American Colleges No More than PC Indoctrination Centers

A gentleman by the name of Richard Arum wrote a book a few years ago based on research he and a colleague had conducted regarding undergraduate student performance. Mr. Arum holds an M.Ed. from Harvard and received his Ph.D. from Berkeley. Neither institution as far as I know is considered to be a supporter of right wing ideology. He is also a professor at NYU and a senior fellow of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In his book entitled: "Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses" in which he interviewed and tested students and spoke with numerous universities, his findings were disappointing. The following is from an interview he did with the New England Journal of Higher Education in late 2013:

"Drawing upon survey responses, transcript data, and the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) of more than 2,300 undergraduates at 24 institutions, Arum and Roksa deliver a stark message about the nature of undergraduate learning in the U.S."


"Their analysis suggests that more than a third of American college seniors are no better at crucial types of writing and reasoning tasks than they were in their first semester of college. Furthermore, 45% of these students demonstrate no significant improvement in a range of skills—including critical thinking, complex reasoning, and writing—during their first two years of college."


"Higher education leaders overwhelmingly agree with the idea that there is a real problem. Some might express concern about the reputation of their own institution and say that the problem does not exist on their campus. But overwhelmingly, higher education leaders acknowledge that there is a problem because their institutional data confirms that the problem exists."

"So, while it appears there is a widespread sense that there is indeed a problem that should be addressed, many feel they do not have the adequate tools to be able to do the work. There is not always a sense that the assessment tools available match up with their institution's needs."


New Directions for Higher Education Q A with Author Richard Arum on Undergrad Learning New England Board of Higher Education

Some people are stuck on stupid, whatever side of the political spectrum they choose to support.
 
My local university - UNLV - catalog is @ Catalogs University of Nevada Las Vegas

20 courses on Afro--American studies
Relationships across the lifespan

I won't even bother to go on.


Bet they offer critical thinking.
These anti-intellectual, anti-education right wing nimnos do not understand the concept of critical thinking. They never boarded that ship, and it sailed away in their long ago past.

Is Mr. Arum anti-education? I am referring to the information contained in my preceding post.

.
 
My local university - UNLV - catalog is @ Catalogs University of Nevada Las Vegas

20 courses on Afro--American studies
Relationships across the lifespan

I won't even bother to go on.


Bet they offer critical thinking.
These anti-intellectual, anti-education right wing nimnos do not understand the concept of critical thinking. They never boarded that ship, and it sailed away in their long ago past.

Is Mr. Arum anti-education? I am referring to the information contained in my preceding post.

.
His opinion is that US colleges and universities are not offering high quality education. That is false. If our universities and colleges are so dysfunctional, why are millions of students from overseas coming to the US to study in them? Why are college and university diplomas from US schools highly prized around the world? Mr. Arum is full of shit. The proof is in the pudding, not in his study, which was done, most likely, because university professors have to publish, and they will go to any lengths to do so. The more outrageous their study is, the more attention it gets, the better for them. Reality is another thing altogether.
 
Many students from foreign countries DO NOT come for liberal arts degrees! They come to study engineering, medicine, technology and other USEFUL skills their home countries lack,.

I have no source but would not be surprised to find that the liberal arts classes have a huge majority of American students.
 
Many students from foreign countries DO NOT come for liberal arts degrees! They come to study engineering, medicine, technology and other USEFUL skills their home countries lack,.

I have no source but would not be surprised to find that the liberal arts classes have a huge majority of American students.

The study has to do with college and university study in general. And btw, without liberal arts, this world would be a mess. What do you want, a whole lot of automatons who go about their day to day business without critical thinking skills or an understanding of the human psyche? Human beings are emotional beings with complex psyches, and they have been expressing themselves artistically for as long as they have existed. To dismiss all of that is to be a nincompoop.

I am very familiar with international students, and they go to the US for all kinds of degrees, not just science and technology. Your assumption is incorrect. It is a myth that international students are only interested in science and technology.
 
"American Colleges No More than PC Indoctrination Centers"

This is a lie contrived and propagated by the right, just like the myth of 'political correctness' itself.

That colleges and universities teach facts and the truth that conflict with errant conservative dogma, demonstrating that dogma to be false, does not make them 'politically correct,' the notion is idiocy.
 

New Topics

Forum List

Back
Top