide advice and support to students and colleagues in digital media best practice and participation strategies.
- Work effectively with cross-functional teams who are seeking ways to integrate digital media within their programs; provide guidance, expert advice and strategies that fit within Ryerson's overall digit media strategy and academic plan
Friday, June 4, 2010
The Difference 150 Years Makes
This past weekend I finished reading Pierre Berton's The National Dream which describes the story about building a railway from Montreal to British Columbia in the 1870's. It is hard to fathom a Canada that does not reach from the Atlantic to the Pacific but if the railway was not built that could have been a reality.
My curiosity about early Canada was peaked so I picked up John A: The Man Who Made Us immediately after putting down The National Dream. I am intrigued to see how society has evolved and using that knowledge to better anticipate the future. Reading about Canada's first Prime Minister provides great insight into the foundation of Canadian society. For instance, Sir John A. Macdonald started practicing law just before he was 16 years old despite never having studied at university. Practicing law in 19th century Canada did not require a degree. Obviously, today it is extremely rare for someone to begin working at 16.
In fact, in 21st century Canada, the Ontario government predicts that 70% of jobs will require some form of post-secondary education. Interestingly, the foundation for Canada's education system was set in the 19th century by Egerton Ryerson, the person that my school is named after. (Some controversy now surrounds his approach as he started the Canadian residential school system.)
Another fact about Macdonald's time that seems unreal by today's standards is that a short speech in parliament was two hours long. Macdonald and others were known to give speeches lasting five or six hours. Obviously the 1800's was a time where electronic communications did not exist and Berton explains that politics provided for good theatre so politicians gave lengthy speeches and people listened. Newspapers would often print speeches given in parliament. Gives whole new meaning to participating in Toastmasters!
A last noteworthy point for me was the immense effort people had to put into building the actual railroad. It took more than a decade to build and all sorts of physical, personal and political challenges were encountered. An eyeopening and somewhat funny part of the story, especially by today's standards, was that people had to travel a few hundred miles just to pick up the mail - many times through the mountains. Today all we have to do is reach down to our hip and grab our Blackberry or iPhone!
My curiosity about early Canada was peaked so I picked up John A: The Man Who Made Us immediately after putting down The National Dream. I am intrigued to see how society has evolved and using that knowledge to better anticipate the future. Reading about Canada's first Prime Minister provides great insight into the foundation of Canadian society. For instance, Sir John A. Macdonald started practicing law just before he was 16 years old despite never having studied at university. Practicing law in 19th century Canada did not require a degree. Obviously, today it is extremely rare for someone to begin working at 16.
In fact, in 21st century Canada, the Ontario government predicts that 70% of jobs will require some form of post-secondary education. Interestingly, the foundation for Canada's education system was set in the 19th century by Egerton Ryerson, the person that my school is named after. (Some controversy now surrounds his approach as he started the Canadian residential school system.)
Another fact about Macdonald's time that seems unreal by today's standards is that a short speech in parliament was two hours long. Macdonald and others were known to give speeches lasting five or six hours. Obviously the 1800's was a time where electronic communications did not exist and Berton explains that politics provided for good theatre so politicians gave lengthy speeches and people listened. Newspapers would often print speeches given in parliament. Gives whole new meaning to participating in Toastmasters!
A last noteworthy point for me was the immense effort people had to put into building the actual railroad. It took more than a decade to build and all sorts of physical, personal and political challenges were encountered. An eyeopening and somewhat funny part of the story, especially by today's standards, was that people had to travel a few hundred miles just to pick up the mail - many times through the mountains. Today all we have to do is reach down to our hip and grab our Blackberry or iPhone!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Moving to Student Affairs 2.0
A couple of good questions were posed by Rachel in the comments of my recent Student Affairs 2.0 blog post. I thought there would be value in sharing my response as another post as it allows me to elaborate on my thinking and explain some of the actions being taken at my school.
At Ryerson, we are in the process of creating a full-time position that will be dedicated to fostering the development of a digital student community. The student life promotions team, that we created a couple of years ago, was one of our first coordinated attempts to facilitate community development online and the thinking is that this team will become part of the responsibilities of this new position.
As for the second question, I agree that spending time together face-to-face is very important. I do not anticipate a major shift in where a student affairs professional spends his/her time over the next few years, especially at well established schools. However, the rapid emergence of new schools, like those online, dictate that different approaches must be adopted by student affairs or we risk falling behind or not being included altogether as decisions are made on where future resources are directed. It is rare in my experience to see a student affairs job posted for a school that does the bulk of its work online or interact with a professional from one of these schools at a conference. This is concerning because online education is big business now as the recent PBS broadcast, College, Inc., demonstrates.
Perhaps an even more important reason for student affairs to deliberately take steps to get involved in online communities is that our students are already there is high numbers that will continue to grow. I see no value in fighting this reality. In fact, I see tremendous upside for students affairs to accept it because it will increase our understanding of how students are interacting and learning.
My response to Rachel's questions is obviously driven by my experience and views. Please feel free to share your views so more perspectives can be added to the mix.
At Ryerson, we are in the process of creating a full-time position that will be dedicated to fostering the development of a digital student community. The student life promotions team, that we created a couple of years ago, was one of our first coordinated attempts to facilitate community development online and the thinking is that this team will become part of the responsibilities of this new position.
As for the second question, I agree that spending time together face-to-face is very important. I do not anticipate a major shift in where a student affairs professional spends his/her time over the next few years, especially at well established schools. However, the rapid emergence of new schools, like those online, dictate that different approaches must be adopted by student affairs or we risk falling behind or not being included altogether as decisions are made on where future resources are directed. It is rare in my experience to see a student affairs job posted for a school that does the bulk of its work online or interact with a professional from one of these schools at a conference. This is concerning because online education is big business now as the recent PBS broadcast, College, Inc., demonstrates.
Perhaps an even more important reason for student affairs to deliberately take steps to get involved in online communities is that our students are already there is high numbers that will continue to grow. I see no value in fighting this reality. In fact, I see tremendous upside for students affairs to accept it because it will increase our understanding of how students are interacting and learning.
My response to Rachel's questions is obviously driven by my experience and views. Please feel free to share your views so more perspectives can be added to the mix.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Student Affairs 2.0
The classroom used to be seen as the only stage for a teacher to share their knowledge and promote student learning. We have witnessed a tremendous evolution in this view over the past decade with the growth of online learning. This change has allowed new higher education models to be adopted some of which are coming from business (along with new challenges as I commented on previously)
Faculty took advantage of the internet to start moving classroom learning online more than a decade ago. Now decision makers, in government or high ed administration, seem to be increasingly attracted to online learning as its effectiveness as a teaching strategy increases, not to mention the cost savings that can be achieved through the lower demand for building space.
Student affairs now has an opportunity to be integrated into this new environment by moving community development online. Web 2.0 provides the tools for this change to happen, but a new paradigm must be adopted. One where the internet is not used solely to market face-to-face activities to students, but to develop community online as end in and of itself.
Online communities are now a regular part of our lives and student affairs must do more than simply join these communities. Student affairs must actively participate online, train students how to interact effectively in these communities and find innovative ways in this new medium to enhance the student experience. To remain relevant in a new post-secondary world, where students will interact face-to-face less often in a classroom, student affairs must translate its community development expertise to the online environment.
My school has been developing some strategies aimed at making the shift I am describing above - a shift to Student Affairs 2.0. This change will impact many aspects of students affairs and I see great value in generating discussion with student affairs professionals from across North America and around the world. Because of my interest in trying to understand this future I intend to share more of my thoughts on my blog in the coming weeks and I would welcome any questions or comments.
Faculty took advantage of the internet to start moving classroom learning online more than a decade ago. Now decision makers, in government or high ed administration, seem to be increasingly attracted to online learning as its effectiveness as a teaching strategy increases, not to mention the cost savings that can be achieved through the lower demand for building space.
Student affairs now has an opportunity to be integrated into this new environment by moving community development online. Web 2.0 provides the tools for this change to happen, but a new paradigm must be adopted. One where the internet is not used solely to market face-to-face activities to students, but to develop community online as end in and of itself.
Online communities are now a regular part of our lives and student affairs must do more than simply join these communities. Student affairs must actively participate online, train students how to interact effectively in these communities and find innovative ways in this new medium to enhance the student experience. To remain relevant in a new post-secondary world, where students will interact face-to-face less often in a classroom, student affairs must translate its community development expertise to the online environment.
My school has been developing some strategies aimed at making the shift I am describing above - a shift to Student Affairs 2.0. This change will impact many aspects of students affairs and I see great value in generating discussion with student affairs professionals from across North America and around the world. Because of my interest in trying to understand this future I intend to share more of my thoughts on my blog in the coming weeks and I would welcome any questions or comments.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Student Life Without Senior Students?
The University of New Brunswick is undergoing a review as part of a strategic planning exercise and Tony Bates, an e-learning and distance education consultant, was invited to campus as part of the process. He published some of his thoughts, including recommendations, on his blog (found via Stephen's Web).
I am intrigued, but not necessarily surprised, by one of his recommendations as it could influence student life on the UNB campus: "A gradual move from almost entirely face-to-face courses in first year programs to hybrid or fully distance programs in the fourth year undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as develop more online non-credit certificate or diploma programs focused on the lifelong learning market."
Take a moment to imagine a campus with less senior students. For the students themselves school becomes more flexible. Money could be saved if a student has to travel less and live at home. For a school less space is needed which could also result in a cost savings and at the very least space could be reallocated for other uses. For student life I do not foresee cost savings, but having a smaller number of senior students means fewer job applications, fewer opportunities to mentor younger students and fewer students to participate in activities. In short, the student experience will change - which is not necessarily bad, but it is important to examine the implications.
I also see an opportunity to use a new model opening up if some student life activities can be moved online. For instance, many thriving communities exist online, just as on campus, and directing resources to using Web 2.0 tools to create student life has potential. With education evolving, like it is at UNB, it is important for student affairs' professionals to consider recommendations being made. Furthermore it is even more important to participate in the dialogue, whenever possible, so students, faculty and decision maker's have an opportunity understand how changes will impact all aspects of a student's experience.
I am intrigued, but not necessarily surprised, by one of his recommendations as it could influence student life on the UNB campus: "A gradual move from almost entirely face-to-face courses in first year programs to hybrid or fully distance programs in the fourth year undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as develop more online non-credit certificate or diploma programs focused on the lifelong learning market."
Take a moment to imagine a campus with less senior students. For the students themselves school becomes more flexible. Money could be saved if a student has to travel less and live at home. For a school less space is needed which could also result in a cost savings and at the very least space could be reallocated for other uses. For student life I do not foresee cost savings, but having a smaller number of senior students means fewer job applications, fewer opportunities to mentor younger students and fewer students to participate in activities. In short, the student experience will change - which is not necessarily bad, but it is important to examine the implications.
I also see an opportunity to use a new model opening up if some student life activities can be moved online. For instance, many thriving communities exist online, just as on campus, and directing resources to using Web 2.0 tools to create student life has potential. With education evolving, like it is at UNB, it is important for student affairs' professionals to consider recommendations being made. Furthermore it is even more important to participate in the dialogue, whenever possible, so students, faculty and decision maker's have an opportunity understand how changes will impact all aspects of a student's experience.
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