Readings and Resources on Developing a Rationale for

College and Course Content

The Rational for Attending College

Those of us who teach would find it beneficial in motivating our students to want to learn if we

could explain the significant benefits gained from a college education beyond just an increase in

their income potential. Many students who enter our classrooms are not all that clear why they

are there and what is to be gained beyond money by putting effort into their academics. The

current generation referred to in many publications as the Millennials (those born after 1980) are

the first generation ever to be marketed to from the day they were born that college attendance is

a must if they are to get a good job and be successful. This marketing campaign has caused many

students to be unclear as to why they are in collegeother than I was told I needed to be here

(DeBard, 2004). If we are to get our students engaged in learning and excited about the

possibilities college has to offer it would be helpful if we knew what those benefits were.

In 1970, only 26 percent of middle-class workers had any kind of education beyond high school.

Today, nearly 60 percent of all jobs in the U.S. economy require higher education. The wage gap

between people who have bachelor's degrees and people with only a high school diploma has

nearly doubled since the early 1980s. (Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce)
The Benefits of a College Education

The discussions of the benefits of college too often begin and end with a dollar quote of a college

education being worth one or two million dollars more over a learners life time compared to the

earning power of a high school diploma. This economic value of college is not insignificant but

by focusing solely on the reward of money students are once again reinforced that the value of
college is purely an external one. This dollar value fails to address college being an exploration

of the internal self and the building of lifelong learning skills that will help to guide students for

the rest of their lives.

In her 2002 ERIC publication The Value of a College Degree Kathleen Porter identifies the

benefits of college beyond money. She cites a 1998 report published by the Institute for Higher

Education Policy that identified benefits that college graduates enjoy, including:

Increased personal/professional mobility

Improved quality of life for their offspring

Better consumer decision making

More hobbies and leisure activities

Porter also sites a report published by the Carnegie Foundation, on the non-monetary individual

benefits of higher education which included the tendency for postsecondary students to become:

More open-minded

More cultured

More rational

More consistent

Less authoritarian;

and these benefits are also passed along to succeeding generations (Rowley and Hurtado, 2002).

Additional benefits of college also include:

Decreased prejudice

Enhanced knowledge of world affairs

Enhanced social status

 Increased economic and job security for those who earn bachelor's degrees (Ibid.)

Personal Health Benefits

Porter also looked at the issues of personal health in which research has consistently shown a

positive correlation between completion of higher education and good health, not only for

oneself, but also for one's children. Increases in schooling levels were found to positively

correlated with better health status for the learners children and lower mortality rates for given

age brackets" (Cohn and Geske, 1992).

The Social Value of Higher Education

Many studies have shown a high correlation between higher education and cultural and family

values, and economic growth. Three of four college grads in 2011 Pew study on the value of

college said that college helped them increase their knowledge and grow intellectually. Two of

three said that college helped them grow and mature as a person. Just over half said it helped to

prepare them for a job or career.

By achieving a strong educational foundation, a person tends to continue to educate themselves

throughout their lifetime. Whether this is by earning further college degrees or by simply being

more civically minded and socially conscious, the benefit of a college degree has been shown to

increase a person's sense of civic responsibilities and awareness. Those with higher educations

show increased participation in voting, increased altruism, and a greater appreciation of social

diversity. This in turn can lead to a decrease in crime and poverty rates (Woodcock, 2006).

The Public Benefits of Higher Education

The Institute for Higher Education Policy in 1998 reported the public also benefits when students

complete college, including:

Increased tax revenues

Greater workplace productivity

Increased consumption

Increased workforce flexibility

Decreased reliance on government financial support

By being knowledgeable about the benefits of a college degree, including how much more

money a student will make in a lifetime, a lifetime which some scientist now say might be well

near one hundred years for students in college today (New Scientist, 2007), is just one way of

optimizing our students learning by helping them understand what is it for them.

Four Rationales for Explaining What and How We Teach

Perhaps nothing is more important in creating a successful learning experience than

demonstrating how the knowledge and skills being taught are meaningful to the lives of our

students. The human brain constantly prioritizes what it wants to pay attention to so having

clear, meaningful reasons for what we teach is vital to helping students pay attention and learn

(Brown, Roediger and McDaniel 2014).

Below I have outlined four rationales that give students a clear understanding of how the

teaching methods we choose and the knowledge and skills we teach benefit them as college
learners. Using one or these rationales to explain our learner centered approach can help students

see the reasons behind the changes we have made.

1. Teaching in Harmony with the Human Brain

Many of the changes students will see in our teaching approach can be explained by our desire to

bring our teaching into harmony with the new discoveries about how the human brain learns. For

example, the reason why we want students to do more firsthand learning, group learning,

practicing, reflecting, teaching and presenting is these learning activities require active

engagement. We know from neuroscience research that the dendrites of our brain cells only grow

when the brain is actively engaged and the neuro-networks formed by our brain cells only stay

connected when they are practiced. (Ratey p. 19). We need to continually reinforce to our

students that the learning tasks we are asking them to take on, which require them to adopt new

learning roles are done to optimize the development of the neuro-networks they need to be

successful college learners.

2. Preparing Students for Their Careers

The rational for teaching many of the learning skills, behaviors, attitudes and critical thinking

strategies now are part of a learner centered college courses is that our students will need these

skills for their careers. For example, putting students into small groups is done not only to

promote a deeper level of learning but because leaning to talk with or listen to others is perhaps

the single most important skill needed to be successful in any career field. A rational for asking

students to make presentations before the whole class is that learning to speak in front of others

is crucial to career success. The simple point is that most learning activities or content
knowledge we teach has relevance to students career goals. Having our students understand the

new roles and responsibilities required of them in a learner centered classroom will also help

prepare them for career success can help students buy in to learner centered teaching. (See Skills

Employers Want in College Grads at the bottom of this article)

3. Preparing Students to be Life Long Learners

One of the significant changes our students need to accept is that college is no longer a terminal

educational experience. We also must rid ourselves of the idea that if we dont teach it to them

then they will never learn it. We must replace that idea with, if we dont prepare them to be

lifelong learners capable of independent, self-motivated learning, then we have done less than a

satisfactory job with their college education. One of the reasons students are being asked to take

on more responsibility for their own learning is because they will be responsible for it the rest of

their lives. The need to develop our students' lifelong learning skills is justification for many of

the changes students will be asked to make in a learner centered classroom. Examples of lifelong

learning skills we regularly teach but often dont point out to our students WHY we are teaching

them are writing skills, reading skills, time management skills, playing well with others,

accepting and giving feedback and criticism, learning to express ideas in clear, concise ways that

can be easily understood by others, being on time, listening attentively, defending a position or

idea or finding a proper source to just name a few. Each time we conduct a class activity or give

a homework assignment or an assessment we can help our students understanding of WHY we

want them to do these things by point out that these activities are building the lifelong learning

skills they will need to compete in an ever-flattening world.

4. Preparing Students for Today, Tomorrow and Next Semester.

The forth rationale is the one most of us having been using since we began teaching. The reason

we are asking our students to learn the current skills and knowledge we are teaching is they will

need it to learn what is coming tomorrow, next week or even next semester. This is not so much

a rational for accepting the change to learner centered teaching as it is a universal explanation for

WHY students need to learn the content and skills presented daily in their courses. If we can

help our students to see what they are learning today will be useful and needed to learn what will

come next, we create a powerful rationale for their learning. Although we would like to think our

students can see the relationships between yesterdays lesson and todays, it is not always clear

to them. Informing students where in their future learning what is currently being taught will be

used again adds purpose to their learning. It would also be of great value to let students know in

what other courses they will need the skills and knowledge they are currently learning. This is

more difficult but could be done.

Why Students Need Us to Tell Them WHY

One of the most important aspects of being a learner centered teacher is to remember the simple

fact that teaching is in most ways no different than any other human to human interaction. If I

dont know why you want me to help you with a project or if I cant see how taking on a certain

task has some benefit to me I am hesitant to do it. Students reactions are no different. When we

ask students to make significant changes in their roles as learners it is crucial to explain why and

how these changes will benefit themthat we explain what's in it for them. Students arrive at

college with well formulated theories in use about schooling, and about academic institutions in
general. These beliefs are based on their own previous experiences with school. (Tagg p. 40)

These theories however, rarely include well thought out reasons why they are in college and

what they want to have happen as a result of spending four or five years engaged in the

academic, social, and emotional experiences that make up college life. High school students

define the payoff of schooling almost exclusively in terms of external rewards (L. Steinberg,

1996). They believe in the benefits associated with getting a diploma or degree for later life

success but dont connect later success in life with doing well in school or with learning what

schools have to teach (p.75). If we are to engage our students in active, purposeful learning it

appears our work is cut out for us. We need to recognize that the content cart cant be put before

the rational horse. Our students need to first understand WHY what we ask them to learn is

important to them and their learning goals. And second, WHY the ways in which we ask them to

learn, the activities, assignments and assessments will optimize their academic success.

An Example of Telling Students WHY in Chemistry

Each year our Honors Program students select one honors faculty member as the Outstanding

Teacher of the Year. In 2005 the award was given to my colleague Dan Adsmond, a chemistry

professor. The mere fact that the students picked a chemistry professor tells you Dan must being

doing something special, as chemistry is the do or die course for acceptance into our Pharmacy

and Optometry professional doctorate programs. A grade of less than an A does not endear a

professor to his students. Dan did not get the award because he gives a lot of As. When

Professor Adsmond was asked at the ceremony why he felt the students gave him this award he

pointed to a lesson he had learned at a faculty development workshop. He said the workshop

focused on the importance of creating relevance for students learning. Dan indicated that he felt
he was acknowledged because he always explains WHY to his students. Whether it is WHY he

wants them to learn a certain aspect of chemistry or WHY he needs them to use a certain

learning tool he said, the students deserved to know the rational for his request. Dan also said he

believed when the students see clearly his reasons they become more willing to engage and work

hard at their learning. Dan won because he told them WHY. The importance of explaining to

students why we want them to learn our content and skills is really a very simple thing to do but

crucial to the success of a learner centered practice.

The Power of Telling Students WHY

Part of the power of creating relevance lies in the control it gives students over their own

learning. The need for control among learners is so powerful that no outside influence or force

can cause the brain to learn. It will decide on its own (Zull, 2002). If we want our students to

learn we must help them feel in control (p.52). If people believe it is important to their lives they

will learn it. If we want people to learn we must help them see how it matters in their lives.

(p.52) We must tell them WHY.

When students dont understand why certain learning is important or how it will help them to

reach their goals, they are left with few clear reasons to put effort into their learning beyond

getting a grade and checking one more courses off their graduation check sheet. The complaints I

hear most often from faculty about students is that they dont seem to care and the learning

doesnt seem to be important to them. Learners of all ages are more motivated when they can see

the usefulness of what they are learning and when they can use that information to do something

that has an impact on othersespecially their local community (McCombs, 1996: Pintrich and
Schunk, 1996) If we are to help our students understand WHY the learning we are asking them

to do is relevant to their schooling, their lives, and their futures we will need to build a case for

this relevance. The next few pages contain examples of rationales I developed for five different

aspects of teaching and learning. They include: a rational for lecturing, for assigning reflective

journal assignments, for using classroom discussions, for asking students to make classroom

presentation and for using cumulative testing. These four rationales represent the kind of

information we need to share with students to explain WHY we are choosing a certain teaching

method, giving them a particular assignment or using a specific assessment tool.

1. Why Im Lecturing Today

At a recent meeting I attended with our nursing faculty to discuss their plans to adopt a learner

centered approach to teaching their new BSN degree one of the faculty gave out a rather large

sigh of relief when I indicated that lecturing certainly had an important role to play in a learner

centered classroom. I was left with the distinct impression she was not alone in her belief that

somehow learner centered practice means no lecture. That could not be further from the truth.

The purpose of lecture is to explain to students the ideas and concepts that they cannot easily

learn on their own. No one is better suited to explain to students how to understand the difficult,

challenging, and complex information that are part of all college courses than an expert teacher.

An expert with years of experience in the subject matter area, who is full of great analogies,

metaphors, and examples, and knows how to uses these teaching tools to connect the challenging

material to their students background knowledge, should clearly be the one doing the talking.

This process of experts explaining things to novices that need their help has been a vital part of

the learning process in higher education for centuries. It is only when lecture is abused and
wastes the students' time by talking about things that students can better learn on their own, or

deprives them of learning from their peers through discussion, or causes them to stop reading

their textbook because everything in the book will be discussed in the lecture that it becomes a

poor choice of teaching methodology.

Taking the time to explain to students WHY you will be lecturing on some days (because for

certain material it is the best way to optimize their learning) and not on others is a big step in

helping them to adjust to the new roles and responsibilities they will face in a learner centered

classroom. Many students that I interact with on my campus equate lecture with teaching, for

them they are synonymous. By helping students realize that our job includes much more than

just telling them information and asking them to spit it back we are setting the stage for

improved students learning. Lecturing has a vital role in college faculty doing their jobs

effectively. Its relevance to students learning should be made clear over and over. To determine

the best use of lecture in our courses we must ask ourselves each time we plan a daily lesson is

telling my students this information the optimal way for them to learn this material?

Stakeholders Exercise

Another way to enlighten students as to WHY they need to make changes in their learning roles

and responsibilities is through an activity called Stakeholders. This exercise helps students

discover WHY they need to take on greater responsibility for their learning. A colleague of mine

Dr. Cecile Queen who teaches in our Criminal Justice Institute uses Stakeholders each time he

introduces a new set of skills or knowledge to his students. The purpose of the exercise is to help

his students discover reasons beyond a grade, to deeply learn their course material. In this
activity students are asked to identify what other people or organizations are stakeholders in their

being successful learners of the new material. Dr. Queen then maps all the major and minor

stakeholders that are depending on his criminal justice students to become fully competent with

the new material. A sample of a map that was made when the topic of domestic violence was

introduced in his class can be seen is Figure 3.1

Figure 3.1

Kid
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Public
Your Medical
Family Staff

Neighbor YOU Court

s s

Suspec
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Police
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Victim(s
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Supervis
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Victims er
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This easy to do exercise results in students becoming acutely aware that their learning success is

not just about them. Students learn there is a much larger circle of people and organizations that

are depending on them, sometimes for their very life, to act responsibly when they make

decisions about how much time and effort to put into their learning. Dr. Queens also noted that
the students see more clearly the tremendous responsibility he has to help them learn, given that

peoples lives are at stake. He says his students come to understand he would never select a

teaching approach like learner centered teaching, with so much at stake, if he did not believe it

was the best way to teach them. In some subject areas, there will be fewer stakeholders and it

may not be life or death but the message is the sametheir learning is not only about them.

Skills Employers Want in College Grads (2015)

Here are the 10 skills employers say they seek, in order of importance. NACE gave each a rating
on a 5-point scale, where 5 was extremely important, 4 was very important, 3 was somewhat
important, etc.:

1. Ability to work in a team structure

2. Ability to make decisions and solve problems (tie)

3. Ability to communicate verbally with people inside and outside an organization

4. Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work

5. Ability to obtain and process information

6. Ability to analyze quantitative data

7. Technical knowledge related to the job

8. Proficiency with computer software programs

9. Ability to create and/or edit written reports

10. Ability to sell and influence others

The good news for grads: No matter what you have studied in school, whether anthropology or
French or computer science, you will have had to learn the top five skills on the list. The trick is
to demonstrate that you have those skills through your cover letter, rsum and interview. Think
about class projects where you have been a team member or leader and jobs where you have had
to plan and prioritize. Describe those skills specifically in your rsum and cover letter and in
your job interview (Adams, Forbes Magazine ,2015)