Pushing Our Brightest to Higher Performance through Awareness Coursework

Gifted individuals are untapped national treasures that represent what is best about society in the sense that they push human thought and performance to new levels. Unfortunately, our society has a difficult time identifying gifted individuals, challenging them, and encouraging them to perform at the highest levels. Identifying potentially giftedness in college students and placing them in a course designed around self-awareness of their unique talents can improve their performance and raise their confidence.

Giftedness is a physiological and psychological difference that leads to higher levels of performance. The process of challenge, stress, disintegration, and reemergence is uncharted territory for many researchers. Theories have discussed the difficulties gifted individuals face in their over excitabilities (OE) and positive disintegration that leads to higher performance.

Students may go through their whole lives wondering why they think differently, act differently, get excited about some ideas, and can move in and out of “flow” where the outside world ceases to exist. The higher their intelligence, the more different they see themselves as they rub against conventional wisdom. It is precisely these traits and challenges that push them willingly, or unwillingly, into higher forms of human development.

If the purpose of higher education is to enhance individual knowledge and performance, then such classes should be seen as important. According to Overzier and Nauta (2014) having a gifted class can lead to stronger overall performance of the student. Some individuals may go on to invent new things and solve world problems.

One of the reasons why an awareness class leads to higher performance is that it gives a stronger context for one’s behaviors, thoughts and actions that leads to higher forms of confidence. That confidence can make its way into future ways of thinking and performance. Confidence and high performance can be an unbeatable combination.

The idea of a class for gifted and high-performance individuals may have positive benefits for the students, colleges, and their countries. It makes one wonder that if students were selected based on performance and creativity and then offered a class about leadership, self-awareness, etc…that heavily loaded with these ideas, would it have an impact throughout their lives? In an online university, it may be possible to have a class that focused on the universal traits of high-performance individuals.

Overzier, P. Nauta, N. (2014). Coping with qualities of giftedness. Gifted & Talented International, 29 (1/2)

The Benefits of Hiring Practitioner Scholars in Business Colleges

Academic life is something inquisitive people hope to someday achieve in their efforts to grow and develop as a person. Eventually they make their way through college to obtain a terminal degree, and with some experience, they apply to universities in anticipation of achieving their dreams. With a tough market for professors, not everyone will find their way into a college position. Despite the competitive market, ensuring that universities hire more practitioner-scholars with "real life" experience is important for university development.

In business programs this is even more important than other fields. The difference between a person with only academic experience and one with both academic and professional experience is profound. One understands focuses on theory while the other may also have experience with using theories in practice. Their industry experience helps them understand how theories operate in real life scenarios outside the higher education vacuum. Having a representation of both ensures higher value for students.

Industry knowledge filters throughout everything the professor does. Consider the following benefits of a practitioner-scholars (pracidemics):

1.) Theoretical Explanations: A greater ability to explain theories and business principles in real life form and example.

2.) Research Development: All research must eventually be applied to be of any benefit. Practioners are able to use their understandings of industry problems and find new solutions that have market value.

3.) Administration: Professors who come from a business background also have knowledge of administration and processes. They are not as concerned about titles as they are about skill and performance.

4.) Credibility: Faculty with practical experience have credibility because they know what the student will be getting into after graduation. Students view them as both professors and mentors.

5.) Course Development: Because practitioners have practical and theoretical knowledge they are able to develop content that is relevant to modern industry.

6.) Cultural Awareness: Faculty are pragmatic and bring with them a focus on "what works" and encourage universities that are cost effective.

Using Validity and Critical Thinking On a Daily Basis

On a daily basis, we hear claims of how this product leads to weight loss, how we should support someone’s awe-inspiring cause, and where we should be spending our time. Invalid arguments are familiar and knowing how to determine whether or not an argument is truthful can help us make choices that lead to better outcomes.

Life is full of people who want you to buy something, sell something, get on a team, and convert to their cause. The list of invalid arguments are nearly endless. Most of us come across inaccurate and invalid arguments that are designed to stir our emotions but have little substance. Knowing valid from invalid arguments helps us see the truth behind the words.

An argument is valid if the premises are true, and the conclusion is not false. Main points should lead to and support the conclusion. In situations where the premises are true but the conclusion is false then the argument is invalid. The premise and the conclusion should hold true.

Even though logic and life may seem different, one leads to the quality of the other. Good choices offer greater outcomes. It is beneficial to try and find your way through arguments by using critical thinking and searching out counter arguments. If you can select counter arguments, the argument becomes open to questioning and more likely invalid.

You can see an example of a statement from a shifty used cars salesman:

“This is a great car because its style is modern. You seem like a guy with great taste, and if you buy this car you are going to be popular as well”.

While it might be true that buying this car is popular and could make you more popular there are many circumstances where this does not hold true. Perhaps you have a great sense of style and decide to buy the car but don’t want your friends to ride in it. If your friends can’t get a ride, they may not like you very much. Maybe the car is in style for people in your grandmother's age group.

The point being that popularity rests only in part on the type of car you drive and more heavily influenced by personality, style, and other issues that make one desirable. The car in and of itself won’t make you the most popular person in town.

It may have been more accurate for the salesperson to say, “This car has sold more models than any other car in the country. You seem to be a guy who cares about his social image. If you buy this car, it will make a statement about who you are.”

This statement is more accurate as the facts about the popularity can be checked with sales numbers. Likewise, research has backed the idea that when we buy a product we are saying a little bit about ourselves. Many of purchase choices are a direct reflection of our personality. The second argument makes it through the "smell" test.

Validity of arguments should maintain a level of internal consistency that helps us know that the premises justify the conclusion. Searching out alternative explanations helps us get a better grasp of what is going on. Flattery with emotionally driven words is not the same as having a logical argument with internal consistency.

Using your logic, reasoning, and fact checking ability, you will be less prone to the false statements that have become part of our lives. Whether it be advertising, a request for a donation, purchasing a car or political support for an idea it is important for you to use your critical thinking skills. It will help you make more accurate conclusions and decisions that lead to advantageous behavior that helps you fulfill your goals.

Drop Out Rates: Should Traditional and Online Schools Have Their Own Rates?

Dropout rates are a primary concern for universities and governments that want to create accountability in higher education. How dropout rates are defined has a large impact on the future success of schools and may influence those that will be around in the future. Some have argued that the timetables and lack of understanding put online schools at a disadvantage under definitions more in tune with the needs of traditional schools.

How Drop Out Rates are Defined

The way in which dropout rates are set can make a large difference in the final rate. For example, if a dropout rate is by course level it will have one value while if it is calculated over a year, or two years, will have another. If calculated over longer periods of times the rates may capture students who bounce in and out of classes but have not given up on their education. When a student drops is confusing.

The government requires the numbers to be calculated each year. These numbers create a rate that is compared with other universities to determine the schools' value. What they don't compare is the background and demographics of the students attending different types of schools and it impacts short-term retention. Some students don't have the full freedom or support to attend college all the way throughout without working.

Different Numbers for Online and Traditional Universities

A study conducted in Spain found that dropout rates would better reflect what is going on if there were a separate definition for online universities (Grau-Valldosera& Minguillon, J. (2014). They believe that the online method of learning is very different from brick-n-mortar institutions and having the same definition doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Students in the online world come from a different background that makes the virtual educational process different than traditional universities. Trying to force online schools into brick-n-mortar models is unfair. As traditional schools move more into online education, they may find similar inaccuracies in reporting.

Online Students are Unique

Students in the online world are more transient and will sometimes attend a few classes and then disappear for a couple of classes before returning. The measurement should be different as those engaged in traditional schooling may never return to an institution once they leave as larger barriers to reentry exist.

There is also another problem related to the preparedness of students. Up to 1/3 of students who enter college are not prepared for higher education through their standard high school education (McMahon, 2015). If online education is serving students with multiple interests and under-served demographics the numbers may be indicative of the challenges in their student populations.

As online schools become more prominent, the very nature and face of education will likely change to incorporate new methods of school evaluation. At present traditional schools are defining the dropout rates leaning heavily in their favor and may not reflect what is occurring in online schools. Coming to a stable definition that reflects both mediums is necessary for an accurate and fair assessment of school quality.

Grau-Valldosera, J. & Minguillion, J. (2014). Rethinking dropout in online higher education: the case of Universitat Oberta De Catalunya, International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 15 (1).

McMahon, M. (2015). Underprepared college students. Research Starters, Education.