You’re paying for a degree!
What kind of feelings do you get when you see this video? Are you a student who feels overburdened by the pressures of college? Are you an educator who feels that the students “just don’t get it?” Whatever the case, many are feeling that there is a need for reform in the college system. It is often said that “you’re paying for a degree,” which translates to, “it doesn’t matter whether you learn or not, it’s all about receiving the diploma.” When I watched this video, it really struck a chord with me, because I felt exactly the same way.I’ll give you a great example. Indiana Wesleyan University up in Marion, IN is growing by leaps and bounds. When I first visited there two years ago, the student population was around 2,000. Two years later they are up to over 3,000 students and have been expanding the campus like crazy (new townhouses, addition to student center, new academics building, the list goes on…). The university makes a good amount of profit off of their adult education programs, so all the buildings on campus are paid-in-full. So why is the cost of tuition so high?
Are we telling students that knowledge is power, but you’re going to have to pay for it? If schools (such as IWU) are making such a profit, why can’t that money be used towards lowering the cost of tuition or subsidizing the costs of textbooks?
This is not to pick on Indiana Wesleyan, there are many universities that are in the same position. I’m just wondering when colleges and universities are going to find ways to refine the educational process and make learning fun and affordable for students? I think that there is a good majority of students who are genuinely interested in learning and there are two reforms that have to happen in the collegiate system: the lowering of tuition costs and the way classes are taught.
We are lucky to live in the information age. New materials are out there to help enhance, not take away from classes: internet, DVDs, online video, podcasts, blogs, the list goes on. It’s time for educators to rethink how to teach material that will engage the students of today. It’s also time to make sure that students aren’t just graduating college with a degree, but an actual knowledge and passion for their subject area. And a lower price tag would be nice.