Interesting read, but it felt more like an introduction than an article. |But the most promising solution would be to replace the anachronistic credit hour with common standards for what college students actually need to know and to be able to do. There are many routes to doing this. Like what? Measuring knowledge is not a trivial task. (See also: standardized tests in public schools.)
We human beings have such a strong desire to categorize even the most subjective of experiences. How do you measure intelligence? How do you measure learning? You can get a rough approximation, but tons of people slip through the cracks that are left. We've all heard stories about smart grandparents who never spent a day in college and worked mechanic jobs their entire working life. The article tries to increase attention to a problem, but it doesn't offer a solution. That just makes it a weak article, but maybe someone will see this and focus on finding a solution.