Finding the Why

EDITOR'S NOTES 7 margit misangyi watts FOREWORD 13 John N. Gardner 1. Personalizing Learning 17 margit misangyi watts The editor offers a personal account of how she came to embrace the "why" as being important to address, as well as giving an overview of changes that have not occurred yet should. 2. Educational Success and Surrounding Culture 25 Garrison Walters Highlighting the need for a change in attitudes toward education, this author finds that students' perceptions about their ability to learn matters a lot, and that often this perception is a response to other influences. 3. Integrative Learning: Making Liberal Education Purposeful, Personal, and Practical 33 Ann S. Ferren, Chad B. Anderson This chapter focuses on learning as a way to construct personal meaning. The authors argue for teaching in such a manner that students receive a holistic perspective on their education. 4. Project-Based Learning in Colleges of Business: Is it Enough to Develop Educated Graduates? 41 Penny Pence Smith, Lindsey A. Gibson Though project-based learning is heralded as an excellent way to engage students in learning, this chapter suggests that perhaps new ways might be better suited to at least some business students. 5. Making Learning Meaningful: Engaging Students in Ways That Matter to Them 49 George D. Kuh In order to raise our national retention rates, this author is convinced that students need to connect what they are learning to their lives. He suggests focusing on what he calls "goal realization" as a way to help students find their studies to be personally meaningful. 6. Challenging the First Year of College: Old Models and New Imperatives 57 Shala A. Mills, George L. Mehaffy This chapter describes how the AASCU is experimenting with new blended courses in which the content transcends the typical general education courses and invites students to create solutions to global challenges. 7. After the Doors Opened: Asking Why at a New Community College 67 Scott Evenbeck, Linda E. Merians These authors detail the founding of Guttman Community College and how the programs put in place were focused on helping students discover the "why" of their educational pursuits. 8. The Undergraduate Learning Community: A Bridge to Understanding Why 77 Stephen J. Romanoff This chapter describes the Russell Scholars Program and how well it has accomplished meaning for students who participate. The foundation of the program is clearly personalizing education. 9. Why Higher Education: Lessons Learned in a Learner-Centered College 85 Sandford C. Shugart Valencia College is a national leader in showing successful outcomes for students. This author shares key lessons learned that could extend beyond the world of community colleges. 10. Concluding Remarks 93 margit misangyi watts INDEX 97