Why Can't They Learn?

Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa. Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses. (2011)

Almost everyone wants to get into college, but how much do undergraduates really learn once they're there? According to Academically Adrift, the answer for many students is not much. The extensive research of the authors draws on survey responses, transcript data, and the College Learning Assessment, a standardized test administered to students in their first semester and again at the end of their second year. Their analysis reveals that a significant proportion of students demonstrate no significant improvement in a range of skills including critical thinking, complex reasoning, and writing. Arum and Roksa argue that for many faculty and administrators they will come as no surprise- instead they are the expected result of a student body distracted by socializing or employment and an institutional culture that puts undergraduate learning close to the bottom of the priority list.

This is not a disturbing work to anyone who has spent time in a college classroom. There exist many deep problems but they are not insoluble. Colleges and universities suffer, not from a lack of vision, but from what is known as 'mission creep". 'Mission Creep" is trying to do so many things that none of them are done well. For the institutions of higher learning, there needs to be a return to First Principles: what are we here for? Are we involved in higher learning or vocational education? Are we something to fill the schedule for 18-21 year olds? Students also need to have a concrete idea of why they are going to college, something more than delaying major life choices after high school. Parents must also have an idea of what getting a college education entails. They must be more actively involved.