Responses
Ronald Discussion:
Hello Everyone,
Student access is an ongoing task that every institution faces. Some of the first things that pop into my mind on this topic include college readiness, cost to access, and support systems. College readiness includes early identification of those who may not be quite ready to perform at the college level and college prep courses for the identified. Access to higher education is impacted by students who get into a higher education institution and are not really ready to perform at the appropriate level. Cost to access include issues such as total cost to attend, which include tuition, fees, and room and board, paying for access with student loans and scholarships, and alternative platforms of delivery like online degrees. Support systems impact access because if the student feels that they are not supported, they find somewhere else to go or explore other non-higher educational options such as going into a trade. Effective support systems include all stakeholders and their specific units across the campus, academic support such as writing and tutoring centers, and well informed and trained faculty and staff.
The policy that I would enact would be a multi-tiered policy to effectively address all areas. For college readiness, the institution would have to work closely with the state and high schools to identify and enroll high school students into a college preparation course. Early identification is an opportunity for institutions to increase enrollment by providing the proper assistance for those who need it. To address access, an attractive policy to lock in tuition for the duration of the students’ academic career. Creation of a more interactive college experience online will create a cheaper, more attractive educational platform while maintaining academic rigor and quality. Lastly, to effectively support all student, all support systems will be offered in an online platform to assist both traditional and nontraditional students. In addition to that, all faculty and staff will have mandatory professional development and training to keep them well informed and ready to face all internal and external challenges. Thanks for stopping by everyone!
Emily Discussion:
Diversity, of course, remains to be a huge issue for many students in regards to equal access to colleges and universities. Diversity is more than just race or ethnicity; class, income, sexuality, gender, veteran and disability status are all different aspects of diversity that affect student access. Increasing diversity on campuses has so many benefits to student success. The increase of student interactions promotes meaningful conversations and opportunities that allows institutions to fulfill mission and vision statements. Increasing diversity on campus also raises awareness to many social justice issues that thousands of individuals face every day. Most importantly, campuses and administrators need to ensure that all students on their campus have equal educational opportunities so that all students can benefit from their education.
Because of the fact that so many businesses, markets and jobs require higher level degrees and knowledge, more and more individuals are going back to college in order to meet job requirements. Therefore, a higher number of students who attend a public college or university fall under the umbrella of “non-traditional student”. Many of these students work full-time while earning their degrees, and because of the increase in demand, more and more institutions are incorporating online degree options. With the influx of online degree options and online learning, more students are able to attend college and earn a degree while also gaining the experience needed to obtain a full-time job after graduating.
Lastly, admission requirements would be the most difficult theme that impacts access; so many different factors affect the requirements that institutions create. State standards, state funding, SAT or ACT scores, class standing, whether or not a student attended a magnet, charter, private or public high school, in-state vs out-of-state applicants and even student-financial-aid need can all impact whether or not a student is granted admission to an institution. Because there is no federal regulation requiring institutions to admit students, institutions of higher education can independently have their own individual requirements; many institutions have higher admission qualifications than others, especially in regards to high school GPA and SAT/ACT scores. Therefore, there are many students who are denied access to many 4-year colleges and universities because they do not meet the high admission requirements. Some requirements should definitely have more weight than others, but administrators should consider what factors actually impact the potential success of the individual applicant.
A potential policy that higher education institutions could enact to increase the access to higher education is the creation of a more consistent admission practices amongst colleges and universities at least within the same state. Current admission qualifications can impact disadvantaged students. Students from lower-income neighborhoods have a higher probability of attending a K-12 school district that does not offer college prep courses; just because these students do not have those courses does not mean that they will not succeed in a collegiate setting (St. John, Daun-Barnett, Moronski-Chapman, 2018, p. 68-73, 92). Furthermore, comparing incoming students based solely on GPA or Standardized Test Scores can negatively impact students; if an average incoming student cohort GPA is 4.2, that student who has a 3.5 GPA will have a higher chance of not being admitting to make room for the higher GPA students. State funding can also lead to enrollment gaps which can affect students within that state, or even students who may choose to attend a college or university from out of state (St. John, et.al, 2018, p. 83-84). Creating more consistent admission policies across institutions of higher education can allow a more diverse range of students to apply and be admitted to more institutions. Students will also still be able to apply to the institution of their choice, and in some cases, actually be admitted to their chosen institution. While the proposed policy may not be realistically implemented, I personally believe that the emphasis on high achievement on Standardized Tests and GPA (which is typically a large component for many higher education admission applications) are not fair measures of a student’s potential for success.
References
St. John, E. P., Daun-Barnett, N., & Moronski-Chapman, K. M. (2018). Public policy and higher education: Reframing strategies for preparation, access and college success (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.