Is it worse than we thought?

Did anyone catch tonight's NBC Nightly News? The opening story was a discussion on the decreased value of a college degree, especially given the rising costs of tuition. Statistics show that 80% of graduates leave college at least $25,000 in debt, and parents and their children agree that their college experience wasn't worth the debt. This lead me to question, is poor teaching going to prevent students from seeking higher education?

From some of the discussions in class, I am assuming that most of you didn't have a college experience similar to mine. I went to a private, liberal arts college with a total student enrollment of about 1,000 students. This equated to class sizes no more than 20 (often around 7 in upper level classes), and professors that were contracted to spend about 70% of their time devoted to teaching. It was in that setting I fell in love with learning and really found a subject to be passionate about. Professor office hours were long, learning through unconventional methods (lecture, field work, discussion, heavy writing and speaking), and I graduated having no doubt that I walked away from the college a more well-rounded, educated individual. I am also confident that that person who graduated last in the class shares that opinion.

I also left with more than my fair share of debt, but I would go back and do it in a heartbeat. Like most college graduates, I left with lifelong friends and some pretty crazy stories. But is that all most students are paying for? Is it now rare to leave more educated? Analyst predict that soon the costs of education will prevent students from seeking higher education. What will that mean for the development of the nation?

It is sad, and perhaps biased of me, to think that this discussion ultimately results in an argument about whether big, state schools are better, and more worth the money, than smaller, private schools (especially since many private schools are now offering four-year degree guarantees). Among the professors in my department, there has been a significant angst about the caliber of students that are graduating from the college. As professionals, they realize that their students cannot survive in the workplace, yet many seem indifferent about trying to amend their classes in order to prepare their students. Is the status quo at large universities, places that are supposed to be centers that offer the best education, going to hinder future generations?

I could argue about this for a long, long time……