We are in the early stages of a learning revolution. New learning pathways have been forged by intense competition from organizations whose sole purpose is to deliver learning (anytime and anywhere) and by rapid advances in information technology. Forged by expediency, these paths no longer lead automatically to institutions of higher education. Instead they lead most directly to learning opportunities that are intensely focused and are populated by learners and employers who are chiefly interested in the shortest route to results. In this paradigm, learning products are defined explicitly, delivery options are multiple, and a level of granularity not captured by traditional student transcripts (which display only credit hours and course titles) drives assessment. Most postsecondary institutions have been slow to accept these emerging realities, preferring instead to continue to package curricula in the standard lengths of the academic term and in traditional delivery formats. The bridge between the traditional paradigm, which depends on traditional credit hour measures of student achievement, and the learning revolution can be found in competency-based approaches. At a minimum, the shift in how potential students view their expanded learning optionsespecially issues connected to convenience-should cause most institutions to examine the menu of their current offerings. There is, however, often a considerable gap between intentions and actions. The difference creates an emerging field in which institutional researchers can play a major role.The threat to traditional postsecondary institutions brought about by the movement toward competencies has not gone wholly unrecognized. The demand for certification of competencies that is not met by traditional higher educational providers defies measurement because there is no reporting NEW DIRECTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, no. 110, Summer 2001
This chapter discusses how workforce development initiatives vary widely across governments and institutions, and how institutional research can help bridge the gaps between them.Higher Education and Workforce Development: A Strategic Role for Institutional Research Richard A. Voorhees, Lee HarveyAs was mentioned in the Editors' Notes, this volume is a by-product of the joint symposium on workforce development cosponsored by the European Association for Institutional Research (EAIR) and the Association for Institutional Research (AIR). Among the first issues to be resolved by participants were the numerous differences in terminology used around the world for describing institutional research and workforce issues. Several terms, although well worn among some participants, were new to others. Terms that were new to symposium participants from the United States included employability, qualifications, and national qualification frameworks. Employability refers to the capacity of an individual to get a job and the ability to retain it. For the individual, employability depends on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes he or she has and how those assets are used and presented to employers. The burden of employability, then, resides foremost with the graduate's individual attributes and to a lesser degree with the institution. In European colleges and universities, employability refers more to a general set of skills of value to employers and less to ensuring that students leave an institution with a narrow skill set associated with a particular job. In contrast, at least within institutions focused on workforce development, the focus tends to be on specific skills needed for specific jobs.Qualifications are analogous to what Americans call a degree or certificate. However, in a non-American context a qualification also recognizes that a person has achieved learning outcomes or competencies relevant to identified individual, professional, industry, or community needs. The
Higher education literature is replete with articles and book chapters urging institutions to plan strategically. Escalating demands from higher education boards of trustees and state boards of higher education for institutions to demonstrate their effectiveness are an impetus for institutions to carry out strategic planning. One need not be particularly well informed to have heard calls from Congress, state legislatures, the U.S. Department of Education, and regional and professional accreditation bodies for data-driven evidence to demonstrate that institutions and programs are assessing their outcomes. Still another, and perhaps more compelling, reason for institutions to engage in strategic planning is its promise to help predict and manage the future.A strategic plan that does not make use of data verges on propaganda. Although customarily appealing in a visual sense, a data-free plan seldom offers a useful framework for gauging an institution' s future. In contrast, a strategic plan that focuses on data and uses those data to pose realistic goals and strategies to meet goals portends a significant return for the institution creating it. This pathway is more challenging but infinitely easier to navigate for institutions that have created and maintain an institutional research office. The Role of Institutional ResearchInstitutions that have organized and centralized their data enjoy an obvious advantage in grappling with strategic planning and other issues. As the drumbeat for accountability, planning, and demonstrating effectiveness to 77 7
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.