by Lara Kovacheff Badke, PhD candidate
The University of Michigan’s Interdisciplinary Committee on Organizational Studies (ICOS) recently offered its inaugural “Big Data Research Camp”, in which I had the opportunity to participate. Before this intensive weeklong experience, I happily completed five years of doctoral studies without ever having to give much thought to the research terms ‘Python’, ‘SQL’ and ‘API’. Fast-forward five days and I’m now an amateur “Pythonista” (Python programmer; stress the amateur qualifier!), can manage basic data with structured query language (SQL), and understand the fundamentals of application programming interfaces (APIs). What exactly is big data – you may be asking yourself – and what does any of this mean for higher education researchers?
Every day, 2.5 quintillion bytes of new data are created. Through credit card and ATM swipes, climate information, GPS signals, Twitter posts, Facebook statuses, YouTube videos, pictures sent on smartphones, prescriptions ordered, and other cyber connections, we leave behind digital trails of social interactions and information. This is big data. These numbers conceal infinite facts. Surely these figures reflected in our modern digital exchanges could be used to provide new insight into traditional and emerging topics (how people behave, an example of a traditional topic; or mobilization of mass global political and social movements, an emerging topic). With such copious amounts of data available in our 21st century existence, researchers are left to wonder how they might begin to both harness and make sense of it all.
There is no easy and immediate answer. It is an unfolding area, in which best practices have yet to emerge using big data ethically and for social, as opposed to commercial, gain. As a field, higher education is making strides in its use of big data research to inform practice in order to make better decisions; decisions affecting such areas as performance-based state funding, improving student outcomes, and allocating resources. Finding the value in linking large data sets, using them to obtain information that would not be available from any one set alone, and collecting and interpreting relevant material, are data literacy challenges of our modern age. We cannot even fathom the full extent to which big data might help social science research advance knowledge and disseminate truth. It is both daunting and exciting to be a part of this growing movement, one fraught with privacy concerns, ethical dilemmas, and yet boundless possibilities.
For more information on big data resources, please visit the University of Michigan’s Advance Research Computing resources (arc.research.umich.edu). If you are interested in participating in next year’s big data camp, watch for announcements on the ICOS website (icos.umich.edu) in late winter 2014.
Jaqueline Duarte
What was your most memorable moment at UM/the Forum?
The beginning of the year orientation and the end of the year “picnic.” Coming into the Forum feeling totally like the newbie and now really feeling like I am really apart of the team and valued as such just feels amazing!
What was your greatest achievement at UM/the Forum?
I think it will be seeing the HOPE Village Initiative (HVI) write up complete. (Having worked on its IRB and all three deliverables, some more than others of course, but still all three.)
What was your biggest take away from UM/the Forum?
It has been an enlightening experience that I feel so privileged to have been able to have had as an undergraduate. Working with such bright people has only made me really believe I can do it, too. It’s been motivating and inspiring to say the least. So I guess, as cheesy as it sounds, my biggest take away from UM/the Forum is that I can truly be whatever it is that I want to be if I work hard at it.
What advice do you have for future students at UM/the Forum?
I would tell future students to strive to be the very best that they can be while always putting their best foot forward because there WILL be people here at Michigan who will take notice and will help!
What is your favorite part of UM/the Forum?
I love the ability to speak my mind and be heard. The Forum makes me feel like what I have to say makes sense and is worth something. It makes me confident that my contributions really do matter and moreover that my work does make this world a better place.
What are your future plans and how did UM/the Forum contribute to that?
I aspire to one day get a PhD in higher education to do research that will influence education policy to ultimately improve the numbers of students of minority/marginalized groups. So doing research in which we assess Detroit has truly made me that much more ambitious and determined to stay on the path to get that PhD.
A response to “Has Higher Education Lost Control Over Quality?” by Ellen Hazelkorn
Chronicle of Higher Education, May 23, 2013
In our society and indeed in the world, higher education is still one of the primary doors through which citizens move to achieve personal intellectual growth, to prepare for a work life, and to improve one generation over the next. Obtaining a college degree makes a significant contribution to the welfare of individuals and provides a route to social and economic growth. However, in recent years the value and quality of the higher education experience are being questioned, and the quality of our primary outputs — college graduates — are being challenged. An old commerical asked us “where is the beef?” The academy is being asked, “where is your quality?” Show us. If the academy is being asked to show its quality, that means our publics are not seeing “it” in the students to whom we hand diplomas every year. Ellen Hazelkorn’s opinion piece, “Has Higher Education Lost Control Over Quality?” appeared in the May 23, 2013 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education. In this brief article, Hazelkorn joins a growing chorus of voices questioning the quality of our institutions and their products. In response to these concerns, she sees new non-higher education players entering the discourse to describe and market quality. Her conclusion, “while higher education has traditionally been the primary guardian of quality, its role has effectively been usurped.”
There is no denying that questions about quality abound—from parents, the business commmunity, and legislators at all levels. The questions are causing the public (in its various forms) to ask for new forms of proof. Show us you are still worth the trust and investment, they say. Many in the public are no longer willing to trust the men and women who inhabit the halls of ivy to affirm that they have taught well. Teaching well is important but not the end game. Nor are all of the other input measures we have used as a proxy for quality—endowments, library and laboratory resources, types of degrees, faculty, and the other prestige measures that have been used for our quality assessment process. The new lexicon of quality is being framed as measureable learning outcomes and cost benefits both to the students and to the society. In a March 2013 speech to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, Jamie Merisotis, President of the Lumina Foundation for Education, described this new focus on quality:
In short, our commitment to quality is not only about increasing the attainment of degrees on a national or global level, but also about making certain that the degrees that are awarded are valuable for those who attain them. (Merisotis, 2013).
So who is responsible for assuring the quality of our institutions? The answer is not simple. There are multiple players. Certainly it is the institutions themselves who must do this through their hiring and scrutiny of faculty, review of teaching, and assessment of student outcomes and other activities. State governments which charter institutions to operate in their jurisdictions also have some responsibility for ensuring that their citizens are protected from unscrupulous and low quality operations. But since the late 19th century in the U.S., higher education has also organized and given authority to groups of regional organizations, called accreditors, to provide ongoing reviews of the work of the academy. In the current debate about quality, it is these organizations that are often the ones getting a black eye for not more effectively ensuring the quality of our institutions. Indeed, the new rankings cited in Hazelkorn’s piece are framed as attempts to fill the void left by the deficits in the accreditation process. The rankings, as she admits, have tended to muddy the water even more, as each uses different and sometimes contradictory standards of measures. Even the federal government’s entry into the “quality assessor” arena has not clarified the situation but added another voice to the chorus. Parents, students, funders, investors, public officials, and others now have a dozen or more places to wade through, to compare and contrast, and although more information is often a good thing, these new sources leave searchers with perhaps no clearer picture of what quality means, especially when it is defined in terms of what students learn, than they had previously.
Is there a solution? There must be. However, I am not sure that the plethora of new rankings and reports are it. Few everyday citizens even know they exist—despite the hype of reports like the U.S. News & World Report rankings or the federal government’s new website. Additionally, the parents who need this information the most, parents of first generation or low-income students, usually don’t access this information. The accrediting associations have one advantage; most people have some vague sense that institutions need to be accredited. Even if they don’t know fully what that means, they understand there is an approval process, and they know there are organizations that exist where they can “report” an institution. So the accreditation agencies may have the most visibility with “the public.” Therefore, they may be the organizations to whom the largest number of individuals might turn, beyond the institutions themselves, to seek answers about quality and to get redress for issues of quality. But the accreditors do seem stuck in old modes of review, action and reporting. Until very recently, all they told us about an institution was whether it was accredited or not, unless an institution was perhaps on probation and that condition was rarely explained. They seem timid about pronouncements about the quality of an institution and unsure of their footing in their tightrope walk between their member institutions and their role in protecting the integrity of higher education as an industry. The debate about the personal and public benefit of higher education is mirrored in a similar dialogue with the accreditors between the institutional and public purposes of their existence. However, for now, scrapping them, as some have suggested, is probably not the solution. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater has always proven a costly solution. But finding new ways to base accreditation on agreed upon rigorous standards and differentiating among levels of outcome attainments might more accurately reflect the reality of our current higher education landscape.
What is possible? Given the National Forum’s focus on “the public good,” this issue of quality, especially as it manifests itself through the accreditation process, seems like one that is ready made for some consideration, and it is one to which we plan to give some attention over the next few years. We understand the primary purposes of accreditation as institutional improvement and consumer protection, and we seek to engage two primary areas of work related to this topic: 1) examining the structure and process of accreditation to gauge what we need to know to make determinations of quality and 2) the public’s need for critical information for decision about institutional quality.
As our country and the world continue to tout the importance of higher education for global competitiveness and social mobility, this issue of higher education quality will loom large for us. We must address this issue for the public good.
Ally Goltz
What was your most memorable moment at UM/the Forum?
I think my most memorable experience at the University of Michigan was being a member of the Michigan Dance Team. I got to experience so many great games in the Big House and it is something I will never forget.
What was your greatest achievement at UM/the Forum?
My greatest achievement at the National Forum was watching the social media outlets really take off. Being a Communications major, I was able to use the skills I developed in the classroom and bring them to the National Forum. Knowing how important and widespread social media is today, I knew it was important that the National Forum established its online presence. Watching that come together over the last year and a half was awesome. The National Forum team has such exciting things to share with the world and now our voice is being heard!
What was your biggest take away from UM/the Forum?
Find what you’re passionate about and run with it. If you’re working for or towards something you love, you’ll be more successful and have fun along the way!
What advice do you have for future students at UM/the Forum?
Don’t be afraid to take on a challenge. There were a lot of things I was apprehensive about doing, especially as an undergraduate, because I thought I didn’t have the experience. Truth is, with hard work and dedication you can do anything you set your mind to. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Whether it’s from friends, teachers, or the National Forum staff, the people around you want you to succeed.
What is your favorite part of UM/the Forum?
Both the National Forum and the University of Michigan are incredible centers of learning where a diverse group of people can come together. Whether you’re working towards a common goal or simply connected because of the love of a single letter M, you become inspired by the people that surround you. No matter if I was in class, at work, or in the streets of Ann Arbor, there was a sense of community and camaraderie unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I’m going to miss it.
What are your future plans and how did UM/the Forum contribute to that?
I am currently working as a Summer Fellow at the public relations firm, Ketchum, in Los Angeles. My experience writing for the National Forum, as well as being an ambassador for the University of Michigan Athletic Department through the Michigan Dance Team, inspired me to go into public relations.
Amicia Bowman
What was your most memorable moment at UM/the Forum?
My most memorable moment at the Forum was when I was applying to post graduation jobs and needed people to look over my resume and cover letters. My co-workers were very helpful, willing, and quick when I asked if they could look over my drafts. Also, I will never forget and will always appreciate how much Amy Puffenberger has helped me and supported me in my academics, career background, and interests. She bought me chocolate cake the last day of my senior year!
What was your greatest achievement at UM/the Forum?
My greatest achievement is in the works and it will be writing the interim and final reports for the Hope Village Initiative.
What was your biggest take away from UM/the Forum?
The Forum, by far, has been the best workplace for me. The atmosphere is so welcoming and friendly.
What advice do you have for future students at UM/the Forum?
Use your resources in the office, ask questions, take initiative, and know that learning is what life is all about.
What is your favorite part of UM/the Forum?
I love the team meetings because that is when everyone can catch up with each other and when we can voice our thoughts about a project, grant, idea, etc.
What are your future plans and how did UM/the Forum contribute to that?
Thanks to the Forum, I have applied to several jobs on campus and have received interviews. The Forum has given me the opportunity to expand my networks and gain the skills needed to write reports, proposals, and manage an office. My future plans are to get a Master’s in Social Work.
Deonte Howell
While working at the National Forum, I have had the opportunity to engage in the Brightmoor project, which works to create resources and dialogue within the Brightmoor community in Detroit. My specific assignment was to assist with the completion of the Brightmoor Community Asset Map. The idea behind the Community Asset Map is to create a booklet that allows community members to locate various services that might assist them in reaching their educational or professional goals.
While working on this project, I had the chance to contact various nonprofits in the Brightmoor neighborhood so that I could learn about their programs. Then I worked on compiling the data from each nonprofit about their programs into a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is meant to be a guide to the Communications Team as they work on developing an actual map.
Overall, this was a very rewarding project for many reasons. The primary reasons are that I enjoy doing work that will better the community, and because I previously have had multiple opportunities to work directly in the Brightmoor neighborhood. This project, once completed, will allow for the residents of Brightmoor to be more aware of the resources available to them.
By Carly Wegner
My decision to pursue the Philanthropy, Advancement, and Development concentration as part of the Higher Education masters program eventually led me to the National Forum. I have already begun to learn a great deal since joining the National Forum, but I am hoping to gain many more skills throughout my time here.
10. Greater awareness of policy issues affecting higher education
9. More insight into institutional politics
8. Greater understanding of charitable foundations
7. Event planning experience
6. Greater understanding of budgets and budgeting projects
5. Grant seeking experience
4. Grant writing experience
3. More skills associated with the stewardship aspect of the Finance and Stewardship team
2. Gain and/or better relationships with others who are passionate about higher education
1. Professional growth to increase the probability of a career in institutional development
By Jon McNaughtan
Earlier this month, the National Forum hosted a two-day event in conjunction with the Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education (CCCIE). Focusing on the importance of integrating immigrant students into American community colleges, multiple discussion sessions addressed critical areas of concern for many of the nation’s community colleges: developing supportive networks for integrating immigrant students in community colleges; promising institutional practices; and current policy relevant to immigrant students.
The initial session led by Teresita Wisell, Associate Dean at Westchester Community College (New York) and Executive Director of CCCIE, and Jill Casner-Lotto, Director of CCCIE, laid the groundwork for the convening. Stating that there was no natural voice outlining the community college’s role in immigrant education, Dean Wisell discussed the importance of CCCIE in creating coalitions of community colleges across the country that are developing programs to support immigrant students. The network created by CCCIE includes colleges with supportive policies, successful programs, and diverse demographics. This consortium of institutions is designed to provide the missing voice that Dean Wisell identified. In addition, the consortium facilitates sharing promising practices that other community colleges can adopt.
Following Wisell and Casner-Lotto, Erin Howard, Hispanic Outreach Coordinator at Bluegrass Community & Technical College (Kentucky), provided context on the front lines of immigrant education and how a member of the network created by CCCIE has engaged this issue in a promising way. Howard shared a few of the programs and initiatives she created while at Bluegrass. Selected practices from Bluegrass included:
In her role at Bluegrass, Howard supports all students, regardless of race or immigration status. She is an example of how just one person situated in a college with supportive leadership that is willing to engage and build trust in the community can have a significant impact on immigrant students through education. She asserted that all of the work she has done has been possible thanks to progressive institutional leaders and active student support organizations.
The final session focused on the current policy environment of immigration reform and was led by Julieta Garibay, Coordinator of United We Dream’s DREAM Educational Empowerment Program and James Hermes, associate Vice President for Government Relation for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Julieta began this session by sharing her experience as an undocumented student growing up in Texas. Her struggle to work through college and graduate with a nursing degree only to face further challenges resulting from her immigration status provided a powerful illustration of the need for reform. She articulated the issue well when she stated, “Many students grow up not knowing they are undocumented, and when they find out, they are discouraged and lose hope for their future.” Julieta’s remarks and the discussion led by Hermes ended with the understanding that we cannot let someone’s immigration status become their identity.
There are many students like Julieta who are struggling today to create a better future for themselves and making indispensible contributions to society. Too many of these young people are impeded by slow political reform and institutional indifference. There is so much more community colleges can do, and the CCCIE seeks to provide the support and voice for that important work.
By Kelly Finzer
On Wednesday, April 10th, Gina Gallagher, Dr. Burkhardt, and I joined with some outstanding high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from Baldwin High School for dinner at Ann Arbor favorite, Pizza House. These students were on a tour of nine colleges in Southeastern Michigan, gathering information and ideas about the different types of colleges that they may one day decide to attend. The students had visited Schoolcraft College, Oakland Community College, and Oakland University, alma mater of our own John Burkhardt, earlier that day and had plans to visit the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, and Washtenaw Community College the following day.
Our invitation to this dinner came from Miss Ayana Richardson, representative of the Baldwin Promise Zone. The Baldwin Promise Zone received one of the two grants that Dr. Burkhardt’s EDUC 769 course awarded as part of its Fall 2012 curriculum. Since Gina and I were both students in the class and have continued to support the grant process, we were also invited to join the Baldwin Panthers for some of their time in Ann Arbor.
In this picture, from left: Ann Desiderio, UM Master’s Student, Jacob Burton, Baldwin Sophomore, Alice Howard, Baldwin Junior, Kamaria Taylor, Baldwin Junior
Unfortunately, the evening began with rain as the drizzly afternoon turned into evening showers. However, bright and cheerful students scampered off of the bus and into a warmly lit Pizza House for an evening of food and fun. We started off our time together with introductions as each student shared their name, year in school, and an early favorite for postsecondary study. I found the students’ excitement over their options for college inspiring and really enjoyed learning which schools in Michigan they found appealing. As a native Ohioan, I know very little about most of Michigan’s colleges beyond the Big Ten so I learned about many other schools in Michigan as well.
Over delicious pizza, Gina and I listened to the students’ descriptions of the first part of their trip. After visiting three schools, they were beginning to wonder more about what resources were available on campus. One student mentioned that she occasionally needs help with chemistry homework. Gina and I assured her that she would be able to find it on a college campus and shared stories about our own struggles with college chemistry.
We finished out the night with a rousing round of The Victors. Since the Baldwin students did not know the University of Michigan’s fight song yet, Dr. Burkhardt recruited as many volunteers as he could to help us teach it. We were joined by both managers and patrons of Pizza House as we launched into “Hail! to the Victors valiant!” As the song concluded, we posed for a picture, and the students set off on the next leg of their tour.
By Margaret Brower
I have only worked at the National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good for two semesters now, and yet I have learned so much. Last week’s webinar, “Broadening Access for Undocumented Students: Federal Policy Implications for Higher Education Professionals,” has become one of many benchmarks undergirding my personal growth, our team’s progression and a new opportunity for the National Forum to broaden its network.
In regards to my personal growth, this webinar was the first project I was assigned to at the National Forum. Our organization has been very successful in the past at hosting large convenings to disseminate information and engage institutional leaders in much needed dialogues. Our organization had never, however, launched a webinar. Thus, watching webinars became my new hobby. Whether the webinar was on international relations or information similar to our own research, I watched it, took notes and brought these notes back to the team. I was terrified that my team was depending on me to help lead this initiative.
However, one of the most unique and endearing qualities of the National Forum is our teamwork. As I fearfully put together potential agendas and proposals for webinars, my team always came to my rescue. Together, we crowded around our conference table brainstorming different directions, goals and ideas for our new webinar. Everyday our webinar evolved as we confirmed our agenda, partnered with the National Association of Financial Aid Directors (NASFAA), secured experts as panelists and learned more about the technology to launch our vision.
What were the results of over six months of planning, designing and collaborating?
What began as a raw, personal vision of administrators coming together resulted in a focused, political and informative webinar to support undocumented students. On over 400 computer screens, Deans of universities, directors of financial aid and admission offices, faculty, students and numerous other institutional leaders came together to engage in our webinar. In between presentations by executive directors on different components of the Deferred Action for Childhood Adults (DACA) and the Dream Act, audience members were able to ask questions and engage with the information presented. Afterwards, our webinar was posted on our uLEAD website with additional useful documents regarding these policies for our institutional leaders to access and share.
The National Forum could not be more proud of the direction we are headed and we look forward to planning future events that will continue to broaden our network and by extension our support to undocumented students across the country.
©2013 The National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good
Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education
