Let’s talk about how screwed up university education is.

Universities have well-regarded faculty doing cutting edge research. There are famous authors, scientists, designers, architects, etc. But who is willing to actually teach?

Sure, we go to lecture, the professor reads off some lecture slides, maybe plays a video clip. Then you go home, read the textbook, do online homework… But are you learning this way?

I say this is a call for education reform at all levels of education.

You know those classes where your grades are put in usually that week where you complete a homework assignment or you get your midterm scores back, and not only do you receive your grade, but you also realize your ranking in the class. Or what about that class where you got a 52/100 on your midterm, but it averaged out to a C+ because the average was a 49? The fact of it is is that we all compete.

Whether we like it or not, it’s what we have to do in order to pass our classes. Sure, we may or may not learn along the way, but that is no learning environment. Learning should be personalized, and not ranked.

There need to be stronger teacher/student relationships. Professors hold office hours, which is great, but I think more professors should hold something like a “coffee chat” where the discussion doesn’t need to be about the class material. I would be great to set up a time where teachers could tell students about their experience as an undergraduate and/or their path to where they are now.

I understand it is difficult to reach out to every student. There are nearly 500 students to one professor in most of my classes. There are TA’s too, but they teach multiple sections totaling about 50 students each. So, how will grading ever get done? The solution to quick grading is usually multiple choice questions, but these tests are just about memorizing information, filling it out on a Scantron form, and then forgetting it. Regurgitation, not application.

What needs to happen is more group work and projects. There needs to be hands on learning happening in the classroom. Students need to be engaged in conversation in order to get their brains to actually think about the material. Students need to be teaching each other in order to test for understanding. Real world applications need to be implemented so that students actually care about the subject and will most likely never forget the information presented.

It almost seems that we are set up for isolation, not collaboration. We are given tests which are not to be taken together, work that needs to be extremely different, and no time in class to communicate with classmates. There needs to be time for open and encouraged discussion among your peers about the material.

The way testing goes in universities is in no way applicable for the real world. After university, we will be interacting with others, reliant on colleagues, needing to be a creative thinker, and be able to apply skill sets in multiple ways. I am quite sure your employer will not give you an exam every so often to test knowledge. Employers want to see your skills in action.

We all come with predispositions. Perhaps someone is a slow learner, or cannot write or see well. Maybe it takes more than just a lecture to get you interested in the material. It could be that you came from a high school that did not prepare you well at all. Whatever the case, education at universities should be more forgiving, and more collaborative. We need ways in which retention rates are higher, where learning material in a collaborative effort is encouraged, and where we aren’t ranked among one another. The call for education reform seems to be continuous, but in very small increments, is happening. Let us continue the strive for better, smarter, and more effective education.