Aubri Paredes
Professor Mark Shirk
09/26/2014
Constructivism in the College Admission Process
Many of us can recall the time in
our lives when we were high school students contemplating on where we would
receive a higher education. Deciding on where we would spend the next “best
four years of our lives”, and where we would grow and progress as young adults.
While on social media, I came across an article discussing new approaches that
universities around the nation are taking in order to make themselves more
appealing to prospective students. This innovative method of offering what some
might refer to as, gifts to students, very much resembles a concept of
constructivism. Like constructivists, these universities like to think outside
the box and embrace the idea of being creative.
The article: How Do Schools Market Themselves to Attract Students by Doug
Podolsky, gives us an overview of universities offering gadgets and services to
incoming students. The article adamantly makes it clear that the Universities’ desire
is not to merely entice a student into attending their college, but more so to
enhance their student’s college experience, happiness, and success. There is
one specific case in where Long Island University (LIU) gives out iPad minis to
full-time freshmen and transfer students. This specific case strongly
correlates to the concept of social construction in constructivism. With this
perception, constructivists heartily believe in changing the world the way you
want it to be, in which creativity plays a huge role. Constructivists also
strongly embrace creativity, and the fact that these universities, more
specifically LIU, were profoundly inventive with the way they wanted to play a
role in their new students’ success, portrays a small part of a constructivist’s
point of view.
Unlike realists who believe in a set
of rules and that things merely are the way they are, constructivists believe
in modification and that history is contingent. They believe that history can
be made and remade, therefore what happened in the past is not inevitable. This
believe of contingency derives from the fact that people’s ideas and mindsets
are subject to change. Once again, LIU’s inventive way of thinking acts as a great
example to this believe. By coming up with this incentive, LIU holds the power
to set precedents for other universities in the future. With this mere act LIU
has also proven that sometimes things aren’t just the way they are and it might
take a small move to make a huge difference.
Overall, Long Island University’s
innovative way of approaching the college admission process very much resembles
the believes of a constructivist. Under the concept of social construction,
constructivist’s embrace creativity. Long Island University’s method of
offering iPad minis to incoming students adequately depicts this perception.
LIU also highlights a constructivist’s belief that history is contingent and an
individual’s idea is subject to change. With this move LIU will be able to set
precedents in the future for other universities as well.
I think realism leaves room for some change. I think that realists are interested in the broader rules of state relations like anarchy. If we look at a creative new action that a realist might be more interested in, like airpower, the realist would say that it is merely a new expression of a state's hard power. While the development of military aircraft is obviously important they would say that it is only a new expression of hard power and the rules of the game itself are unchanged.
ReplyDelete-Carlton Klein
I think this definitely represents a changing social construct, as universities realize that as college prices go up, more money is available to the school to experiment with creative ways of attracting students. LIU knows that the cost of students buying an iPad mini is much less than enrolling in their university, but the aesthetic and precedent it sets in students' minds is definitely a positive for the school, and one I expect others to follow.
ReplyDeleteI definitely see where Long Island University's actions mirror constructivism and constructivism when applied correctly is most definitely an effective strategy, but I think that there is a place for realism. For example, using enticing incentives like ipads might be somewhat effective and change the outcome of applicants, but reality must also be applied and it be understood that if, for example, a student cannot afford to go there, an ipad will not make that much of a difference. A change in the price of tuition might make a bigger difference.
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