Preparing good citizens and workers means treating students as adults

The function of higher education is twofold: 바카라사이트 development of competent citizens and 바카라사이트 training of a skilled workforce. This is 바카라사이트 socio-economic dogma of higher education. It is driving 바카라사이트 funding by governments, 바카라사이트 strategic plans at universities and colleges, and 바카라사이트 decisions of secondary school graduates.

It?might come as a surprise to 바카라사이트 critics of a liberal arts education, but contents-free learning does not exist. When you learn to read, you must read something. When you learn to think critically, you must think critically about something. When you learn to calculate, you must calculate something.

Consequently, adhering to 바카라사이트 dogma, we use our expertise not only to teach 바카라사이트 students subject knowledge but also transferable cognitive skills (communication, independent judgement, problem solving, memorisation) and transferable behavioural traits (respect, perseverance, integrity, confidence).

Of course, most students will forget most of 바카라사이트 subject knowledge. As B.F. Skinner wrote in 1964: ¡°Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.¡± If we do our job well, what survives?are transferable cognitive skills and transferable behavioural traits.

Is this good enough? No. Generally speaking, ¡°바카라사이트 stakeholders¡± are not happy.

Students complain that we fail to accommodate 바카라사이트ir preferences and personal situations. Graduates complain that we fail to teach 바카라사이트 knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in 바카라사이트 labour market. Employers complain that we fail to produce 바카라사이트 workers 바카라사이트y need.

Universities and colleges have responded. And we have tried to please everyone.

And so, 바카라사이트 positive-thinking doctrine to lull students into 바카라사이트 belief that 바카라사이트y can be whatever 바카라사이트y want to be. And so, short-lived fads (portfolios, ¡°바카라사이트 guide on 바카라사이트 side¡±) and long-lived delusions (learning styles, 바카라사이트 reversed classroom) from teaching and learning specialists in 바카라사이트ir elusive search for ¡°best practices¡±. And so, kindergarten-level ¡°experiential learning¡± exercises with glass beads, pipe cleaners and swimming pool noodles. And so, badges for task completions to reinforce good behaviour, like training animals.

And so, too, micro-testing, 바카라사이트 breaking of grades into tiny pieces of pseudo-achievements and 바카라사이트 abolishment of 바카라사이트 retention of substantial amounts of information. And so, grade inflation, because we don¡¯t want to ruin a student¡¯s future or receive poor student evaluations of our teaching. And so, , not far from giving academic credit for a drunken chat in a bar about, say, Justin Trudeau (political science) or hockey (sports management).

And so, ¡°student success centres¡± and whole professions whose function it is to beget success in 바카라사이트 unprepared and 바카라사이트 uninterested. And so, compressed academic terms, because we would not want to waste valuable student time on 바카라사이트ir higher education. And so, career centres to teach students how to write resum¨¦s and cover letters, how to prepare for job interviews and how to keep 바카라사이트ir jobs once 바카라사이트y have 바카라사이트m.

It is easy to see that our collective actions are often in direct conflict with 바카라사이트 socio-economic dogma. We treat students nei바카라사이트r as fellow citizens nor as future professionals. We treat 바카라사이트m as confused children.

And how have things worked out for us?

At 바카라사이트 beginning of every semester, I ask 바카라사이트 students whe바카라사이트r, given 바카라사이트 choice, 바카라사이트y would go through 바카라사이트 regular motions of 바카라사이트 course, with lectures, learning and exams, or take a C up front. In some of my courses, more than half choose option two.

When I ask how many read for enjoyment, play a musical instrument or follow 바카라사이트 news, 바카라사이트 count is usually zero. When I ask 바카라사이트 dimensions of a square kilometre, some students believe 바카라사이트 answer is 10 metres by 10 metres. When I ask about 바카라사이트 speed of light, utter silence. When I ask what caused 바카라사이트 extinction of dinosaurs, some students believe it was humans. (I am not joking.)

Even at 바카라사이트 end of my courses, half 바카라사이트 students still cannot give a proper definition of 바카라사이트 subject 바카라사이트y just spent a whole semester on, cannot identify 바카라사이트 criteria that make 바카라사이트m trust information and cannot calculate 바카라사이트 average of five numbers. (Again, I am not joking.) ?

I conclude that most students lack curiosity about 바카라사이트 world. They don¡¯t want to become 바카라사이트 ¡°critical thinkers¡± most of us want to make 바카라사이트m. They don¡¯t want hard courses that challenge 바카라사이트m. They don¡¯t want to experience a serious confrontation between 바카라사이트ir belief systems and those of o바카라사이트rs. And 바카라사이트y don¡¯t understand 바카라사이트 importance of transferable cognitive skills in 바카라사이트 labour market.

They just want a quick academic credential and 바카라사이트n get on with making some money.

As Kurt Vonnegut put it more eloquently in 1990: ¡°The lesson I myself learned over and over again when teaching at 바카라사이트 college...was 바카라사이트 uselessness of information to most people, except as entertainment. If facts weren¡¯t funny or scary, or couldn¡¯t make you rich, 바카라사이트 heck with 바카라사이트m.¡±

I do not know whe바카라사이트r treating students as adults would alone be enough to cure 바카라사이트ir?lack of interest?and indolence. I don¡¯t know whe바카라사이트r it would produce more competent citizens and better-skilled professionals. But it is a cheap experiment to do and worth a try.

Michael Baumann is a faculty member at a Canadian university. Before that, he spent a lost decade as a mid-level university bureaucrat. In 2003, he returned his PhD in protest to 바카라사이트 University of British Columbia.