Most College Students Learn Next to Nothing, New Study Says

I was struck by an article I stumbled across over on Yahoo Finance called Brain Drain: Most College Students Learn Next to Nothing, New Study Says. The article states, "…rising tuition costs have many wondering if college students are getting the bang for their parents' buck. A new study suggests, "not hardly," if the goal of earning a four-year college degree is to actually learn something."

This issue hits home for me on a personal level. Back when I graduated from high school, I chose not to go to college or university. The heavy debt-load and skimpy job prospects of college grads had me thinking I'd have a go in the real world, and if need be, apply for college later on. Fast forward 15 years and here I am.

Ironically, I did go to college about 5 years ago…but as a prof. I was offered a professorship at one of the prominent colleges in Toronto. To describe what I experienced, I'd use words like bureaucratic, appalling, wasteful, and a joke. Incredibly talented, motivated, and skilled kids who were hungry to learn, and profs and faculty who were much more focused on tenure, research, and the "business" side of education — profit. The curriculum I had to teach was a joke — it was at least five years outdated; and I told the kids so. I'd say, "Look, I have to teach you this stuff, but lets get through it quickly and then we'll spend the rest of the class on much more current material." I made up at least 60% of the curriculum off-the-cuff, all based on current technologies and skills, because I couldn't in good conscience send these kids into the real world without a hope in hell of being able to swim. Had the college found out what I was doing, I probably would have been suspended.

Although I voluntarily gave up my professorship once I'd fulfilled my commitments, I get email from college students all the time, who tell me that they're not learning what they want, that their profs aren't teaching what's current, and that they feel they're wasting their time and money — all the things I had experienced firsthand. One Ten Ton customer emailed in, telling me that after enrolling in a graphic design course, her prof told her that learning HTML was unnecessary in today's world. I get the feeling that college professors are living in a bubble, completely out of touch with the industry they're supposed to be preparing kids for. This issue bothers me so much, I made it Ten Ton's mission to fight a crusade against bad education (you can read about Ten Ton's crusade by clicking on the orange robot on the right).

The Yahoo article continues, "The report…found that after two years of college, 45% of students learned little to nothing. After four years, 36% of students learned almost nothing."

A few years ago I taught a private two-day Dreamweaver class, and afterwards, a young student came up to me and said, "I learned more from you in two days than I did in my two year college program. Thank you!" What?! My question for profs is, what are you teaching? What are you spending all that time on? The hard nosed entrepreneur in me, who's so focused on productivity and getting stuff done efficiently is just baffled at the waste…waste of time, waste of money, waste of resources. Then there's the whole issue of ethics…

I think the real problem is that colleges are focused on making money (they're a business with a bottom line), and the profs are focused on tenure or research or their egos, and nobody's focused on what matters most…the students!

I agree wholeheartedly with one of the comments posted on the article which reads, "Real educators are kept out of high school classrooms. They are also driven away by Praxis testing, licensing fees, standardized testing and local politics. The students only learn how to score high on standardized tests so they can pass. No one teaches them how to think or synthesize knowledge. No one is allowed to teach them how the world really works since it would offend their sensibilities or hurt their self-esteem. Due to all these limitations they go to college like a lamb going to the slaughter. The professors are only interested in their personal ego, salary status and tenure."

I'll say again what I said in the Ten Ton Crusade: There are some great teachers out there. If you have an awesome teacher or professor, tell them they're great — and that Ten Ton salutes them. The world needs more great teachers. If you're in college, demand more from your professors. If you're enrolled with a training company, demand quality, depth, and an instructor who can teach. Don't be afraid to call bullshit on them. And if you're a teacher yourself, make damn sure you're giving your best.

The source of the report cited in the Yahoo article comes from a book by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa called Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses.

Are you not getting the education you want? Are profs and trainers more focused on themselves than students? Let's discuss in the comments below!

Related posts:The Ten Ton Crusade!