Academically Adrift?

http://chronicle.com/article/New-Book-Lays-Failure-to-Learn/125983/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/01/18/study_finds_large_numbers_of_college_students_don_t_learn_much

The basic thesis appears to be that writing-intensive and reading-intensive programs can succeed in improving student learning (as measured by the Collegiate Learning Assessment), but most teachers, programs, and schools are not rigorous enough to have a significant impact on student learning. Here’s a quote from a commentary on the book that summarizes the argument.

"The study makes clear that there are two kinds of college students in America. A minority of them start with a good high-school education and attend colleges that challenge them with hard work. They learn some things worth knowing. The rest—most college students—start underprepared, and go to colleges that ask little of them and provide little in return. Their learning gains are minimal or nonexistent. Among them, those with a reasonable facility for getting out of bed in the morning and navigating a bureaucracy receive a credential that falsely certifies learning. Others don't get even that. Consider too that the study measured the growth of only those students who were still in college two and four years later. The all-too-common dropouts weren't included. It's a fair bet their results were even worse."

Needless to say, not everyone concurs with the findings, but the book is certainly sparking a lot of debate.