Access at the Crossroads
Learning Assistance in Higher Education: ASHE Higher Education Report, Volume 35 Number 6
Published on 2. July 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
152 pages
978-0-470-64424-9 (ISBN)
Description
Winner of the 2011 Hunter R. Boylan Outstanding Research/Publication Award. This competitive award, presented by the National Association of Developmental Education, recognizes significant research and scholarly contributions through its impact upon the field of developmental education and recognition of significance by experts in the field. Learning assistance often operates at the crossroads of the institution where academic affairs, student affairs, and enrollment management converge. This report investigates the effectiveness of learning assistance for supporting academic affairs with better-prepared students for academically rigorous courses, working with student affairs to achieve higher student development outcomes, and supporting enrollment management programs to increase persistence rates. This report explores difficult questions confronting learning assistance: * What is the obligation of colleges for providing assistance for its students? * Is learning assistance a civil rights issue for historically underrepresented students attending postsecondary education?
* What is the history of learning assistance for serving previous generations of students, even at the most prestigious public and private institutions in the United States? * Are learning assistance needs better met by high schools and two-year institutions? * Do learning assistance activities benefit the postsecondary institution and society? Although it has a presence in most postsecondary institutions, the expression of learning assistance is quite diverse through credit and noncredit activities. The preferred term used in this report is "learning assistance," because it is commonly used and most inclusive of the various approaches and activities of the field. This is the sixth issue in the 35th volume of the Jossey-Bass series ASHE Higher Education Report. Each monograph in the series is the definitive analysis of a tough higher education problem, based on thorough research of pertinent literature and institutional experiences. Topics are identified by a national survey. Noted practitioners and scholars are then commissioned to write the reports, with experts providing critical reviews of each manuscript before publication.
* What is the history of learning assistance for serving previous generations of students, even at the most prestigious public and private institutions in the United States? * Are learning assistance needs better met by high schools and two-year institutions? * Do learning assistance activities benefit the postsecondary institution and society? Although it has a presence in most postsecondary institutions, the expression of learning assistance is quite diverse through credit and noncredit activities. The preferred term used in this report is "learning assistance," because it is commonly used and most inclusive of the various approaches and activities of the field. This is the sixth issue in the 35th volume of the Jossey-Bass series ASHE Higher Education Report. Each monograph in the series is the definitive analysis of a tough higher education problem, based on thorough research of pertinent literature and institutional experiences. Topics are identified by a national survey. Noted practitioners and scholars are then commissioned to write the reports, with experts providing critical reviews of each manuscript before publication.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Chichester
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 165 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
266 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-470-64424-9 (9780470644249)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
DAVID R. ARENDALE is an associate professor in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
Content
Executive Summary vii Foreword xi Acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 Current Challenges and Controversies for Learning Assistance 7 Lack of Knowledge About the History of Learning Assistance 7 Challenges of Shifting Perceptions and Values 9 Financial Challenges for Learning Assistance 18 Summary 21 History of Learning Assistance in U.S. Postsecondary Education 23 Phase One: 1600s to 1820s 23 Phase Two: 1830s to 1860s 26 Phase Three: 1870s to Mid-1940s 30 Phase Four: Mid-1940s to 1970s 34 Phase Five: 1970s to Mid-1990s 42 Phase Six: Mid-1990s to the Present 51 Summary 53 The Current Nature and Scope of Learning Assistance 55 Annual Scope of Learning Assistance 55 Cost Estimates for Providing Learning Assistance 61 Approaches to and Systems of Learning Assistance 62 The Institution s Requirements for Change 80 Summary 85 Best Practices and Models in Learning Assistance 87 Educational Theories and Pedagogies 88 Evidence-Based Best Practices 91 Categories of Best Practices 93 The Future of the Field 105 Recommendations for Future Research 106 Recommendations for Change 110 Summary 118 References 119 Name Index 133 Subject Index 137 About the Author 145