The Higher Education Sector 1
Accountability in the Higher Education Sector
Accountability in the Higher Education Sector
Although someone needs to be held accountable, issues of ethics and taking away
academic freedom arise. Accountability in higher education needs to be researched further, as
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gray areas are still in existence. If higher education is held accountable, false reporting and
removing academic freedom may diminish the overall purpose of accountability.
Transparency in education is a controversy topic. There are many different views on
accountability in higher education. What it means to be transparent is having clarity. Attending
college is an investment. When one invests in something they expect an (ROI) Return On
Investment. This is the reason why colleges are held accountable for their learning outcomes.
According to the National Governors Association A quarter century ago, former
Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander dedicated his year as chair of the National
Governors Association (2013) to an initiative called Time for Results, which raised
awareness of the need for more and better data about colleges’ and universities’
performance. In the years that followed, states developed fact books and performance
funding and budgeting policies, and the federal government enacted the Student Right to
Know Act, which mandated the reporting of institutional graduation rates.
The development of the act has made many changes in higher education; the act was passed in
1990 which required the publishing of statics relating to higher education. E.g. graduation,
retention, enrollment rates and expenditures are published for the public. One can simply log on
to a website and obtain statistical date relating to particular areas in higher education. “The
National Center for Education Statistics fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, collate,
analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education” conduct and
publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.” National Center
for Education Statistics (n.d.) This data is available to the public, easily accessible and available
twenty four hours a day.
The argument is that tax payers fund financial aid and they want higher education to be
held accountable for learning outcomes. According to Marcus (2013) college students and their
parents were polled regarding the reasons for attending college. The report revealed that nearly
90% of incoming freshman attended college because they wanted a better job. These statics has
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legislators and governors wanting concrete data how student funds are being used to educate our
future leaders.
One question has been raised by tax payers. “Does anyone really know what is being
taught inside of the classroom?” The lack of transparency and accountability leaves higher
education more likely to fail without knowing why.
The lack of meaningful academic standards in higher education drags down the entire
system. Grade inflation, even (or especially) at the most elite institutions, is rampant. A
landmark book published last year, “Academically Adrift,” found that many students at
traditional colleges showed no improvement in critical thinking, complex reasoning and
writing, and spent their time socializing, working or wasting time instead of studying.
(And that’s not even considering the problem of low graduation rates. Carey (2012)
The opinion of Carey points out that one can complete an education, earn a degree and not really
possess the skills needed in the workplace. This is a waste of the students time and tax payer
dollars. When one graduates from college, they should possess the necessary skills to perform
the job. According to Israelsen-Hartley (2010) Hart Research Associates conducted a study of
their own. They asked various business owners questions regarding the skills needed in a
competitive marketplace. The research revealed that 88% of employers needed higher levels of
learning and knowledge. Employers are seeking real world experience. It will support what
employees will do when are on the job. Israelsen-Hartley believes taking a test and passing is
simply not enough. There needs to be evidence of a students understanding of what was learned.
This evidence can be provided if higher education is held accountable.
Academic freedom allows teaching any way an instructor chooses. As long as the
syllabus is followed, it’s up to the instructor to structure the course the way they see fit.
However, having this in place can lead one into wondering what really is happening within the
class room. According to Cruz (2010) no one knows how much students learn at a given college
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or university. No one knows. The entire process for assessing learning is completely
idiosyncratic and course based. Cruz believes there is only commonality among a few teachers of
the same course and/or various colleges.
“[C]olleges are not as different from one another as they would like people to believe.
The argument is basically "If I'm unique, I'm incomparable. And if I'm incomparable, I'm
not accountable, because no one can judge me." Colleges have a vested interest in being
in a position where no one can judge them, because then they can do whatever they
want.” Cruz (2010)
This lack of data leaves learning outcomes hard to assess. Her argument is clearly in favor of
holding colleges accountable. Cruz uses graduation rates as an example of how the Government
can get involved when rates are low; in comparison to others. “if you have a 40% graduation
rate and your peers have a 60% graduation rate, it's reasonable to hold you accountable for
improvement.” Cruz (2011) If the Government steps by reducing funding it will force colleges to
devise plans for improvement. According to Israelsen-Hartley (2010) The public is saying,
'We're putting a lot of money into higher ed, we want to know what students are learning, and if
we put another 10 percent in are they going to learn more? Tax payers are now demanding
answers, we live in tough economic times and people want to account how money is being spent.
President Obama supports accountability and is working to push a rating system for
colleges. In addition, he urges colleges to move away from college credits being awarded based
on credit hours. He wants the focus to be on students showing how much they actually learn. One
suggestion is competency-based degrees. Lewin (2013) As colleges become more accountable
they will seek better ways to ensure students are learning and graduating with the skills needed in
today’s competitive workforce.
While many support accountability, there are also those who are against accountability.
Ethics becomes an important factor when colleges are held accountable. If their funding is at
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risk, how far will colleges go to ensure they keep their current funding? “High-stakes evaluations
based on student test scores put excessive stress on students, set unrealistic expectations for their
parents, drive teachers to cut curriculum corners, game the system, or even cheat, and suck the
satisfaction out of teaching in and leading schools.” Payzant (2012) When people are put under
pressure they sometimes can become unethical. The threat of reduced funding and public
scrutiny can put pressure on colleges. “With an ever-growing list of data points and reports,
institutions find themselves under a public microscope. We are reporting constantly and all this
data collection and analysis can lead to meaningful change. However, at some institutions, even
those with strong reputations, the threat of accountability results in false reporting.” Deanspeak
(2013) One example is the scandal of five colleges that submitted false reports. According to
Jaschik (2013) Bucknell University came forward to admit that it had misreported SAT averages
from 2006 through 2012, and ACT averages during some of those years. Can information
reported by colleges really be trusted? If accountability is to be mandated, legislators will have
to devise plans to ensure what’s reported is accurate.
According to Dr. Rooney (n.d.) colleges should not be the only ones held accountable in
higher education. One of the most important factors left out is what happens beyond the class
room. Dr. Rooney believed there are problems that students have before they enroll in college. In
addition, parents should also be held accountable.
A parent’s involvement can truly improve a child’s education. Research and common
sense both indicate that increased parental involvement has a positive impact on student
achievement. Teachers will tell you that their most successful students come from a home
where the parents provide structure, support, and guidance. The attitude of the parent is
also crucial to student achievement. If a parent has a positive attitude toward the school,
and towards learning in general, the child will tend to have the same positive outlook. PR
WEB UK (2012)
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Holding schools accountable alone is simply not enough. Some also argue that students
themselves should also be held accountable. In the end it’s their responsibility to commit to
education. Many students let their personal lives interrupt their education. They spend more time
partying and focusing on social media vs. studying.
“A recent study, “More is More, or More is Less?” was published in The American
Sociological Review by Laura Hamilton of the University of California, Merced. It found
when a major portion of tuition is paid by the parent it leads to lower grades. Students
who do not have to contribute to pay for their schooling have less invested in their
education and more time and money to become consumed by the social scene. Maglio
(2013)
If students put forth the same time they spend on social media on their education, students have a
great chance of succeeding in school. Ohio University conducted a study and found that students
who use face book showed some correlation to lower grades and a lack of studying. These
factors can impact how students perform in college thus solely leaving accountability on the
school is not effective.
According to Kelly (2013) Teachers who attempt to maintain high standards with a low
performing population and who have a high failure rate are more likely to have their practices
questioned than teachers who require little of their students and pass them all. Holding colleges
accountable means being under the public microscope. It’s another form of micromanagement
and this can affect the ability to teach if one feels they are being watched. Accountability may
take away from an instructor’s ability to have academic freedom.
“The term “academic freedom” is an illusive term which has been used to describe the
rights of a variety of stakeholders in the realm of higher education. It has historically
been applied to an educational institution‟s right to operate autonomously, free from
governmental control. Individual faculty members use it when discussing their right to
express opinions and viewpoints, both in the classroom and in their research activities.
Most recently, the definition of “academic freedom” has also been expanded to include
students‟ right to learn. Katz and Smith (n.d.)
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Accountability removes academic freedom from the classroom and places more control by the
Government. However, within the definition educations should be free from Government control.
The notion of accountability contradicts the meaning of academic freedom. This is something
policy makers should consider before making their final decisions.
While the writer supports accountability, there is a concern regarding academic freedom
and ethics that has the writer ambiguous deciding for or against accountability in higher
education. It is important that someone be held accountable however the writer does not agree
that colleges alone should be held accountable. The writer currently works in higher education
and has experiences from various perspectives. E.g student, instructor and dean at a post
secondary school. As a student, the writer has dropped out of school at one point due to work
conflicts. This is proof that sometimes outside factors can affect those wanting to pursue their
education. As an instructor and dean, the writer worked with enrollment advisors and at-risk
students. At the writers current research site, many students drop out of the college due to
personal problems. E.g babysitting, financial problems, relationship issues, health reasons and
sometimes simply being forced by their parent to pursue a degree in something that is of no
interest to the student. All of these factors play a role in a student being able to complete their
education. If accountability is being forced upon the college, legislatures must also look into the
outside factors that hinder education.
The writer conducted interviews with various administrators within the college. It was
discovered that the majority of drops at the writers research site was due to poor attendance and
personal problems not a lack of learning in the class. According to the former director of the
research site “if students were present in class, the majority of the student would pass their
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classes and graduate. It’s when their personal problems get in the way of their success.” The
research site has strict guidelines regarding the reporting of at risk student and faculty contact
with students to help retain students. Review the writers previous at risk reports back up the
statements of the former director and admission rep. The majority of student failed classes due to
poor attendance. If this research site was held accountable for the current dropout rate statistics,
this site would be in jeopardy of federal funding. Clearly there are gray areas that need to be
investigated before moving forward with accountability.
The writer also strongly believes in academic freedom. There are currently three
different sites affiliated with the college the writer is employed. Each campus has its own unique
culture. Having academic freedom in place, allows the writer to adjust the methods for teaching
the course. If accountability removes that freedom teaching student can become challenging.
Lesson plans could be scrutinized, teaching methods challenged etc. This type of stress on a
faculty members; could have a huge impact on teaching within the course room.
In support of accountability the writer does feel there is a need for the public to have
certain information pertaining to how education is conducted within higher education. After all it
is the public tax dollars that fund education. This information must be easily understood and
accessible for anyone to review. However, it is important that this data is accurate and not
misleading the public. Regulations need to be set in place to ensure the reporting of accurate
information. If the loops holes are researched further e.g. not eliminating academic freedom,
only holding the college accountable, ensuring efficient reporting practices and reducing
unethical behaviors. The writer will hold a more positive side towards accountability within
higher education. There is a lot of work to be done; before adopting such a program in higher
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education. In addition, research needs to be conducted regarding how practices will differ
between for profit and not for profit institutions in higher education. The public invests a lot into
education and we must reform our educations system to ensure our youth are prepared for the
workforce of the future.
Reflection
The use of Smarthinking was very helpful in completing this assignment. According to the
Smarthinking reviewer, there are three main areas needing improvement:
Consistently use third person point of view in your essay
Include a thesis statement in your introduction
Check for opportunities in sentence structure
The reviewer started the review with positive statements. Based on the reviewer’s comments,
when I revised the paper I did not find a need to add additional resources. The reviewer stated
the essay was well researched, containing facts and statistics to support the topic. The original
paper did not include a good thesis statement. To assist in developing a better thesis statement, a
thesis generator was researched. In addition, I visited the writing center for tools and tips. The
advice provided and research was incorporated within my paper. This helped to revise the thesis
statement at the beginning of the paper. According to the reviewer, there were some minor issues
with sentence structure. I reviewed the paper for sentences structure and grammatical errors. In
addition, the reviewer mentioned some minor issues with comma usage. I revised certain
sentences by including commas and reformatting sentences. The reviewer also suggested various
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links and tutorials to aid in improving my writing. Each area needing improvement, included
samples that helped me to better understand how to incorporate changes.
When revising my paper, the reviewer was very helpful by providing examples of how to
effectively make changes to my paper. By not giving me all of the answers, it allowed me to use
critical thinking skills. Overall the reviewer comments were positive and suggested minor
changes. I felt confident in my research because the reviewer made positive comments about the
valid augments included in my paper. I find value in the services provided by smarthinking and
will continue to use this service.
Turn It In
Turn It In was helpful because it ensured my paper was not plagiarized. It allowed me to
ensure I am not providing too many quotes without supporting details. The service provides a
percentage of quotes used and it allowed me to adjust my paper to ensure proper citations.
Overall the additional services provided by Capella saves students time through the use
of the services described above. Many learners live busy lives and may not have a strong support
system. The extra services provided the support needed before submitting papers to our
instructors. I find these services valuable and I am improving my writing skills by learning from
my mistakes.
References
Cruz (2011) Holding Colleges Accountable: Is Success Measurable? Retrieved from
http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1948175,00.html#ixzz2il13Q0y1
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Carey (2012) Who Will Hold Colleges Accountable? Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/opinion/who-will-hold-colleges-accountable.html?
_r=0
Deanspeak (2013) http://www.thedigitalquad.com/2013/03/31/access-affordability-
accountability-stasis-or-progress/
Jaschik (2013) How Much Admissions Misreporting? Retrieved from
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/01/28/bucknells-admission-raises-questions-
about-how-many-colleges-are-reporting-false#ixzz2imMxcyDa
Katz and Smith (n.d.) Academic Freedom in an Age of Assessment and Accountability Retrieved
from http://alsb.roundtablelive.org/resources/documents/np%202007%20smith-katz.pdf
Kelly (2013) Holding Those Responsible Accountable. Accountability and Education Retrieved
from. http://712educators.about.com/od/educationalreform/a/accountability.htm
Marcus (2013) How much is your degree worth? New pressure on colleges to disclose earning.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/16/16535670-how-much-is-your-degree-
worth-new-pressure-on-colleges-to-disclose-grads-earnings
Maglio (2013) Students should be accountable for earning their degree not given it. Retrieved
from http://hernandotoday.com/he/list/hernando-columns/students-should-be-accountable-
for-earing-their-degree-not-given-it-b82481389z1
National Governors Association (2013) National Governors Association (2011) Retrieved from
http://www.nga.org/cms/home/federal-relations/nga-testimony/2013--nga-testimony/col2-
content/april-24-2013-testimony--transpa.html
National Center for Education Statistics (n.d.) About Us. Retrieved from
http://nces.ed.gov/about/
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PRWEB UK (2012)Parental Involvement on Teenagers’ Achievement. Retrieved from
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/4/prweb9415763.htm
Rooney (n.d.) Accountability and Resonsiblity for Parent as Well as
Teachers. Retrieved from
http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2012/05/01/accountability-and-
responsibility-for-parents-as-well-as-teachers/
