ACTA's Must-Reads
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Information, please
Education Sector's Kevin Carey has an excellent article on the "near-total lack of useful information about teaching and learning" at American colleges and universities in the latest issue of Democracy. Not only is Carey's prose lucid and jargon-free, but he clearly describes how the chase for prestige at American universities, coupled with the fierce hostility of the higher ed lobby to anything that even smacks of accountability in terms of learning outcomes, leaves parents, students and donors in the dark when it comes to "the single most important thing" universities do, namely "helping students learn."
"American colleges grant more than 300,000 bachelor's degrees in business every year. Whose graduates are most successful in business? There are anecdotes, but no available, comparable data. Nobody really knows. Which teacher education program best prepares candidates to excel in the classroom? Nobody knows. Nearly every college teaches introductory courses like calculus and English. Where are the best calculus and English professors? Who is most successful in preparing students for law and medical schools? Whose graduates make unusual contributions to philanthropy and the arts? Who teaches writing well, given the academic preparation of the students they enroll? Who teaches anything well? Nobody knows."
As we had remarked in an earlier post, ACTA's "What Will They Learn?" initiative is an attempt to shed some light on the paramount question of student learning. By sifting through countless course catalogues and ignoring all the bloated distribution requirements, we've determined which universities actually require solid college-level classes in crucial subjects. WhatWillTheyLearn.com does not purport to offer a comprehensive assessment of learning outcomes but it remains one of very few sources of straightforward information on education available to students and parents.
Posted by David Azerrad on December 10, 2009 at December 10, 2009 04:38 PM
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