Vital to choose the right learning institution
CHOOSING the right institution for one’s undergraduate study is crucial, and often challenging. A wrong choice may affect one’s career.
“I have got an offer from Harvard University” — does it mean that I am very fit for that school or that Harvard will bring me all success in life?
The answer is not straightforward. If an institution rightly assesses a candidate from all perspectives to make an offer, the candidate is probably academically fit for that institution.
Unfortunately, an academic fitness record cannot confirm the total fitness. Other factors play an important role as well.
Some are probably well considered by some national/international institutional ranking systems (for example, QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education Rankings, etc) although those are still lacking in details and not exempt from criticism. So students must be careful whilst collecting information from these ranking systems — what criteria are used, how they’re collected and from what sources, etc.
An overall score, sometimes, can be misleading. For example, a top university still may get a lower score in student satisfaction. A good satisfaction score, again, may not always reflect the real status.
It is a kind of subjective response collected from the students (stakeholders) which is, in fact, the voice of a specific school’s population from their own perspective and that can hardly be generalised to all.
The University of Oxford may claim a high success/satisfaction score, but it will not be the case for the average-to-low achievers if they get admitted into the university.
However, student satisfaction is inextricably linked with student engagement, and prospective students can carefully look at the scoreboard in their areas of interest rather than at the overall score.
Again, a very high research status may be an attractive item for a hardworking post-graduate research student. The younger generation, however, may opt for more basic-level research supported by close observation and guidance from a kind and empathetic supervisor/educator who is skilled in teaching the young as well.
It is wise to do some research on how the curriculum of a particular school is designed and what kind of learning behaviour is most suitable for that.
If a student is dependent on private tuition, it would be wise to enquire early on how much personal support he may get from a large comprehensive university, where direct contact with top researchers/educators could be occasional and learning mostly independent.
It is desirable that students avoid spoonfeeding education.
Organisational and student factors play key roles in building a favourable learner-friendly environment. Students’ prior academic quality is only one of them.
Nowadays, it is easier to gather information about an institution but beware too that a plethora of mis-/dis-information is contaminating our digital media.
Prospective students can sedulously try to retrieve information about the following aspects:
FIRST, student engagement is vital at the level of undergraduate study. Students should actively participate in teaching and learning (TL) activities inside and outside the campus and must be effectively incorporated into their TL curriculum.
High-quality TL is essential to foster student engagement. Here, “quality” refers to a process or strategy that is evidence-based, efficient and student-focused.
For professional schools, the final learning outcomes are usually maintained the same nationwide for upholding the professional standard but the strategy to achieve them can vary among different schools.
Schools with limited resources or with relatively poor-quality students may require them to work harder to achieve the same outcomes.
SECOND, assessment, another challenging area where most institutions are probably struggling to achieve excellence. A fair and transparent assessment system can be vital for an institution’s identity.
On the other hand, offering a dishonest lift to a poor student may threaten the quality and safety of a profession.
Assessments must support the mission of the institution and should be aligned to the curriculum. Failing to do so could be considered betraying the students and society.
Students must try to get maximum information from multiple sources. A national ranking system addressing primarily undergraduate study could be useful.
Last but not least, the future workforce demands prowess in some generic areas such as critical thinking and problem-solving, communication skills and leadership. Future learners should seek opportunities to develop these skills in their carefully selected academic facility.