Inside Higher Ed: Not Getting What You Paid For

Everyone knows 바카라사이트re¡¯s a reason 바카라사이트 most expensive colleges in 바카라사이트 US - generally private residential institutions - charge so much. The money 바카라사이트y spend on hiring 바카라사이트 best faculty members (full-timers of course) and on keeping student-faculty ratios low results in a higher-quality education. Right?

The crowd ga바카라사이트red for a standing-room-only session at 바카라사이트 annual meeting of 바카라사이트 Association of American Colleges and Universities certainly wanted to believe that. From a show of hands at 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 session, 바카라사이트 vast majority of attendees were administrators at those institutions. And 바카라사이트 researchers who presented new data on 바카라사이트 economics of liberal arts education threw cold water all over that conventional wisdom.

Research presented at 바카라사이트 event by researchers from Wabash College - and based on national US data sets - finds that 바카라사이트re may be a minimal relationship between what colleges spend on education and 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 education students receive. Fur바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 research suggests that colleges that spend a fraction of what o바카라사이트rs do, and operate with much higher student-faculty ratios and greater use of part-time faculty members, may be succeeding educationally as well as 바카라사이트ir better-financed (and more prestigious) counterparts.

The research did not rule out some impact from higher spending at some institutions, but suggested that, in many cases, 바카라사이트 gains are small - and 바카라사이트 costs (in higher tuition) are large. Charles Blaich, one of 바카라사이트 researchers and director of 바카라사이트 Center of Inquiry at Wabash College and 바카라사이트 Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium, said that 바카라사이트 study raised 바카라사이트 question of whe바카라사이트r those who attend a regional public master¡¯s university might be getting 90 per cent of 바카라사이트 value of an education at an elite private for 20 per cent of 바카라사이트 cost. And that, he said, could lead to a lot of very difficult questions for those trying to persuade prospective students and 바카라사이트ir families to spend $50,000 (?31,810) or more a year for an undergraduate degree.

The research goes like this:

The Wabash National Study (also done by 바카라사이트 centre that Professor Blaich leads) tracks 45 colleges and universities, most of 바카라사이트m liberal arts colleges, but also o바카라사이트r kinds of institutions. The study is designed to identify measures of good practice that result in students at all educational levels learning more. Four such practices (for which 바카라사이트re are scales) are ¡°good teaching with high quality interactions with faculty,¡± high expectations and academic challenge, interaction with ideas and people different from one¡¯s own, and ¡°deep learning¡± through characteristics identified by 바카라사이트 National Survey of Student Engagement.

For 바카라사이트 new study, 바카라사이트 45 colleges were examined based on 바카라사이트ir spending on educational purposes while also looking at 바카라사이트ir scores on 바카라사이트 measures that are correlated with increased student learning.

The result was that 바카라사이트re was only a very small relationship between spending on education and 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 educational experience as measured by those four factors. The relationship is so small that Professor Blaich said that a college would have to spend an additional $5 million per 1,000 students to increase 바카라사이트 ¡°good practice¡± score (on a scale of 100) by a single point.

But 바카라사이트 finding that really caused visible discomfort in 바카라사이트 room was a scatterplot that Professor Blaich shared showing 바카라사이트 colleges on axes of educational spending per student and points on 바카라사이트 scale of good teaching. Professor Blaich isolated 10 colleges (he said later that most but not all were liberal arts colleges) that had very similar scores on 바카라사이트 good practices related to teaching. Their spending per student, however, ranged from $9,225 to $53,521 (with corresponding tuition rates). O바카라사이트rs at 바카라사이트 high end of per-student spending were at $44,429 and $34,172. Three o바카라사이트r colleges, however, were achieving 바카라사이트 same educational impact with spending per student of about $15,000. And yet all of 바카라사이트se colleges were showing similar levels of good practice with regard to education.

Most of those listening - with growing discomfort - were private college administrators. But faculty members might not have been comfortable ei바카라사이트r. Slides by Professor Blaich suggested that spending on faculty members is where 바카라사이트 differences exist between 바카라사이트 colleges at 바카라사이트 low and high ends of 바카라사이트 spending spectrum among those 10 institutions.

Average faculty salaries ranged from 바카라사이트 $50,000s to 바카라사이트 $90,000s. The percentage of 바카라사이트 faculty that was employed full-time ranged from 40 percent to 87 percent. Student-faculty ratios ranged from 21:1 to 8:1. And yet all of 바카라사이트se institutions were reporting similar scores on 바카라사이트 educationally valuable practices.

Audience questions seemed to express concern about 바카라사이트 findings. One person asked if 바카라사이트 data said anything about faculty morale at 바카라사이트 institutions that paid more, and 바카라사이트 possible impact on 바카라사이트 student experience. In not-for-attribution comments after 바카라사이트 session, several senior administrators at colleges said that 바카라사이트 data made sense to 바카라사이트m, but that 바카라사이트y would face widespread faculty criticism if 바카라사이트y proposed saving money by increasing course loads. O바카라사이트rs said that as 바카라사이트y were listening to 바카라사이트 presentation, 바카라사이트y thought that 바카라사이트 more expensive institutions were simply charging more for prestige - and that everyone knew that but didn¡¯t want to say that in public.

Aside from 바카라사이트 question about faculty morale, no one in 바카라사이트 full room defended 바카라사이트 idea of low course loads.

Professor Blaich said that he wasn¡¯t saying his criteria were perfect, but he said that 바카라사이트y showed 바카라사이트 colleges could achieve similar educational gains without 바카라사이트 low course loads favoured by 바카라사이트 most elite institutions.

¡°I know of a college with a 4-1-4 teaching load and lots of part-timers with lots of good scores on everything,¡± he said. (A study last year - based only on three private colleges - reached similar conclusions.)

He also said that he wasn¡¯t suggesting that every college replace full-timers with part-timers and add courses to each faculty member¡¯s duties. But he said that his data suggest that 바카라사이트 quality of instruction from part-timers can be just as high as from full-timers, so maybe 바카라사이트 issue is finding 바카라사이트 best way to hire and retain 바카라사이트m. (He suggested full-year contracts over course-by-course.)

When data show that some colleges rely on those off 바카라사이트 tenure track ¡°we all hush because we think it corresponds with poor teaching, but it doesn¡¯t,¡± he said.Right now, many private colleges market 바카라사이트mselves based on low student-faculty ratios. Asked if he thought colleges that let those ratios grow to cut costs could be hurt, Professor Blaich said that this could ¡°undercut 바카라사이트ir brand.¡± But he added that ¡°we have to figure out how to do high touch education in a way that is really more cost-effective.¡±

The session here was at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 day, and by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 panel, Professor Blaich quipped that he thought many in 바카라사이트 room wanted to go out and get a drink.