NSF's Directorate of Education and Human Resources published the workshop's summary online today at www.ehr.nsf.gov/dge/InnovMTG.htm.
The workshop, held March 19-20, sought to identify the potential impact of forces changing the future environment of graduate education, to define the desirable characteristics of graduate education, and to identify what is necessary to ensure graduate-level education meets the emerging needs of the nation.
Participants included scientists, educators, students, and executives from academia, government, non-profit organizations and industry.
"It's recognized that graduate education is evolving right now at an unprecedented rate as student populations change and new methods of learning emerge along with new disciplines," said Joan F. Lorden, dean in residence at NSF's Division of Graduate Education and a workshop organizer. "The workshop participants pointed out that graduate education still faces competing pressures and structures that tend to perpetuate the status quo and there is a massive gap in graduate education research. Without this body of research, meaningful institutionalized change won't be possible."
The workshop's participants took note of burgeoning features of graduate education such as on-line learning and mobile student populations and surmised that for-profit colleges and professional master's degrees will also become more prevalent as future generations seek knowledge that will allow them to immediately capitalize upon employment oppo
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Contact: Manny Van Pelt
mvanpelt@nsf.gov
703-292-7732
National Science Foundation
9-Jun-2003