Higher Education Project

Problem Statement

Tangela Jones

Walden University

What issues or problems am I most concerned about in higher education?

The problem that will be focused on in the project is associated with the retention rate of one of the Universities in the United States. The name of the university is Southern New Hampshire University, which has a retention rate of 61%.

What improvement needs to be made where I work?

The institution needs to make sure that the staff members are friendly to students, and at the same time, they are qualified to take up the tasks of teaching. The satisfaction of students and parents affects the rate of retention (Greene, Oswald, & Pomerantz, 2015). Therefore, it is important to have an administration that listens to the concerns of students and parents, and at the same time, it protects the new students from discrimination and exposure to harm.

What knowledge have I gained from my previous coursework that may assist me in completing my project?

Effective decision making and problem analysis are some of the skills that I have obtained in my previous coursework. The skills will help me to complete the project. The project is aimed at looking into an issue and coming up with the best solution, and this is why the skills will be of great help to me.

How can I apply this newly acquired knowledge and skills to a real-world situation?

The world is full of issues that are affecting human beings. Therefore, the skill of problem analysis will come in handy to help in analyzing any problem that might be affecting the members of society. The best way to know how to deal with a problem is by analyzing it, and this is why the skill will be helpful. After analyzing the problem, it is essential to make a decision that will help in dealing with the problem. The decision making skill comes in handy in looking for the best solution to the problem.

What does the current literature say about my topic?

The current literature states that the retention rate of students has increased in many universities and colleges. The literature is accurate, but there are a few institutions that are still lagging.

Who will benefit from my project?

All stakeholders in the education sector will benefit from the project. The project helps an institution to solve a problem, and that means that the institution will benefit from a high rate of retention (Krause, Mogalle, Pohl, & Williams, 2015). The methods that will be used will have a positive impact on the students, and that means that students are also beneficiaries of the project.

What resources are available to me in completing my project?

The resources that are available are the course readings, the Southern New Hampshire University site, and the internet. The resources will help to understand the problem and to identify some of the most effective strategies that should be used in dealing with the problem at hand.

What stakeholder(s) will evaluate my project?

The stakeholders who will evaluate the project are the parents, students, and school administration. The stakeholders are the most affected, and that means that they are in the best position to evaluate the project and know if it will have benefits on the institution or not.

Can I complete the project within the desired timeframe?

There are enough resources and knowledge, and that means that I can complete the project within the stipulated deadline.

References

Greene, J. A., Oswald, C. A., & Pomerantz, J. (2015). Predictors of retention and achievement in a massive open online course. American Educational Research Journal, 52(5), 925-955.

Krause, M., Mogalle, M., Pohl, H., & Williams, J. J. (2015, March). A playful game changer: Fostering student retention in online education with social gamification. In Proceedings of the Second (2015) ACM Conference on Learning@ Scale (pp. 95-102). ACM.