Academic-Capital

A survey by Inside Higher Education shows a fundamental difference in economic assumptions of governors and college presidents with those who run the academic affairs such as provosts. Some are hailing the end of the economic downswing in 2008 while those who run the academics do not feel that this downturn is over. The perspectives are interesting and offer some insight to the debates going on in higher education.  According to the survey only 5% feel strongly that the economic downturn is over at their institutions. Another 18% feel that for the most part it is over. A total of 21% strongly disagree and another 37% somewhat disagree. Only 26% of private nonprofit institutions agree that the recession for their schools is over. Public institutions were even more likely to believe the downturn will continue.  The provosts feel that concepts such as MOOCs are unlikely to produce meaningful change. There will also be greater accountability on higher education to match effecti

Asking Questions by Doctors Norman Bradburn, Seymour Sudman and Brian Wansink delves deeply into developing useful surveys for business, marketing, customer service, political and academic research purposes. The book provides an overview of how questions on surveys influence results. Developing strong survey questions will encourage more accurate and valid responses that accurately reflect the construct the researchers are trying to measure. The book will move you through three parts: Part 1: Strategies for Asking Questions: Understanding the wider social context and cultural aspects of questions is important for understanding how those questions are interpreted. For example, developing questions about finance, sexual behavior, criminality, and very personal issues may lead to incorrect data. Different cultures will have varying viewpoints on which questions are appropriate and which ones are not. Understanding how questions are perceived from a cultural background or demogr