The Future of University Education - Research Paper Example

 Analysis of data from UEL student research: What do UEL students think about the future of university education and why? “The survey of (organisations) is afflicted by confusion between the results of a survey of what people think about the world and a survey of what the world is really like” (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2008: 4). 1. Methodology In order to answer the question, the study required a deductive approach. The goal was to identify what students thought about university education in the future as well as the rationale for these determinations. This is a study, then, that is both qualitative and quantitative, requiring subjective analysis of human behaviour as well as employing a methodology that could illustrate a statistical analysis to determine if correlating attitudes existed within the participant group. The deductive approach required developing hypotheses, based on supporting literature regarding student perceptions of university education, and then employing a small-scale research study. Since effectively answering this question required statistical design, it was necessary to recruit a random sample of at least 40 students in order to gain a cross-cultural perspective on the subject. The random sample was selected to gain knowledge of these attitudes as it relates to students with varying socio-economic and socio-cultural backgrounds. The research instruments selected in order to sufficiently answer this question were surveys (quantitative) and interviews (qualitative) to fully explore attitudes, lifestyle and beliefs. The study was founded on several key learnings identified through secondary research exploration. When exploring the theoretical literature about the university experience of tomorrow, a consistent theme arose regarding electronic educational delivery. Zhang, Lee and You (2001) described the advent of digital libraries, an architecture of future infrastructure linkages between electronic learning content to promote better distribution of student learning materials. Digital library content, under these authors’ beliefs, represented the future of academic learning that would replace traditional library content. Further, the theme of electronic learning systems, e-learning, was also a very prevalent concept for the future of university education. Takiya, Archbold and Berge (2005) described the likelihood of e-learning as a platform to replace much traditional classroom learning. These authors supported e-learning as advantageous due to its ability to link video conferencing with convenience in order to facilitate more effective learning. Chan (2011) supports e-learning as a model for the future, describing the likelihood of 3-D online environments that provide more hands-on experiences and the ability to share experiences with peers and instructors as a supplement to the classroom experience. However, according to Siadaty and Tahiyareh (2008, p.104), “Many students rely primarily on direct contact with teaching staff and other learners to absorb course materials effectively and to detect their weak points”. Thus, there are generic prevailing student attitudes that the quality of e-learning is far below that of the traditional classroom experience. Arif and Ilyas (2011) offered results of a survey of 313 students that identified a significant disloyalty toward the university as it relates to limited satisfaction with the current technology infrastructure for e-learning. Most students in the study were only mildly satisfied with the quality and scope of electronic learning. The notion of e-learning as a potential assessment of the future of university learning, then, could not be ignored. There is ample support for its replacement or supplement to classroom learning for the future and there was evidence that students have well-formed opinion and knowledge of the concept. Thus, hypothesis #1 was developed for the deductive study: It is likely that students will consider e-learning to be a significant factor in the future of university education. Research information regarding the economics of tomorrow’s education was also gleaned. In 2007, the average senior enrolled in university maintained four credit cards with at least £3,000 in debt (Cahill, 2007). In just two years, this debt load mean average increased to over £4,100. Statistics also illustrate that credit card debt, after graduation, tends to double (Adams and Moore, 2007). High availability of credit cards and the cost factors associated with university attendance provide considerable debt-loads for students. Current tuition fees range between £6,000 and £12,000 and universities under a free market system are allowed to charge market rates for courses that are self-financed, thus allowing 10 to 15 percent increases each year (Nanda, 2011). The government is even promoting “pay later” schemes to improve volumes in UK universities (Centaur Communications, 2011), thus leading to more debt. Callender (2003) offers results from a study involving student tolerance to university-driven debt, indicating interesting correlations from a large sample of students. Students had congruent beliefs that it was acceptable to receive education now and pay for it in the future whilst also believing that debt is a regular and normal part of lifestyle today. Most students in the study, who maintained different cultural and economic backgrounds, believed that debt was okay as long as it can be paid off in the future (Callender). These attitudes and the statistical information regarding credit-based debt and the ever-increasing university tuition fees led to the development of Hypothesis #2: Students will consider debt as a factor in tomorrow’s university education and consider debt to be an acceptable price for its provision. Having identified the hypotheses associated with supporting literature, the surveys were developed under this premise with focus on e-learning and economic concerns. The interviews were crafted using a series of open-ended questions to provide an opportunity to discuss other concerns that might be considered in the participant group that did not necessarily involve these two factors. Surveys were constructed utilising a 1-10 ranking scale in order to identify any potential correlations between diverse student groups and return a mean average associated with each question related to e-learning and economics. This simple structure for the surveys was based on the rationale that this was a human behavioural sciences study. According to Adams (2010, p.2), “This provides us with signs and symbols that mean something rather than fractionalizing or limiting human capacity”. Thus, mean analysis was the foundation of the quantitative portion of the study rather than trying to focus on organisational relationships or social situations that cannot be measured without considerable subjective or psychological know-how. 2. Study results The results were correlated from a randomized survey sample of 40 and were also based on interviews conducted with five students of varying backgrounds. The survey sample consisted of 16 females (40%) and 24 males (60%). Students ranged between 19 and 24 years of age. Of the survey sample, 77.5% were of Caucasian background, 10% Asian, and 12.5 mixed ethnicities. The interview sample consisted of 80% Caucasian students and 20% Asian, four of which were female and one male student participant. Since the majority of the survey participants were male, the researcher decided to create a converse imbalance in the interview sample for added validity. Validity refers to the overall degree to which the study precisely measures what is being sought (Colorado State University, 2010). This converse imbalance related to gender improved measurement as it pertained to equal diversity of opinion and attitude related to the research concept. The economic costs of tomorrow’s education were clearly identified as a significant concern and belief. All of the interview participants indicated cost factors, each related to their perception of ongoing increases in university tuition and per-class rates. One student, female, among the interview sample believed that rising costs would create more school leavers and thus reduce the volume of students attending higher education. The male interview participant believed that within 10 years, costs of attending university would create a larger demand for skilled trades, therefore providing society with more blue collar workers rather than white collar employees. The male student believed that these costs would create economic disparities between high-income and low-income graduates that would have significant consequences on the entire macro-economic system. This student felt that the government should intervene and put a cap on tuition and classroom rates or the country would could be facing significant labour shortages in executive-level positions with too high of competition in industrial industries. The results of the interview indicated that there were significant macro- and micro-level economic concerns about the future of university education. One female student described her own experiences with credit card debt and how this impacted her relationship with parents when these debts were referred for external collections for non-payment. This student felt that this type of situation was going to be commonplace in the future where household relationships and long-term parental support would impact those who take on significant debt burdens in their educational career. The interview results only somewhat supported Hypothesis #2 as students did indicate debt as a genuine outcome of tomorrow’s education, however none of the sample viewed the debt situation as favourable or acceptable. If a larger sample of students had been recruited for interviews, more emphasis on the favourability of debt procurement may have been identified. However, the researcher did not want to inject bias into the interviews by leading the discussion, but allowed for free association of multiple concerns to stem from the sample group. Other factors associated with tomorrow’s education were shortages on educational expertise in the labour pool, negative quality concerns related to future teaching content and genuine favourability for improved technology developments to enhance learning. The survey results also indicated a very high concern about debt and costs associated with tomorrow’s university education. The mean average regarding questions about whether debt was concerned acceptable was 6.8, thus indicating support for Hypothesis #2 and its notion of acceptability for debt procurement. A question in the survey regarding expectations for e-learning were returned with a mean average of 7.5, indicating significant belief that self-guided electronic learning would be a probable outcome of the future educational process. Interestingly, one survey question inquiring about content quality in the e-learning model returned a lower-than-average mean score of 4.4, meaning that there are legitimate concerns about the integrity of e-learning as a future tool for educators. Debt as a major concern for tomorrow’s university education returned a mean average of 78% percent or 7.8, thus again adding additional support for Hypothesis #2. Only two students placed debt significantly lower-than-average on the survey instrument. Further analysis of the demographic profile of these students indicated that both came from more affluent family backgrounds, thus offering an indication that there are limited cost concerns associated with higher resource demographics. 3. Discussion Hypothesis #1 was proven as it relates to the e-learning model, considering the high mean score of 7.5, which also supported the theorists that support electronic education as a model for the future. The researcher failed to prove Hypothesis #2, though considerable research evidence was provided that supported ongoing research on acceptability of debt load through the recruitment of a broader sample population. However, significant results associated with debt and cost concerns were provided in both research formats. The aforementioned quality concerns in teaching format were insinuated or directly discussed by two students in the interview sample, dealing with perceptions of improper post-graduate education for teachers as it relates to keeping pace with the changing world. These students seemed to carry the belief that educators should be given more regulations for advancing their educational credentials to avoid becoming obsolete related to quality and knowledge transfer to students. The one student who identified a concern over potential labour shortages associated with competent teaching staff is also an opportunity for future research to determine whether a broader sample believes that teaching is become a traditionalist career and not well-suited for future career expectations. The study offered a window into the perceptions and attitudes of UEL students, showing support for cost and debt as major factors in tomorrow’s educational system. Though both hypotheses were not concretely proven (only Hypothesis #1), there was substantial evidence that students are aware of the changes taking place in university education today that will lead to the future model of university curriculum. Cost and debt issues associated with the provision of education require further exploration using qualitative tools to gain an understanding of the socio-cultural aspects that drive either favourability or anxiety/concern about its role in tomorrow’s learning. 4. References Adams, C. (2010) [internet] The significance, fun in a ‘one in ten’ scale, Boyertown Area Times [accessed November 10, 2011 at http://www.berksmontnews.com/articles/2010/05/22/boyertown_area_times/opinion/doc4bf2cd07d5bab913699064.txt] Adams, T. and Moore, M. (2007) [internet] High risk health and credit behavior among 18-25 year old college students, Journal of American College Health 56(2), 101-108. [accessed November 11, 2011 at www.emerald.com] Arif, S. and Ilyas, M. (2011) Quality management of technology related services for student satisfaction during enrolment and advising, Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business 3(1), 653-666. Cahill, T.P. [internet] Credit card caution, New England Journal of Higher Education (Fall), 21-22. [accessed November 10, 2011 at www.proquest.com] Callender, C. (2003) [internet] Attitudes to debt: school leavers and further education students’ attitudes to debt and their impact on participation in higher education, South Bank University [accessed November 10, 2011 at http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/publications/documents/studentdebt.pdf] Centaur Communications. (2011) Students fear new pay-later policy, Money Marketing 15 September, 44. Chan, W.K. (2011) Technology helps facilitate the face-to-face experience, Financial Times 14 March, 4. Colorado State University. (2010) [internet] Validity [accessed November 10, 2011 at http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/research/relval/pop2b.cfm Nanda, P. (2011) [internet] University fees may rise every 3 years, McClatchy-Tribune Business News 30 May [accessed November 9, 2011 at www.proquest.com] Zhang, Y., Lee, K. and You, B. (2001) Usage patterns of an electronic theses and dissertations system, Online Information Review 25(6), 370-378. Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2008) Research Methods for Business Students. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Siadaty, M. and Tahiyareh, f. (2008) E-learning: from a pedagogical perspective, International Journal of Information Science & Technology 6(2), 104. Takiya, S., Archibold, J. and Berge, Z. (2005) [internet] Flexible training’s intrusion on work/life balance, Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education 6(2) [accessed November 9, 2011 at http://fleet.idrivesafely.com/benefits-of-e-learning.pdf] Bibliography De Paola, M. and Scoppa, V. (2011) The effects of class size on the achievement of college students, The Manchester School 79(6), 1061. Fowler, F.J. (2008) Survey Research Methods, 4th ed. Sage Publications Nonis, S., Philhours, M. and Hudson, G. (2006) Where does the time go? A diary approach to business and marketing students’ time use, Journal of Marketing Education 28(2), 121-135. Rusbridger, A. (2009) Editors’ choices on education and health care, New Statesman 138(4941), 38-42. Appendix A: Mean Analysis for Survey Data Appendix B: Survey Instrument for Deductive Study – All Ranking 1. To what degree is debt issue a concern related to tomorrow’s university education? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2. To what degree would you believe that tuition costs will be concerns for tomorrow’s university students? 3. Many students must acquire debt as part of their university experience. Please indicate to what degree you think procuring debt is acceptable and normal for higher learning. 4. E-learning involves technology to distribute content and curriculum. To what degree do you think e-learning will be part of the university model of tomorrow? 5. If you were unable to gain government-sponsored financial support as a student of tomorrow, would you consider adopting credit cards for expenses? 6. To what degree, based on knowledge or experience, do you think that e-learning provides a quality experience with improved knowledge transfer from educator to student? Appendix C: Open-Ended Interview Template for Deductive Study 1. Basic Demographic Questions and Major 2. Please indicate three specific factors that you think will be part of tomorrow’s university education experience. 3. Why did you select those three? 4. Statistics illustrate that debt is common for university education. What are your thoughts on the acceptability of debt procurement and why? 5. How concerned should tomorrow’s students be about debt load and the costs of tuition? 6. Tell me your thoughts about e-learning and using technology for university curriculum. 7. Are there any other factors associated with tomorrow’s university education you would like to discuss? 8. Of everything we have discussed here, what do you think is the most negative part of tomorrow’s university experience? 9. Of everything discussed here, what do you think is the most advantageous part of tomorrow’s university experience? Personal development plan As a third-year student of the human resource program, I have been involved in group work, group presentations, and team-building exercises as part of learning. These scenarios have taught me considerable lessons outside of those typically offered in the business and management modules regarding the importance of understanding cultural diversity and interpersonal relationship development. I realized the recurrence of themes associated with curriculum learning dealing with conflict in group environments and the complexities associated with values and beliefs in team and group scenarios. To develop a more sound real-life understanding, I plan to investigate more sociological and psychologically-founded literature on the nature of conflict negotiation and cultural development for leadership. As a future human resources manager, a long-term goal, it will be necessary to understand the dynamics of human behaviour and how to facilitate positive interactions with a team or decentralized business environment. This small-scale deductive study also taught me lessons on the importance of conducting market research as part of mastering the human resources function. Why is this? Throughout the interviews and survey distribution process, there were some recruited members of the sample that showed obvious signs of resistance or disinterest. Part of my educational experience thus far has dealt with employee relations and people resourcing as fulfilment of these modules. Real-life experiences with diverse employees reminded me of the many different sources of literature regarding change management practices and the irrational responses from change recipients that occur in real-time business environments. To further practice-based learning, I will explore more self-directed and independent learning based on actual business environment studies on change management and team-building principles to be equipped for employees who might not fit the culture of cooperation needed in the organisation. Exposure, through this study, to different attitudes and beliefs made me realize that certain human resources principles associated with management are lacking and require additional education. As a human resources practitioner, I will be required to interact with diverse employees regularly and establish protocols for handling complex variances in psychology and socio-cultural values whilst still focusing on being a strategic-focused leader. I will be conducting interviews with educators at UEL about their own experiences as human resources knowledge sources and also investigate similar methods with real-world HR managers to understand the dynamics of the career field. By exposing myself to these knowledge sources, I can glean valuable information to assist in people management and balancing organisational needs with human behavioural needs more effectively. To accomplish these objectives, I will also be furthering my education by procuring a Master’s degree to undertake courses that are more in-depth as it relates to becoming a human resources manager. The Master’s program will focus more intensely on specific organisational and resourcing theories to make me a better fit for the role of HR practitioner. This will give me more access to real-world case studies and advanced theories on people management. The Master’s program will also provide more interaction with students who are seeking similar career goals to build a network of associates post-graduation for many future advantages. Read More