Believe it or not, there are many professors who are hardworking, who grade exam essays for over one hundred students several times a semester, who spend hours preparing for class, and who do succeed in teaching them what we need to.
However, the state of K-12 education is a major problem. The skills of most public university students are sadly lacking in math, writing, and reading.
We need to overhaul our education system at all levels, but it will be almost impossible with unions in control.
Your statements are concise and accurate! I would add that it isn’t unions alone that are a potential barrier to improvements but also, at the college level, publishing cultures that are left-biased in orientation and that require citation and recognition of prior works plus deference to the powerful leftist professors if a new professor is to get and keep a job. The same problem explains the leftist domination of the journalism profession.
Its true that “kids” are learning (or not) in college what they should have learned years earlier. This is not only a waste of time for the college level teaching staff, but it makes college less worthwhile for those students who really are prepared and interested and ready to do some serious learning.
Here in Florida, our governor is proposing the $10,000 degree (a 4 yr BA or BS). This would be done almost entirely on-line, although there would be some attendance required in certain classes and the possibility of activities on the existing state campus network. The degree could also be obtained in under 4 years, of course. It’s not as radical as Walker’s suggestion, but it’s a step in the right direction and is being opposed by the usual suspects.
Having gotten one external degree, I can testify to the fact that it’s very demanding. In addition, I had more and better interaction with the professors than I did when I attended actual college classes.
Great links on your home page—thanks!