From the Archives: Episode 17: We’re Asking Hard Questions About Colleges

In this Archival Edition of Historically Thinking, we replay an episode that we think deserves another listen. After all, it’s just about time for every would-be college undergraduate to get their application packets into the mail–if they haven’t already applied for early admission–or study for their third taking of the SAT.

Another reason for this blast from the past is that the National Survey of Student Engagement released its annual results twenty days ago, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t tip our cyber hat to our favorite higher education survey. You say you don’t know what NSSE is? That’s why you should listen.

The guest today is Mark Salisbury, Assistant Dean and Director of Assessment and Institutional Research at Augustana College. He and Al Zambone work backwards from where graduates of Augustana go and do–as opposed to what they imagined they would go and do–and how that ought to influence what prospective undergraduates should think about when they evaluate colleges.

Of all our podcasts, we’d have to say that this is the one with the most news that you can use. Enjoy!

For Further Investigation

Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa, Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses

David Chambliss and Christopher G. Takacs, How College Works

Tim Clydesdale, The First Year Out: Understanding American Teens After High School

Andrew Ferguson, Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Son into College

NSSE: The National Survey of Student Engagement

Forbes Magazine: America’s Top Colleges–a survey of colleges based on undergraduate outcomes, including levels of student debt, employment, satisfaction, and graduation rates.

Just because it's a pretty campus doesn't mean you shouldn't ask them some tough questions.