Just for kicks, let's say that the University of Illinois is planning on starting an "Illinibucks" program for 2018. The idea of this is quite interesting. Obviously, it is assumed that the university will set the price of these, and that the price will ultimately come down to the quantity that is demanded by students enrolled at the university.
These Illinibucks could be used for a multitude of things. For one, freshmen and sophomores would love nothing more than to use their Illinibucks to move up in priority to select classes. Some class, such as ones in computer science and business, are often very difficult to get into and aren't a guarantee no matter when you sign up.
Another big use for the Illinibucks could come from returning students picking their housing for the next year. If a sophomore wants to be at the Ikenberry commons in the new dorms, or they want to be at ISR near the engineering library. Having those bucks could get them priority for picking dorms.
Also, advising appointments can be pretty hard to get at the beginning of the semester and during the class selection period. Using Illinibucks to reserve a spot with an advisor would be beneficial to students trying to get into classes along with trying to work their schedule for the upcoming semester.
Another probable use would be for food. Jumping the lines to get food in a pinch would be a nice option for students who are in a rush for classes or who need to get food early because of evening commitments.
Another one that may not be as obvious is reserving space on the turf fields. Often, it's hard to find spots to practice or just be able to play sports. During the early autumn months, being able to reserve time to play football, soccer, volleyball, or even some softball would be a great add on for some who enjoy staying active.
The allocation of Illinibucks is the interesting concept in all of this. Giving out the same amount to each student wouldn't really fix any of the issues above. So, how does that happen? You add incentives in order to spike interest in the Illinibucks and being able to move up and reserve spots for the listed items above. One of the easiest ways to create incentives would be to use GPA as a determinant. If students want the Illinibucks, the GPA incentive would create intrinsic motivation for students to study harder and would possibly raise the average GPA across the board at the university. Creating that competition for those incentives would surely benefit students and faculty in certain ways. However, there could be an issue with grades being a determinant. Removing the enjoyment of your major could put some students in a GPA frenzy and possibly ruin their experience here. It surely wouldn't affect too many students, but it is something to consider here.
Determining the price of these Illinibucks would certainly be a challenge. You need to find the right price in order to make the bucks scarce and create the competition for those incentives. Setting a low price would not work well. The idea of moving up for classes wouldn't make sense because if prices were low, everyone would have a similar amount and moving up wouldn't help a student. However, if the price is high, then students would treat them as scarce resources and would use them sparingly. If a student really needed to reserve an advisor meeting or really wanted to register for a certain class, the high price would turn off the opportunity for some students while other would use them when a big need arises. The amount of usage would also be very low with high prices, as students would hold on to them and use them in a desperate situation. High prices also could create a market where students trade those Illinibucks for other necessities.
Take a look at the graph I posted on the class site about student enrollments. Now ask yourself about things like dorm rooms or places at the dining hall. Has the supply of these things grown over time? If not, how has the campus accommodated the rising enrollments.
ReplyDeleteI believe that when I started at the U of I back in 1980 that the number of first-year students was about 1,000 less than there are now. I believe that all first-year students are supposed to be in the dorms or other university certified housing. How has the campus done that?
I mention this because you talked about returning students. Does the campus want to accommodate those students who would prefer to stay in the dorms? Or does the campus want them to move out to make room for the next crop of students? I don't know the answer to those questions. I wonder if you do.
Regarding classes that are difficult to get in, there are two underlying questions to consider. One is about which students get into the courses, given existing capacity. Which students should get into those classes. (Note that I used the word should. What I'm asking here is about the criteria for determining that.) Are some of the students who should get into these classes nonetheless closed out of them?
Then there is the matter of whether supply might be increased so those courses had greater capacity. You might ask why that doesn't happen. This one I will try to consider during our discussion in class on Tuesday.
The GPA incentive that you mention is something I would frown on. Students already care about GPA far more than I think is healthy. This would only exacerbate it. So, consider an alternative, which just occurred to me. I wonder how you'd feel about such a system. Illinibucks are allocated by lottery. Some lucky students get the allocation. The rest do not. But the system is scrupulously fair, so all students are aware they are equally like to be a winner. Would that work for you? Or not so much?
I'm not totally clear on the answer to whether or not the campus wants to accommodate the students who return to the dorms. I do think though that many students do return to them, at least in their second year.
DeleteI think the biggest part of getting in to classes is either with a plan to transfer majors or starting out in a minor. I know my CS minor is difficult even with the minor to get into classes because they fill up so fast.
I did put in the GPA incentive paragraph that there is a major adverse effect of that. The lottery portion is interesting because it does come with equal odds. It could create a trade market if students win them and do not need them.
You mentioned the importance and challenge of setting the prices, but you never offered a solution as to how to set them. In one of the course selection example, you mentioned how there would be no gain in using the Illinibucks because it would just get undone. Perhaps a bidding system could resolve this issue, and it would help save people from wasting their money.
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