Earning a Degree but Not Learning?

Research lends evidence to the claim that college students are not learning. Are you?

The book Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa critiques higher education institutions based upon a sample of 2,300 students from 24 unidentified schools; the students at these schools do not show substantial progress on a standardized test as a result of instruction during their first two years of college. The test is designed to measure writing, complex reasoning, and critical thinking, and the students’ performance demonstrates that they are not only not acquiring these skills but also that they are not reading and writing in substantial amounts for courses.

Given the importance that we place on having a college degree, the claim made by these authors that our students are not learning much in college deserves some examination. One condition of participation in this study was that universities who participated could remain anonymous. Therefore, we know nothing about the schools though we are told that this sample is "representative." Furthermore, we must keep in mind that the standardized test measures how well students perform on the standardized test, and therefore, it may not be a reflection of whether the students are learning.

However, while "researchers are still learning how to measure learning," it is notable that college students may not be doing enough reading and writing and thinking to have the practice needed to develop these skills. In our knowledge economy, it is less important that students memorize facts and more important that they can think critically, communicate well, and collaborate with others. However, these abilities do not develop magically. As students shared on the first day of class, the degree is important, but the experience of being in college should prepare them for success in their given careers in such a way that is engaging and practical.

While discouraging, the results are not surprising. Learning, at its best, results in personal and systemic change. However, instead of embracing change that results from a spirit of critical inquiry, educational systems prioritize the stagnation of tenure, the rigidity of standardized test questions, and the deference to the authority of the teacher figure. These mentalities are creating a crisis from kindergarten to college as students and teachers are forcibly locked into mindsets and patterns of behavior that do little to promote the real value in education. The questioning and creation of ideas as free-thinking humans is critical to self-actualization and a removal of the bars that irrelevant curricula are welding.

For institutions of higher education, the battle is, perhaps, more difficult as students must overcome at least thirteen years of indoctrination in classrooms that have often not begun with the students’ needs or tapped into the students’ passions. Undergraduate students suffer particularly because they are often silenced by higher education structures that reward research by professors and graduate students but do little to empower undergraduate students to think critically and creatively. Certainly, there are many outstanding professors, instructors, and teaching assistants who have managed to blend research with teaching in a way that is engaging and meaningful for the students. However, many undergraduate students at research-based universities are faced with out-dated lessons that are far removed from the realities of life. It is a status quo of imprisonment.

Locally, we are working to cultivate and retain college graduates. The Memphis Talent Dividend Project is designed to increase the number of college graduates in our community from 23.7% to 24.7% (or 8,002 graduates)--an increase that could generate $1 billion in economic development. These numbers are appealing, but if there is not an equal emphasis on the quality of the knowledge or skills learned that will be useful to the students as they enter the workforce, I am unconvinced that we as local and national participants in a knowledge economy will have any advantage.

What is the alternative to selling our students a degree with no accompanying knowledge or practical skills? How do institutions of higher education respond to the need for critical thought that sparks revolution in an era of unquestioned messages and malaise? As costs for higher education rise at faster rates than the perceived value of these degrees by both students and employers, what can be done to ensure that students and communities are able to capitalize on the value of learning and thinking that leads to acting? How do you learn? What do you want to learn?

You might also be interested in Higher Education? How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids—and What We Can Do About It.