Diversity and Civic Engagement Outcomes
Ranked Among Least Important
By Debra Humphreys, vice president for communications
and public affairs at AAC&U, and Abigail Davenport,
vice president at Peter D. Hart Research Associates.
This article is excerpted from “What Really Matters
in College: How Students View and Value Liberal Education”
in the Summer/Fall 2004 issue of Liberal Education.
In 2004, AAC&U commissioned a series of student
focus groups. In each location, one discussion was held
with public high school seniors or rising seniors who
planned to pursue a baccalaureate degree, and a second
discussion was held with advanced college students at
both public and private colleges and universities. The
focus groups
explored the students’ hopes, concerns, expectations,
and goals regarding college.
Participants were asked to identify the five most critical
and two least critical outcomes from a list of sixteen.
Students identified global understanding, civic engagement,
a sense of values and ethics, and intercultural skills
and knowledge as among the least important goals for
college learning.
Nearly all the students we interviewed regarded civic
engagement as something that might be important to some
individuals, but not as something that a college education
should address. Some of the students went so far as
to suggest that activities like service learning might
distract from the more important work of their own individual
self-development—the primary reason they gave
for attending college.
For more information, see www.aacu.org/advocacy/pdfs/HartFocusGroupResearchReport.pdf.
| Student
Rankings |
| Most
Important Outcomes |
Mid-Tier
Outcomes |
Least
Valued Outcomes |
•
A sense of maturity and how to succeed on
your own
• Time-management skills
• Strong work habits
• Self-discipline
• Teamwork skills and the ability to
get along with and work with people different
from
yourself |
•
Tangible business skills, and a specific expertise
and knowledge in your field of focus
• Independent and critical thinking/reasoning
skills
• Strong writing and oral/speaking skills
• Improved ability to
solve problems and think analytically
• Exposure to the business world
• Leadership skills |
•
Sense of values, principles, and ethics
• Tolerance and respect for people
of other backgrounds, races, ethnicities,
and lifestyles
• Competency in computer skills and
software
• Expanded cultural and global awareness
and
sensitivity
• Appreciation of your role
as a citizen and an orientation toward public
service |
|
|
