Is College Challenging Enough?

A new book suggests that colleges don't challenge students enough.  The authors of   Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses followed 2,300 students through their first two years at 24 private and public universities and tested their thinking and writing improvement.  The test showed that  45% of the students “demonstrated no significant gains in critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and written communications during the first two years of college.” 


For a lot of people, the first two years of college are a waste of time and money.   Almost half the tuition  goes towards what?  What are students doing if they aren't learning to think, analyze, and write? One thing is sure--they aren't studying as much as in the past.


Another study suggests that students are not having to study as hard as their parents' generation did.  Two University of California professors looked at how much time today's students spend studying outside of class now as compared to past years.   They found that since 1961, study time has declined by 10 hours per week.  (Tuition is not to blame; the study found the same decline in students with jobs and those without.)  The U. of CA. professors blame the decline on falling standards.  Students just don't have to work as much to get decent grades.  


 Academically Adrift reports how the average student spends time per week: 
Labs and class                                   9%
Studying                                              7%
Working/volunteering                   9%
Sleeping                                             24%
Socializing/recreation                  51%

Students spend less time studying than they spend in class?  I thought the ratio was supposed to be three hours studying per each class hour.  Is that a myth?

It's relatively easy for a student to avoid taking demanding classes.  The authors  found that 50% of the students they followed “did not take a single course in which they wrote more than 20 pages over the course of the semester.”   The good news is that the students who had taken  reading/writing intensive courses were in the 55% that scored well on the assessment. I know students groan about having to write papers, but the benefits are measurable.

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Standing up for Civility

We all witness incivility, but how often do we speak up and tell the rude person they are rude?  I’ll do it with students as part of my teacher role, where I feel obliged to protect the rights of other students.   At a reading by a famous author in  Hughes-Trigg auditorium, I told some girls in front of me that their candy wrappers and chatter were annoying people.  They turned to look disgustedly at me and then got up and walked out.  Mission accomplished.  

However, in my private life, I usually shrink from the task, wanting to avoid confrontation.   A few days ago, I ran into Central Market for some eggs and a birthday card.  Being in a hurry, I went to check out in the “Express” lane, where the limit is 15 items.   At least six people stood in line in front of me.  At one of the check-outs, a woman with a cart was holding things up.   Finally, the cashier started handing over the bagged groceries, at least four full bags. 

I wondered, was this shopper too stupid to read the sign, too self-absorbed to notice, or maybe just arrogant enough to think the rules don’t apply to her?  I wanted to walk up to her and say nicely, “The express lane is for people in a hurry, so next time, if you have more than 15 items, please don’t use it.”  But I didn’t.  Even on my second chance I didn’t, when I saw her outside the door, just two feet away.  As I walked to my car, I felt I had dodged the chance to right a wrong.   And after all, what could she have done to me?  She looked like an earth-mother type who probably had six little vegans waiting at home for their beets and broccoli. 

What is the right thing to do in these situations?  Would P.M. Forni have spoken up?  He writes about speaking up on a train in Italy to a disruptive group of high school students on a field trip.   His choice was not whether to speak, but how to speak, to show his anger or make a polite request.  Could they please tone it down so he and his wife could have a conversation, thanks.  Of course, he had more at stake than I did—my moment of irritation was over, but he was facing a long, annoying ride in a closed compartment. 

Is speaking up for civility minding other people’s business?  I inwardly applaud the folks who tell the rude that they are rude.  They enforce the rules, and a society needs rules.  The police can’t always be there to fine the person who takes a handicapped parking space but doesn’t need it, or who lets an unruly dog run off leash in the park.  I think speaking up politely is minding everybody’s business.  If we tolerate rudeness, we just perpetuate an ever more rude society.