Topic: economic competitiveness & workforce development
How to Explode a Myth: Reshaping the Conversation About the Liberal Arts
Higher education leaders are living and leading in the context of increased public scrutiny, demands for greater public accountability, and a “new normal” of constrained resources. Educational leaders must redouble our efforts to clarify the essential components of a high-quality college degree and provide evidence on that oft-repeated and anxiety-generated question: Is college really worth it?
Where Are the Women in STEM?
From decades of widely reported and debated research, we know that women have been enrolling in and graduating from college in greater numbers than men since the 1980s. But there is one area where the increased presence of women is notably missing—the so-called STEM fields: with the greatest disparities occurring in the important fields of engineering and computer science.
Going International
For many United States colleges and universities, increasing international student enrollment has become a strategic priority. Such students often pay full tuition, and amid state funding and other cutbacks, admissions offices are increasingly reaching across national borders in their recruiting campaigns. But that’s not the only reason to go international, writes Robin Matross Helms.
General Education, the Four-Year Degree and Employment: What Needs to Change?
Which segment of the four-year degree is supposed to enhance students’ employable skills and prepare them for a job? Most would probably think, the courses in their degree major. But increasingly, employers are saying they can train employees in the specialized technical skills associated with their jobs. It’s the intangible skills that they hope will be taught by colleges and universities.
Now What? Some Insights From OECD’s Adult Skills Survey
We’re not learning only in the classroom anymore—and maybe we never were. A new Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report shows that throughout the world, the workplace is a critical learning environment. The question is, what does that mean for educational policy and adult learners?