ADMISSIONS OFFICES NATIONWIDE ARE NOW AWASH IN PAPER, as the annual deluge of applications, letters of recommendation, and high school transcripts for millions of potential students has come flooding in. But at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the rush of paper this year won’t be quite so voluminous.
Using a “Self-Reported Academic Record,” or SRAR, applicants can go online and enter their own transcript information. How much paper might this new procedure save? Last year Rutgers received about 33,000 applications. Out of this number, 7,275 students enrolled—so Rutgers received more than 25,000 transcripts they didn’t need.
Phyllis Micketti, director of applicant services, explains the new process: “Students receive an immediate confirmation when they submit the online academic record, and it is matched immediately to their file. This saves several days from the previous system, eliminating the multiple steps from the high school to the mailbox to the file folder.”
While admissions decisions will be based on the SRAR and not an official transcript, Rutgers won’t be relying completely on the honor system. Admitted students who plan to enroll must have an official transcript with final grades sent to Rutgers, and Micketti says every transcript will be checked against the SRAR for grades and also cumulative GPA and class rank, if provided. Students will have the chance to explain any discrepancies. “There may be valid reasons for differences,” explains Micketti, “for example, if the school changed its grading policies or used multiple grading systems.” Without a suitable explanation, the offer of admission may be rescinded. The new system, which is voluntary this year but will be mandatory next year, was used by approximately half of the first-year applicants for fall 2009.
Before introducing the system, Rutgers conducted focus groups with high school counselors and prospective applicants, and various prototypes were tested by students. Rutgers expects the system to save trees and labor and to streamline the admissions process, as has occurred in the University of California system, which has used a similar procedure for several years. —Don Parker-Burgard
Maybe Gossip Isn’t In
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY FRESHMEN DON'T LIKE JUICYCAMPUS.COM. THE WEBSITE, which allows users to post gossip anonymously, is known for its unfiltered content. “Thanks to the internet, we can act badly anytime, anywhere,” says Elaine Johannes, an assistant professor of family studies and human services. Johannes teamed with Judy Lynch, director of the Academic Assistance Center, to survey the 406 students enrolled in freshman experience classes about perceptions of bullying and cyberbullying on campus.
The overall results are fairly typical, Johannes says, but on a question about cyberbullying many students noted the website should be shut down. She expresses concern the bad behavior taking place on the internet and reality TV will eventually come to campus. There is also a trickle-down effect as high school students imitate college students. “Sometimes adults need to say that certain behavior is not acceptable,” she says. “I don’t want to be an extremist. Not everything is bullying. Some [incidents are] just poor communication.” —A.M.
FUTURE SHOCK
Cellular Colleges: The Next Small Thing
WE KNOW AUTOMAKERS ARE IN TROUBLE--THEY PAID ATTENTION to what once was instead of what will be. What could prevent American higher ed from suffering from this same hubris? Will we witness a new generation of cellular teachers and learners?
One virtual Japanese university suggests the answer is in the palm of our hand—the next small thing in higher ed. Fukuoka-based Cyber University delivers its courses over SoftBank 3G smart phones. Japanese students both old and young seem to love the idea. Travelers packed on the Yamanote subway line can take a cellular course on their way home. Here is the kicker—the first course is free, that is, if you buy into the provider, equipment, and transmission.
Several U.S.-based institutions will soon offer full-motion courses in real time, all with faculty voiceovers, student chat rooms, and self-paced tutorials. Already, state and community colleges in Louisiana and Indiana are experimenting with digital media on mobile devices.
Though Socrates might have issues with cell phones, cellular colleges are claiming new mindshare in the global marketplace. To read more about this trend, see the online version of this column at www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1233
— James Martin and James E. Samels, Future Shock columnists, are authors of Turnaround: Leading Stressed Colleges and Universities to Excellence (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009). Martin is a professor of English at Mount Ida College (Mass.) and Samels is president and CEO of The Education Alliance.
