A study that was the basis for the book “Academically Adrift” says students in undergraduate universities are not learning what they should be, but many at Eastern Michigan University feel that is not the case in their programs.
The book, which was written by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa, suggests “the gains in critical thinking, complex reasoning, and written communication are either exceedingly small or empirically non-existent.”
EMU Provost and Executive Vice President Jack Kay said this is not the case at EMU.
“My experience is so different than what their conclusions are, particularly at Eastern,” Kay said. “For example, I was at a lecture the other night and listened to the types of questions our students were asking to the speaker, and they were very thoughtful questions.
“There were differences between the types of questions I heard coming from the younger students and the older students in terms of years here, clearly meaning that students are gaining a great deal.”
Kay said outside agencies keep tabs on student learning periodically in every academic program at the university.
“Every program does assessments of student learning,” he said. “That’s now required by accrediting agencies. We have learning outcomes and we have learning objectives. We receive really high marks from our accrediting agencies. There are various sorts of approaches, but essentially they look at expectations students have for various programs and see if they have met those when they come out.”
Antonio Smith, a senior in EMU’s College of Business studying management, said he was surprised when he started taking classes in his program.
“It’s not what I expected, but not necessarily in a bad way,” Smith said. “I didn’t know what to expect. It’s different from what I expected. I have been learning a lot.”
Smith said he became more concerned with applying what he learned in the classroom to his career as time went on.
“At first when I came in, my focus was more on getting a good grade,” he said. “Now, I’m more focused on what I need to know to become a successful manager (in a working environment). So my expectations kind of shifted.”
Another student also said his time at EMU taught him how to apply what he learned to things going on in his own life.
Adam Madar, a junior studying anthropology and simulation, animation and gaming, was unhappy at Devry University in an online program, and he decided to enroll at EMU.
“Both my majors are small programs,” Madar said. “They are a lot more focused than what I had received before (at Devry).”
Madar said most of his classes are in-person, but he has had a hybrid class that worked out well.
“What I’ve noticed is that you pick up your learning on your own (at EMU),” he said.
According to “Academically Adrift,” 45 percent of students in the study, in which they evaluated undergraduate education around the U.S., did not show “any statistical improvement in Collegiate Learning Assessment performance” in their first two years, and 36 percent failed to show improvement over four years.
“I would be surprised if those figures fit Eastern Michigan University,” Kay said. “I would be surprised if they fit in higher education generally. I haven’t read the study, so I don’t know what types of questions that were used to generate these conclusions, but clearly from what I’m seeing here, students are gaining a great, great deal.”
Kay said one reason EMU could be different than the study’s conclusions is because its focus is on teaching rather than research.
“A place like Eastern is a place where faculty do teach undergraduates,” he said. “They enjoy teaching undergraduates. I think when we look at the national crisis in undergraduate education, Eastern is really not in that national crisis. We have faculty who are passionate about teaching.”
Lindsey Kelly, a junior studying hotel and restaurant management agrees that the EMU faculty offer a lot of help in her education.
“What I was most concerned about was having the guidance, because college is such a big transition,” Kelly said. “My counselor is Susan Gregory, and I go to her for planning every semester. She’s a great advisor, and she’s always available to the students.”
Elementary education major and junior Kim Zelanak also said the faculty have helped her learn more than she expected in her program.
“I like my professors, and they’re giving me a lot of help,” she said. “I just feel like they’re preparing me well for when I graduate. I’m learning more than I expected about education, and I’m learning more about diversity and how I should approach students.”
The study is focused on whether students are learning “critical thinking, complex reasoning and written communication” skills. Smith, Madar, Kelly and Zelenak said their cognitive reasoning skills improved at EMU, and they also gained a lot of job-specific skills, which was also very important to them.
The Faculty Development Office is hosting a discussion of “Academically Adrift” tomorrow for anyone who teaches at EMU.
