A junior in college, I've had my share of classes-- professors that push me and ones that test my patience. A "balanced" education consists of core classes: math, science, communication skills, the lot. And hopefully among all the chaos and tight schedules and piles of disorganization that plague your desk, you learn a little bit about life.
On average, in state college students will spend anywhere between $10,000 and $30,000 on tuition per year. This doesn't include books, transportation, room and board, or the expenses of living life. Through this money and state funding, our teachers and professors, deans, and so on are paid-- sometimes not as justly as they should be. Regardless of salary, title, and credentials, I can say with confidence that we have all had our share of teachers and classes that we can't justify the fact that we pay for this.
I suppose the biggest epidemic in college education involves the implementation of technology in the classroom. Colleges are combating the millennials and the technological era by offering online textbooks, discussion boards, quizzes, workbooks, etc. I'm not saying that these aren't beneficial; however the extent of use and combination of the lot can be. Unfortunately, a lot of courses and teachers are beginning to heavily if not completely rely on these online forums. This creates a disconnection between the materials and the teachers. Since they did not create or have much input into the pre-set materials, it is that much harder to get significant and impactful help. Personally, my biggest issue is for math classes which use homework online and do not co-inside with notes and don’t help you understand. It’s either you get it or you don’t. And if you don't get the material, then your grade is negatively impacted, which usually results in cheating. The collegiate system and education in general has changed in such a way that it almost encourages cheating. Because students are stressed about getting good grades and not failing, when it comes to complicated material that isn’t properly taught, they’ll do anything they can just to pass the class and leave without much new knowledge on the subject.
These online modules and learning software are expensive (averaging around $150-$200) and are not able to be returned for partial credit. Unlike most college textbooks that can be returned or resold at the end of the semester, these online access codes have an expiration date, giving no future benefit.
A solution: to re-evaluate the implementation of these tools and ask the teachers to start doing what they initially intended to do upon getting their certification. We students do not want to be talked at. We want to interact, communicate, learn and grow. And it is your public responsibility to help us.
