SCHOOL FOR THOUGHT

Time for Post-Secondary Reform?

While post-secondary education has normally been not part of SQE’s mandate, the result of poor K-12 education is certainly felt at the post-secondary level. Lack of preparation of students and pressure to lower standards at the university level have taken their toll.  More and more universities and colleges must provide remediation for even the most fundamental skills. 

James Cotes’ Ivory Tower Blues opened this Pandora’s Box.  This past week he writes about the dumbing down of degrees and the trend to give a degree for just about anything.  Don’t believe him?  Australian and UK universities now offer degree programs such as BA Adventure Recreation and “BSc (Hons) in Surf Science, which shows how very far British universities have come from the stodgier days. This degree is advertised at the University of Plymouth as ‘a rigorous academic study of the scientific, technical and business aspects of the international surfing industries.’...this programme ‘would surely be a lure to some sixteen-year old males who would otherwise be first in the dropout queue.’”  Hello Dr. Dude, PhD.