Universities in the marketplace Bok, Derek
Princeton University Press,
2003, 2003., 20090214, 2009, 2004-00-00, 2003-01-01, 20030101, Letnik:
39
eBook, Book
Is everything in a university for sale if the price is right? Since 1975, universities have been much more aggressive than they previously were in trying to make money from their research an ...educational activities. Many institutions have launched vigorous patent licensing programs, for-profit ventures in Internet education and a wide variety of other commercial initiatives. The author discusses why this trend has developed, what danger it poses for universities, and how academic leaders can act to limit the risk to their institutions. Contents: 1. The Roots of Commercialization. - 2. Avoiding Bias. - 3. Athletics. - 4. Scientific Research. - 5. Education. - 6. The Benefits and Costs of Commercialization. - 7. Reforming Athletics. - 8. Protecting the Integrity of Research. - 9. Preserving Educational Values. - 10. Living Up to the Rules. - 11. Seizing the Moment (HoF/text adopted).
Drawing on a large body of empirical evidence, former Harvard President Derek Bok examines how much progress college students actually make toward widely accepted goals of undergraduate education. ...His conclusions are sobering. Although most students make gains in many important respects, they improve much less than they should in such important areas as writing, critical thinking, quantitative skills, and moral reasoning. Large majorities of college seniors do not feel that they have made substantial progress in speaking a foreign language, acquiring cultural and aesthetic interests, or learning what they need to know to become active and informed citizens. Overall, despite their vastly increased resources, more powerful technology, and hundreds of new courses, colleges cannot be confident that students are learning more than they did fifty years ago. Looking further, Bok finds that many important college courses are left to the least experienced teachers and that most professors continue to teach in ways that have proven to be less effective than other available methods. In reviewing their educational programs, however, faculties typically ignore this evidence. Instead, they spend most of their time discussing what courses to require, although the lasting impact of college will almost certainly depend much more on how the courses are taught. In his final chapter, Bok describes the changes that faculties and academic leaders can make to help students accomplish more. Without ignoring the contributions that America's colleges have made, Bok delivers a powerful critique--one that educators will ignore at their peril.
During the past forty years, thousands of studies have been carried out on the subject of happiness. Some have explored the levels of happiness or dissatisfaction associated with typical daily ...activities, such as working, seeing friends, or doing household chores. Others have tried to determine the extent to which income, family, religion, and other factors are associated with the satisfaction people feel about their lives. The Gallup organization has begun conducting global surveys of happiness, and several countries are considering publishing periodic reports on the growth or decline of happiness among their people. One nation, tiny Bhutan, has actually made "Gross National Happiness" the central aim of its domestic policy. How might happiness research affect government policy in the United States--and beyond? In The Politics of Happiness, former Harvard president Derek Bok examines how governments could use the rapidly growing research data on what makes people happy--in a variety of policy areas to increase well-being and improve the quality of life for all their citizens.
Higher Education in America is a landmark work - a comprehensive and authoritative analysis of the current condition of our colleges and universities from former Harvard president Derek Bok, one of ...the nation's most respected education experts. Sweepingly ambitious in scope, this is a deeply informed and balanced assessment of the many strengths as well as the weaknesses of American higher education today. At a time when colleges and universities have never been more important to the lives and opportunities of students or to the progress and prosperity of the nation, Bok provides a thorough examination of the entire system, public and private, from community colleges and small liberal arts colleges to great universities with their research programs and their medical, law, and business schools. Drawing on the most reliable studies and data, he determines which criticisms of higher education are unfounded or exaggerated, which are issues of genuine concern, and what can be done to improve matters. Some of the subjects considered are long-standing, such as debates over the undergraduate curriculum and concerns over rising college costs. Others are more recent, such as the rise of for-profit institutions and massive open online courses (MOOCs). Additional topics include the quality of undergraduate education, the stagnating levels of college graduation, the problems of university governance, the strengths and weaknesses of graduate and professional education, the environment for research, and the benefits and drawbacks of the pervasive competition among American colleges and universities. Offering a rare survey and evaluation of American higher education as a whole, this book provides a solid basis for a fresh public discussion about what the system is doing right, what it needs to do better, and how the next quarter century could be made a period of progress rather than decline.(HRK / Abstract übernommen).
Why efforts to improve American higher educational attainment haven't worked, and where to go from here
During the first decade of this century, many commentators predicted that American higher ...education was about to undergo major changes that would be brought about under the stimulus of online learning and other technological advances. Toward the end of the decade, the president of the United States declared that America would regain its historic lead in the education of its workforce within the next ten years through a huge increase in the number of students earning "quality" college degrees.
Several years have elapsed since these pronouncements were made, yet the rate of progress has increased very little, if at all, in the number of college graduates or the nature and quality of the education they receive. InThe Struggle to Reform Our Colleges, Derek Bok seeks to explain why so little change has occurred by analyzing the response of America's colleges; the influence of students, employers, foundations, accrediting organizations, and government officials; and the impact of market forces and technological innovation. In the last part of the book, Bok identifies a number of initiatives that could improve the performance of colleges and universities. The final chapter examines the process of change itself and describes the strategy best calculated to quicken the pace of reform and enable colleges to meet the challenges that confront them.
Higher Expectations Bok, Derek
Princeton University Press,
2020, 2020-08-25
eBook, Book
How our colleges and universities can respond to the changing hopes and needs of society In recent decades, cognitive psychologists have cast new light on human development and given colleges new ...possibilities for helping students acquire skills and qualities that will enhance their lives and increase their contributions to society. In this landmark book, Derek Bok explores how colleges can reap the benefits of these discoveries and create a more robust undergraduate curriculum for the twenty-first century.Prior to this century, most psychologists thought that creativity, empathy, resilience, conscientiousness, and most personality traits were largely fixed by early childhood. What researchers have now discovered is that virtually all of these qualities continue to change through early adulthood and often well beyond. Such findings suggest that educators may be able to do much more than was previously thought possible to teach students to develop these important characteristics and thereby enable them to flourish in later life.How prepared are educators to cultivate these qualities of mind and behavior? What do they need to learn to capitalize on the possibilities? Will college faculties embrace these opportunities and make the necessary changes in their curricula and teaching methods? What can be done to hasten the process of innovation and application? In providing answers to these questions, Bok identifies the hurdles to institutional change, proposes sensible reforms, and demonstrates how our colleges can help students lead more successful, productive, and meaningful lives.
The shape of the river Bowen, William G; Bok, Derek
1999, 20160420, 2016, 1998-00-00, Letnik:
96
eBook, Book
This is the book that has forever changed the debate on affirmative action in America.The Shape of the Riveris the most far-reaching and comprehensive study of its kind. It brings a wealth of ...empirical evidence to bear on how race-sensitive admissions policies actually work and clearly defines the effects they have had on over 45,000 students of different races. Its conclusions mark a turning point in national discussions of affirmative action--anything less than factual evidence will no longer suffice in any serious debate of this vital question.
Glenn Loury's new foreword revisits the basic logic behind race-sensitive policies, asserting that since individuals use race to conceptualize themselves, we must be conscious of race as we try to create rules for a just society. Loury underscores the need for confronting opinion with fact so we can better see the distinction between the "morality of color-blindness" and the "morality of racial justice."
Derek Bok examines the complex ethical and social issues facing modern universities today, and suggests approaches that will allow the academic institution both to serve society and to continue its ...primary mission of teaching and research.
This expansion of the Sanford Lectures, delivered at Duke University (North Carolina) on March 23 and 24, 1988, discusses the issue of whether universities are doing enough to meet the many ...challenges that affect the United States' ability to maintain a growing, competitive economy while providing adequate security and opportunity for all its citizens; and the issue of whether universities are doing enough to build a stronger sense of civic responsibility, ethical awareness, and concern for the interests of others. It analyzes how higher education is responding to these issues and how they can contribute even more. It points out the importance of scientific research effort to economic progress and to the position of the United States with other industrial nations. Universities can contribute indirectly but significantly to almost all the efforts required to make the economy stronger and society more humane, especially in the fields of management education, engineering, and public administration. Many forms of personal responsibility that are essential to overcoming the most pressing national problems are being eroded; students need to be helped to develop stronger ethical standards and a greater concern for the welfare of others. Universities must pursue opportunities to promote ethical standards and civic responsibility through their curricula, rules of conduct, community service programs, and other policies and practices. References accompany each chapter. (JDD)
Factors that distinguish the United States higher education system and its performance are considered, with attention to new developments, propsects for change, undergraduate education, and ...professional schools (especially law, business, and medicine). The way universities change the methods and content of their teaching in response to new opportunities and needs in the outside world is explored. Some important changes taking place in higher education are discussed: the increasing use of advanced technology in teaching, the effort to develop better ways of preparing students for public service, and the growing interest in midcareer education for practitioners in many different professions. It is suggested that the competition characteristics of U.S. higher education (competition for the best students, the most advanced scholarship, the most successful scientific research, the best facilities) have helped to produce venturesome, adaptable, and varied universities. In addition to the traditional focus on program and curriculum, greater attention to improving the effectiveness of teaching and learning is emphasized. The debate over the liberal arts curriculum at the undergraduate level is considered. (SW)
