The Long-term Effect of a Degree on Graduate Lives

Abstract

This article considers the long-term effect of a degree on graduate lives. By following-up a degree course which has used active-learning methods within a modular course for over 20 years, we provide a prototype for evaluating the lifelong learning generated by modern day teaching methods. While we concur with other researchers that there are communal benefits from a degree, we also conclude that there is a huge variation in the long-term effects of a course on a relatively homogeneous group of students. The variation comes from four main sources: (i) individual student backgrounds; (ii) different reconstructions of the same academic experience; (iii) the different personal circumstances while at college; and (iv) the effects of individual careers after graduation (which in turn leads to further individual reconstructions). These findings have three major implications for higher education policy: (i) evaluation can benefit by changing its major focus from individual courses to the whole college experience; (ii) there is value in looking at the long-term impact of that college experience; and (iii) all teaching and evaluation should respect the huge differences between individuals on the same course. These findings challenge any teaching method, course comparison or policy implication which treats students as a homogeneous group.