Three Things Colleges Don't Want Us to Know

[OohPooPahDoo]

We need to start viewing colleges as places of learning again rather than just a place to get a degree needed for a good job. Only then will they start teaching again.

I think the biggest problem with colleges and universities nowadays is grade inflation. When the average grade awarded is a B+ there isn't much for the average student to strive for. There was a time once when getting a B means you did awesome and getting an A was something that was rare and getting a D really meant you had at least a bare minimum of competence.

 

[rosends]

Diagnosis of mental and or physical conditions are more a function of experience I'll agree but no student really has that experience until they intern or do clinical work as part of the degree process.

I consider clinical work to be the same as lab experience. That said one can learn the necessary principles needed as a prerequisite to lab or clinical experience on their own.

When I took developmental psychology, part of the classwork (not any external internship) was group diagnosis based on case studies. Sure, I had read the text, but working through issues with like minded students made a heckuva difference. Even my philosophy class was more than book reading. Having a professor use the Socratic method on me and help me refine my own thoughts as I reflected on the text based ones was instrumental to effecting real learning.

You don't need a professor to practice the Socratic method.

A couple friends and a flagon of spiced mead will do.

I agree completely -- a classroom doesn't always need a leader if all the participants have a shared goal. But it is still a classroom and not a quiet carrel. I think there is also some value to having one person who knows the endgame who can officiate if the process runs into trouble. But a good group all serious about the discussion can do the job. A nice weekend dinner party does do the trick.

 

[IanC]

We need to start viewing colleges as places of learning again rather than just a place to get a degree needed for a good job. Only then will they start teaching again.

I think the biggest problem with colleges and universities nowadays is grade inflation. When the average grade awarded is a B+ there isn't much for the average student to strive for. There was a time once when getting a B means you did awesome and getting an A was something that was rare and getting a D really meant you had at least a bare minimum of competence.

I concur. I remember when it wasnt unusual in K-12 for no 'A's to be given out in a class.

seemingly the only place where grade inflation hasnt taken over is AP courses. probably due to outside testing and marking. and with it a financial reason to keep the standards high.

 

[blimpo]

We need to start viewing colleges as places of learning again rather than just a place to get a degree needed for a good job. Only then will they start teaching again.

I think the biggest problem with colleges and universities nowadays is grade inflation. When the average grade awarded is a B+ there isn't much for the average student to strive for. There was a time once when getting a B means you did awesome and getting an A was something that was rare and getting a D really meant you had at least a bare minimum of competence.

I concur. I remember when it wasnt unusual in K-12 for no 'A's to be given out in a class.

seemingly the only place where grade inflation hasnt taken over is AP courses. probably due to outside testing and marking. and with it a financial reason to keep the standards high.

Grade inflation?

Look no further than ourselves.

I've seen parents come to schools with flaming torches over Cs and Bs when As were expected. With all the pressure from society, what do you expect..

 

[Unkotare]

I have obviously spent more time reading than you.

The back of cereal boxes doesn't count, champ.

How many books do you own?

Did you really type that and hit 'submit reply'? I hope you at least have enough sense to feel like an asshole about it. A ten-year old would be embarrassed at saying something like that. Wow.

I haven't counted all my books (because I'm not 7 years old and looking to 'boast' about it, Junior) but suffice to say I'd wager it's a lot more than you have. Is that what you were looking for? Is recess almost over?

 

[Unkotare]

Learning can happen for free in a public library. Those who go to college need to master a skill or a profession in order to justify the time and expense.

If so, then why are college campuses crowded and libraries across the country not?

Could it be that many Americans don't have enough self-discipline to educate themselves?

Yes. People have been sold a bill of goods that they must pay someone to teach them rather than teaching themselves.

Oh, that's what happened to you. You had an incompetent idiot as a teacher.

 

[rosends]

seemingly the only place where grade inflation hasnt taken over is AP courses. probably due to outside testing and marking. and with it a financial reason to keep the standards high.

I wish that was true. AP's are no longer the class given to the few, the proud, but are available to any student (or in some schools to any generally strong student) who wants to have the designation of "AP" on a transcript. The test is not mandatory (though some schools require it for the student to get the AP on the transcript, transcripts are sent to colleges before the testing date) and schools which have already been inflating honors grades to make their students look good continue the trend so that a student running a 95 or above isn't suddenly getting an 87.

 

[Unkotare]

And only a complete idiotic sheep like you would believe (you'll notice I didn't say think) that one must attend a school in order to learn

AGAIN, some day you may understand what a university education actually is. Until then, good luck with Netflicks and cereal boxes, professor.

Skull Pilot makes a good point. However valuable a formal college curriculum may be for certain elements of obtaining a high quality education, libraries are indeed full of free and valuable information which can be learned independently by anyone who is innately intelligent enough to discern and apply practical information. ...

That would be a good point if you just went to college to read books, but that's not the case.

 

[Unkotare]

Diagnosis of mental and or physical conditions are more a function of experience I'll agree but no student really has that experience until they intern or do clinical work as part of the degree process.

I consider clinical work to be the same as lab experience. That said one can learn the necessary principles needed as a prerequisite to lab or clinical experience on their own.

When I took developmental psychology, part of the classwork (not any external internship) was group diagnosis based on case studies. Sure, I had read the text, but working through issues with like minded students made a heckuva difference. Even my philosophy class was more than book reading. Having a professor use the Socratic method on me and help me refine my own thoughts as I reflected on the text based ones was instrumental to effecting real learning.

You don't need a professor to practice the Socratic method.

A couple friends and a flagon of spiced mead will do.

And you end up with three idiots who may congratulate themselves but haven't actually learned a damn thing.

 

[Skull Pilot]

The back of cereal boxes doesn't count, champ.

How many books do you own?

Did you really type that and hit 'submit reply'? I hope you at least have enough sense to feel like an asshole about it. A ten-year old would be embarrassed at saying something like that. Wow.

I haven't counted all my books (because I'm not 7 years old and looking to 'boast' about it, Junior) but suffice to say I'd wager it's a lot more than you have. Is that what you were looking for? Is recess almost over?

You assume I read cereal boxes yet you have no idea how many books you own? I have over 1200 books in my library ( the ones I deemed worthy to keep) not counting the ones I have stored on my Kindle and my computer and I know this because I have them organized by subject. i also have notes filed for each book I have read. You see little sheep that is how you become an autodidact.

I think you should worry about your own inability to learn on your own rather than assume it just can't be done.

You're projecting your weaknesses so as to make yourself feel less inferior

 

[Unkotare]

Lol. You have no idea, junior.

 

[longknife]

Colleges and universities have reached that point where someone who is an expert only on the 14th amendment of the US Constitution is considered a Constitutional Scholar?

Oh yeas, and being a senior adviser is considered by some to be the same as a professor.

 

[emilynghiem]

Three Things Colleges Don't Want Us to Know[/url]

Universities are in the knowledge business, and the creation and dissemination of it is at the very core of what colleges do. Yet some forms of knowledge about higher education itself are either unknown, or hidden from the public. Why? Release of the information would prove embarrassing and possibly even costly to the school.

1. What Are the Teaching Loads?
2. How Do Pell Students Do?
3. How Much Do Students Actually Learn?

Three Things that if more people knew would radically change society and global economy:

A. How "Spiritual Healing" can cure mental/physical diseases and radically cut the
costs of "medical care" and also deaths and damages from illness/addictions/abuse/crime
(sources: Healing Is Yours or Christian Healing Ministries)

B. How mediation and conflict resolution can change the legal, legislative and political systems, where money wasted on lobbies, lawsuits, and bullying can go into financial restitution and corrections for more effective sustainable programs to solve problems directly.

C. How education about financial and property management can break the cycle of poverty, and create sustainable revenue for both individuals and charities, to stop reliance on corporate, govt or welfare handouts. This includes microcredit financing, and independent currency (ithacahours.com) to uplift politically and economically oppressed communities.
Totally change the game!

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

Colleges and universities have reached that point where someone who is an expert only on the 14th amendment of the US Constitution is considered a Constitutional Scholar?

Oh yeas, and being a senior adviser is considered by some to be the same as a professor.

"only" on the 14th amendment.

I can tell you're not a Constitutional scholar. Or a scholar at all. Seriously, what exactly would you have Constitutional scholars specialize in if not parts of the Constitution?

 

[Skull Pilot]

Lol. You have no idea, junior.

Wow now that is a cogent reply if I ever read one.

Your brilliance is blinding

Next time just say, "Oh yeah?"

 

[Unkotare]

Tell me more about how many books you have! Did you count them again for this thread? Better make sure you have more books than the other kids so you can talk about it on the playground.

 

[Unkotare]

i also have notes filed for each book I have read.

"Notes"?! Wow, you must be a fucking genius!

 

[editec]

By Richard Vedder @ Three Things Colleges Don't Want Us to Know

Universities are in the knowledge business, and the creation and dissemination of it is at the very core of what colleges do. Yet some forms of knowledge about higher education itself are either unknown, or hidden from the public. Why? Release of the information would prove embarrassing and possibly even costly to the school.

1. What Are the Teaching Loads?
2. How Do Pell Students Do?
3. How Much Do Students Actually Learn?

1. What Are the Teaching Loads?

Teaching load for full time professors is probably the same as always. The reduction in average hours is likely because colleges now hire much less expensive adjunct professors (teaching part time) who teach one or two classes instead of a full course-load.

2. How Do Pell Students Do?

This article does not know. So instead of honestly saying nothing the author implies "not much" without testing that hypothesis. Very informative, eh?

3. How Much Do Students Actually Learn?

Again this lazy assed author doesn't know, but that doesn't stop him from suggesting "not much".

I this casem however, there is no excuse as there IS at lot evidence to address that question.

But apparently the ignoramous who wrote this tripe has never heard of the GREs, GMATS ect ect.

One again we have another education-hating post written by a GOP know-nothing.

Naturally it thrills terminally stupid haters who populate USMB.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Tell me more about how many books you have! Did you count them again for this thread? Better make sure you have more books than the other kids so you can talk about it on the playground.

I happen to be very proud of my library. I spent time reading and cataloging while you waste your life watching the idiot box.

Why are you threatened by that?

 

[Skull Pilot]

By Richard Vedder @ Three Things Colleges Don't Want Us to Know

Universities are in the knowledge business, and the creation and dissemination of it is at the very core of what colleges do. Yet some forms of knowledge about higher education itself are either unknown, or hidden from the public. Why? Release of the information would prove embarrassing and possibly even costly to the school.

1. What Are the Teaching Loads?
2. How Do Pell Students Do?
3. How Much Do Students Actually Learn?

1. What Are the Teaching Loads?

Teaching load for full time professors is probably the same as always. The reduction in average hours is likely because colleges now hire much less expensive adjunct professors (teaching part time) who teach one or two classes instead of a full course-load.

2. How Do Pell Students Do?

This article does not know. So instead of honestly saying nothing the author implies "not much" without testing that hypothesis. Very informative, eh?

3. How Much Do Students Actually Learn?

Again this lazy assed author doesn't know, but that doesn't stop him from suggesting "not much".

I this casem however, there is no excuse as there IS at lot evidence to address that question.

But apparently the ignoramous who wrote this tripe has never heard of the GREs, GMATS ect ect.

One again we have another education-hating post written by a GOP know-nothing.

Naturally it thrills terminally stupid haters who populate USMB.

Throw out the hate accusation like that's not getting old.

The fact is that the sheep consider education something that happens in a school and that it is some rare thing when that is simply not the case.

Anyone and I mean anyone of average intelligence can be a self made scholar.