Understanding Contemporary Issues In Higher Education

The latest text in the Core Concepts in Higher Education series, this volume speaks to the complex dimensions that higher education scholars and educators need to understand about the shifting role of postsecondary education in the United States. Chapter authors clarify current issues affecting the field, and offer fresh perspectives articulating how policy, demographic, and institutional changes influence the everyday practices of those who work in higher education. This book explores macro perspectives affecting institutional decision-making and processes as well as students’ perspectives on campus—from colleges’ credentialing procedures to the current demographic changes in students’ enrollments, to students’ social identities. Guiding questions at the end of each chapter offer readers an opportunity to frame discussions in which they can engage and invite readers to consider avenues for future research and exploration. This is a valuable resource for graduate students, administrators, and researchers who seek to understand and improve the policies and contexts of higher education today.

This insightful book offers a wide-ranging collection of lively discussions on contemporary issues, policies and practices in higher education. Bartram integrates contributions from experienced academics, teachers and students in a unique approach and structure, designed to enable students with both specific and wide-ranging interests in higher education to extend their understanding. Including discussion points, research tasks and suggestions on further reading in each chapter, Understanding Contemporary Issues in Higher Education discusses a range of topics, such as: universities and the mental health ‘crisis’; knowledge, the state and the market; the role of technology in teaching and academic celebrification; disability, diversity and inclusive placement learning. Written specifically for Education Studies students, this book constitutes a timely addition to student-focused themed studies looking at aspects of higher education.

Understanding Contemporary Education offers an essential exploration of key concepts and issues in education that will allow education studies students, as well as trainee and practising teachers to engage in reflection, not only on work at the classroom level, but on education more broadly. Using detailed examples, the book problematises many popular and taken-for-granted views, allowing the reader to challenge and seriously consider the nature of the education enterprise. In each chapter, a concept is carefully considered, with major features, controversies, and strengths and weaknesses highlighted. Key follow-up questions challenge the reader to reflect on specific issues, and encourage involvement, not just in their own teaching, but in the planning and determination of the total programme of their school, and where possible, that of the nation. The book is divided into seven main parts: The Social Context of Education Education Policy Curriculum Teaching and Learning Leadership in Education Teacher Preparation International Developments in Education. Drawing upon a wide variety of theoretical positions, Understanding Contemporary Education provides an accessible introduction to key themes and concepts in education, challenging readers to fully consider the purpose of education and to reflect intelligently on issues that affect all schools. It is a must-read book for those on education studies courses, as well as trainee and practising teachers.

This volume is a collection of eleven papers written by scholars from around the world, who came together in their shared interest to discuss current trends and issues in higher education. Rich in a diversity of topics, Current Trends and Issues in Higher Education represents a valuable contribution to the fields of language, culture, teaching methodology, education, linguistics and central Asian studies. This book synthesises current theoretical and practical insights in higher education provided by active researchers and practitioners in their respective areas. It is comprehensive in dealing with the issues facing educators today, such as changing perceptions in education and research, and learning and teaching in traditional and non-traditional settings. With today’s constant changes in the field of education as a result of new legislation and globalization, and new instructional practices and research investigations, this book will help all involved in education to keep up with these transformations and be up-to-date in all areas relating to higher education.

A collection of 13 studies based on research into ongoing changes in higher education in the US. They cover leadership, wellness and health programs, student services, administration, curriculum, technology, athletics, diversity, volunteer service, and international issues. Discussion questions for each study are appended for use in a graduate education course. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

THE SHAPING OF AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION SECOND EDITION When the first edition of The Shaping of American Higher Education was published it was lauded for its historical perspective and in-depth coverage of current events that provided an authoritative, comprehensive account of??the history of higher education in the United States. As in the first edition, this book tracks trends and important issues in eight key areas: student access, faculty professionalization, curricular expansion, institutional growth, governance, finance, research, and outcomes. Thoroughly revised and updated, the volume is filled with critical new data; recent information from specialized sources on faculty, student admissions, and management practices; and an entirely new section that explores privatization, corporatization, and accountability from the mid-1990s to the present. This second edition also includes end-of-chapter questions for guidance, reflection, and study.???? "Cohen and Kisker do the nation's colleges and universities a much needed service by authoring this volume. The highly regarded histories of American higher education have become badly dated. They ignore the last quarter century when American higher education was transformed. This volume provides comprehensive information on that era." — Art Levine, president, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, and author, When Hope and Fear Collide: A Portrait of Today's College Student "The second edition of The Shaping of American Higher Education is a treasure trove of information and insight. Cohen and Kisker provide us with astute and straightforward analysis and commentary on our past, present, and likely future. This book is invaluable to those seeking to go to the heart of the issues and challenges confronting higher education." — Judith S. Eaton, president, Council for Higher Education Accreditation "Arthur Cohen and his collaborator have now updated his superb history of American higher education. It remains masterful, authoritative, comprehensive, and incisive, and guarantees that this work will stand as the classic required resource for all who want to understand where higher education came from and where it is going. The new material gives a wise and nuanced perspective on the current crisis-driven transformations of the higher education industry." — John Lombardi, president, Louisiana State University System "The Shaping of American Higher Education is distinguished by its systematic approach, comprehensive coverage, and extensive treatment of the modern era, including the first years of the twenty-first century. In this second edition, Arthur Cohen??and Carrie Kisker are??especially adept at bringing historical perspective and a balanced viewpoint to controversial issues of the current era." — Roger L. Geiger, distinguished professor, The Pennsylvania State University, and author, Knowledge and Money

How do we understand and explain who has access to higher education? How do we make sense of persisting and new forms of inequality? How can global, national and institutional policymakers and practitioners make higher education more inclusive? Access to Higher Education: Theoretical perspectives and contemporary challenges seeks to update thinking on these questions, combining new voices and emerging perspectives with established writers in the field. This pioneering text highlights the contribution of social theory to issues of access to education, with chapters introducing and drawing on the works of key interdisciplinary thinkers including Pierre Bourdieu, Margaret Archer, Amartya Sen and Herbert Simon. It then moves to examines how theoretical perspectives can be applied to the contemporary challenges of forging more equal access, with examples drawn from a wide range of contexts, including the UK, the US, Australia, South Africa and Japan. Global in scope, this book documents the shared nature of the access challenge in a period when higher education is growing rapidly, but inequalities continue to be stark. It concludes by proposing a new direction for research and a reassertion of the role of the researcher as a social activist for disconnected and disadvantaged groups, equipped with the thinking tools needed to move the agenda forward. Access to Higher Education is a rigorous text for the global research community, with relevance to policymakers, practitioners and postgraduate students interested in social justice and social policy. It provides those with an academic interest in access and a commitment to enhancing policy with theoretical and practical ideas for moving the access agenda forward in their institutional, regional or national contexts.