Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

With growing college drop out rates … some say universities are losing their relevancy. Others say that neuroscience discoveries open unique opportunities to transform the brain’s capabilities into world class universities. What do you say?

If learner retention is the key to a university distinctiveness … it makes sense to do what works to attract and keep learners. That raises the question … What goes on in distinctive universities? It boils down Roosevelt’s challenge to … take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another.

We know that distinctive universities … above all … try something to engage more learners. Yet research suggests we still have a way to go. How so?

1. Many higher education students still fall through learning cracks soon after they start classes. That’s according to a survey of 310,000 students from more than 500 colleges nationwide. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported national poll results with 93 percent respondents naming  higher education institutions among the most valuable resources in the US. Many complained about some of the day-to day practices in those institutions, however.

2. College participation and completion rates in US colleges compare poorly with those of other countries, according to the National Center for Higher Education. Check out USA Today reported concerns about why Americans rank 16^th for completion, and 5^th for participation.

3. Increasingly Americans are falling behind other developed nations and this is partly because we lack distinctive universities. Research about higher education’s value in the workplace … reminds us that the more you learn … the more you earn.

4. Boredom comes into college with secondary school students who say they dislike material, have little or no interaction with faculty, and find course content unrelated to  their interests or abilities. Recent research at Indiana University … gathered from more than 81,000 students confirm that 2 out of 3 students are bored in class daily.

What would keep your attention in a challenging university course?

Three areas critical to student retention emerged from surveys completed by over 1000 higher education campuses. Students and faculty reported that learners last when they find::

a. Academic stimulation and assistance.
b. Personal future building through clear student goals and directions
c. Active involvement experiences in and beyond class.

When the MITA International Brain Based Center facilitates university communities to create a unique distinctive on campus, faculty and students ask compelling questions about how to engage one another in rejuvenating ways. How would you answer … with the brain in mind?