All You Need To Know Before Commencing Higher Education

How do we ensure that people undertake higher education (HE) only when they have adequate information? Why are there higher numbers of people enrolling into HE studies than ever before? Why are there so many students dropping out of so many institutions? How do we balance learning in HE with our private life? What skills are acquired in HE? What are the challenges associated with learning in HE? These are among the questions the book will attempt to respond to. Indeed, several people begin HE with little or no information about the structure, changes, and practices in HE. Some are not even aware of the skills they desire to acquire and that will be required of them in the job market. People commence HE blindly, partly due to external pressure and partly due to the availability of financial support through scholarships, among other things. This unawareness of what it takes to be a student and the current complexity of HE learning environment have become a stumbling block for many students. This book is designed to provide HE stakeholders (parents, students, institutions, supervisors, teachers, governments, and donor agencies) with information on HE that is otherwise missing. It will help people to make better decisions on whether they need a degree in the first place, and if they do, what kind of skills they will require. The book consists of information that no institution, counsellor, academic supervisor, or scholarly literature will provide to you. (This is the main reason which motivated the author to write this book.) The author has collected useful data from diverse sources and from people who are responsible for implementing the required practices in HE. Moreover, she was able to capture testimony from students who dropped out of higher education. Their experiences will educate and inform readers about situations that may lead to failure or success in higher education learning. It is important to have the right information at the right time and from a reliable source such as this book, and the information in this book will surely benefit the readers to make better decisions before engaging in high-demand HE business, as well as supporting those who decide to join HE to be more conscious about what they need and what is expected of them. Similarly, by reading this book, some may find that they probably do not need the degree they are about to embark on. Information is power!

The strengths and failures of the American college, and why liberal education still matters As the commercialization of American higher education accelerates, more and more students are coming to college with the narrow aim of obtaining a preprofessional credential. The traditional four-year college experience—an exploratory time for students to discover their passions and test ideas and values with the help of teachers and peers—is in danger of becoming a thing of the past. In College, prominent cultural critic Andrew Delbanco offers a trenchant defense of such an education, and warns that it is becoming a privilege reserved for the relatively rich. In describing what a true college education should be, he demonstrates why making it available to as many young people as possible remains central to America's democratic promise. In a brisk and vivid historical narrative, Delbanco explains how the idea of college arose in the colonial period from the Puritan idea of the gathered church, how it struggled to survive in the nineteenth century in the shadow of the new research universities, and how, in the twentieth century, it slowly opened its doors to women, minorities, and students from low-income families. He describes the unique strengths of America’s colleges in our era of globalization and, while recognizing the growing centrality of science, technology, and vocational subjects in the curriculum, he mounts a vigorous defense of a broadly humanistic education for all. Acknowledging the serious financial, intellectual, and ethical challenges that all colleges face today, Delbanco considers what is at stake in the urgent effort to protect these venerable institutions for future generations.

Scholarly evidence indicates that almost fifty percent of people who commence higher education delay completing their studies, and other dropouts. Most governments have introduced a policy that requires students to complete their studies within a limited time, especially the research students (master's and doctoral degree students). The implementation of the policy has also caused tension in higher education students' learning and supervision. Academics have debated and written about the problem widely, and it is no longer a discreet encounter for higher education stakeholders. Despite the scholarly effort of disclosing the challenges' depth, no literature has adequately supported students to implement the policy effectively and successfully. This book attempts to fill the gap by guiding higher education students on observing ten major principles for timely and successful completion. If students perceive, learn, and practice the guidance in this book, they will attain their degree anywhere (in a physical setting, online, home, and abroad) worldwide. The principles might be useful in the orientation programs for first-year students in universities and colleges. First, students ought to comprehend factors that might contribute to the delay completion and dropout. Second, they must analyze and communicate their needs and requirements from the beginning of their enrolment while re-examining their association, networking, self-management, and self-leadership. The book also reminds higher education students to build healthy habits to support developing cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains and remain active and creative. Four categories of students' personalities are discussed to urge students to evaluate who they are and whether they are problem solvers, informers, implementers, or workforce to society. The understanding can support them chose the projects that align with what they are to society. Self-awareness and leadership may make the learning task more manageable, enjoyable, and meaningful, and filling the knowledge gap can be realized timely.

Are you considering changing jobs but require a new skill or qualification? Would you like a new challenge or a sense of personal achievement? Have you considered higher education, but weren't sure how to make that first step into it? If so, then this is the ideal book for you. The Mature Student's Guide to Higher Education tells you everything you need to know if you are thinking about returning to education as a mature student. It discusses a wide range of issues including what higher education involves, how you should prepare for it and how to balance your time and cheque book once you get there. This book will explain practical issues, as well as addressing your doubts and fears about higher education as a life choice. The book: Helps you understand the different routes into higher education Explains the mysteries behind admissions procedures Encourages you to develop a new range of skills, building on the skills you already have Gives you guidance on how to manage change, time and family commitments Helps you overcome barriers like a lack of motivation or confidence Expertly guides you through the systems of fees, showing the loans and financial help that are available The Mature Student's Guide to Higher Education provides the most accessible and up-to-date help on how to make an informed decision about when, where and how to start a suitable higher education course as a mature student - and the career path that might follow.

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.

Why we need to stop wasting public funds on education Despite being immensely popular—and immensely lucrative—education is grossly overrated. Now with a new afterword by Bryan Caplan, this explosive book argues that the primary function of education is not to enhance students' skills but to signal the qualities of a good employee. Learn why students hunt for easy As only to forget most of what they learn after the final exam, why decades of growing access to education have not resulted in better jobs for average workers, how employers reward workers for costly schooling they rarely ever use, and why cutting education spending is the best remedy. Romantic notions about education being "good for the soul" must yield to careful research and common sense—The Case against Education points the way.

An important challenge to what currently masquerades as conventional wisdom regarding the teaching of writing. There seems to be widespread agreement that—when it comes to the writing skills of college students—we are in the midst of a crisis. In Why They Can't Write, John Warner, who taught writing at the college level for two decades, argues that the problem isn't caused by a lack of rigor, or smartphones, or some generational character defect. Instead, he asserts, we're teaching writing wrong. Warner blames this on decades of educational reform rooted in standardization, assessments, and accountability. We have done no more, Warner argues, than conditioned students to perform "writing-related simulations," which pass temporary muster but do little to help students develop their writing abilities. This style of teaching has made students passive and disengaged. Worse yet, it hasn't prepared them for writing in the college classroom. Rather than making choices and thinking critically, as writers must, undergraduates simply follow the rules—such as the five-paragraph essay—designed to help them pass these high-stakes assessments. In Why They Can't Write, Warner has crafted both a diagnosis for what ails us and a blueprint for fixing a broken system. Combining current knowledge of what works in teaching and learning with the most enduring philosophies of classical education, this book challenges readers to develop the skills, attitudes, knowledge, and habits of mind of strong writers.