As a professional at an institution of higher education, I want the students I work with to be successful, graduate, and find their own strengths as productive and active members of their communities.
My conversations however, have revolved around the details of how we get there. That is why theory and assessment are important. Without it, we're just stumbling in the dark and talking at odds. Let me illustrate with a travel example.
Lately, I find myself traveling again in ways that make me a happy camper. California, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Florida all within two and a half months. I've flown (or in one case failed to fly) on American, Southwest, Delta, and Allegiant Airways.
I've been on large trans continental aircraft ten seats across and small regional jets three seats across and ten rows back. Some were new, some were older retrofits. Then I ran into an article about how United Airlines is purchasing new jets while Delta is retrofitting its fleet.
Delta, as one of the larger international carriers, has come to rely upon a series of regional carriers and fewer mid sized hubs to get passengers to their destinations. Upfront cost, Delta argued, could be mitigated by deferred maintenance and owning their own oil refinery.
Southwest, like United, is also modernizing their fleets of Boeing 737s, opting to improve maintenance by standardizing their fleet making bulk purchases of new aircraft and parts as a way to make their employees more efficient with cheaper parts. Unlike the other airlines though, this once "low cost" airline is actually providing MORE services (like a free checked bag) and expanding strategically their destinations.
American is not pursuing a major purchasing strategy for aircraft but has opted to merge with third largest carrier US Airways. They have also outsourced their maintenance facilities in order to cut costs on payroll.
And if you have ever flown Allegiant Airlines, you pay for EVERYTHING. While their tickets are cheap, their operation costs are passed directly to the consumer.
All of this is to say that each airline is primarily interested in one overriding goal, profit. How they get there differs both technologically and philosophically, but they are all striving for the same goal.
Who says which one is better than the other than the other? Well that depends on who you ask. The stock market certainly has some say. Others would argue that passenger satisfaction surveys are another major indicator. Ability to contribute to their local communities is probably another great indicator. It really depends on how much value you assign to a particular variable and outcome.
While we sometimes quibble that success is a subjective term or intangible, we need to hold ourselves to higher standards. This is why I am coming back to theory and assessment. We need to be intentional in our designs. If we do not establish firm and concrete outcomes for our programs and our offices while holding ourselves accountable through useful/timely measurements we are far more likely to end up like the failed airline industries of the past - bankrupt or burning. Theory informs us of what types of strategies we wish to pursue and assessment tells us whether our strategies are working.
"Because I think so" may be ok for a blog post, but the students, the challenges, and higher education as a whole needs better.
If we want to change the world, we need to design grand plans and measure the small steps. How else will we know if we're getting "there?"
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