The Evolution of Higher Education Since the Nineteenth Century
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Americans viewed higher education as a vehicle for what Geiger (2014) calls “social reproduction” (p. 540).
Cultural shifts and advancement in knowledge affected university’s curricula, mission, and student life (Geiger, 2014). Many of these changes allowed for colleges to advance and begin resembling institutions in the United States today.
Scientific Knowledge
The growth of scientific knowledge available in the late 1800s challenged colleges to determine how to best adapt their traditional degree offerings (Geiger, 2014, p. 543). To date, higher education served more to advance socialite status than to prepare students for successful career placement. The research necessary to continue nurturing the desire for knowledge eventually became a fundamental goal of universities, with Harvard and Yale emerging as the first schools to connect this new evidence-based knowledge with real-world applications (Geiger, 2014, p. 544-5). Although initially a limited number of universities were committed to pursuing research, this …show more content…
543). Higher education began to tackle this issue using a variety of approaches, and the first colleges specifically for women opened their doors in the 1800’s. Oberlin College first admitted women when chartered in 1933, but restricted access to certain courses and continued to emphasize their maternal role in society rather than the value of a career (National Women’s History Museum [NWHM], 2007). Mount Holyoke Female Seminary opened its doors in 1837 and made a deliberate attempt to reach middle-class women who were serious about education, setting a minimum age and entrance exam requirements (NWHM, 2007). The curriculum included a focus on math and science instruction not available to women at other institutions as the time (NWHM,
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Americans viewed higher education as a vehicle for what Geiger (2014) calls “social reproduction” (p. 540).
Cultural shifts and advancement in knowledge affected university’s curricula, mission, and student life (Geiger, 2014). Many of these changes allowed for colleges to advance and begin resembling institutions in the United States today.
Scientific Knowledge
The growth of scientific knowledge available in the late 1800s challenged colleges to determine how to best adapt their traditional degree offerings (Geiger, 2014, p. 543). To date, higher education served more to advance socialite status than to prepare students for successful career placement. The research necessary to continue nurturing the desire for knowledge eventually became a fundamental goal of universities, with Harvard and Yale emerging as the first schools to connect this new evidence-based knowledge with real-world applications (Geiger, 2014, p. 544-5). Although initially a limited number of universities were committed to pursuing research, this …show more content…
543). Higher education began to tackle this issue using a variety of approaches, and the first colleges specifically for women opened their doors in the 1800’s. Oberlin College first admitted women when chartered in 1933, but restricted access to certain courses and continued to emphasize their maternal role in society rather than the value of a career (National Women’s History Museum [NWHM], 2007). Mount Holyoke Female Seminary opened its doors in 1837 and made a deliberate attempt to reach middle-class women who were serious about education, setting a minimum age and entrance exam requirements (NWHM, 2007). The curriculum included a focus on math and science instruction not available to women at other institutions as the time (NWHM,