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b_b · 4785 days ago · link · · parent · post: Study: Many College Students Not Learning to Think Critically
I think this is an important and insightful study, but I also think that the commentators and authors are missing a lot of the point in their own data. The teaching methods in college are fine. What isn't fine is the business-like manner in which the schools are run these days. If it were up to the profs, there would probably be twice the work in most courses, and they would simply fail those who couldn't keep up. Unfortunately we have this situation where 1) colleges have had their funding slashed so they have no choice but to recruit and maintain as many students as possible, and 2) politicians encourage everyone to go to college, no matter what their background or academic interests may be. The result is that universities aren't special anymore.
I'm not surprised in the difference between liberal arts and business/communications/education students. If you choose to study liberal arts, its probably because you enjoy the subject matter, and thus have a personal incentive to succeed. The others are more vocational, and are more likely to be taken up by those who just want to get a particular job.