We are constantly discussing the need to modernize the education system, because classic education is outdated and can’t compete with new online private schools. Of course, it is true, but what if we tell you that outdated education already influences performance in regular classes? Many professors seem to notice the dangerous trend in their student’s behavior and share their worries on Reddit. Let’s listen to their opinions and address the issue: is it already a disaster, or do we still have some time?
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Key Takeaways
- Professors observe a growing divide between top students and those struggling, with fewer average students, indicating a decline in middle-tier academic performance.
- Financial pressures and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health are major factors affecting students’ academic engagement and performance.
- The outdated education system needs to evolve, incorporating modern technology and practical skills to better meet current student needs and compete with online learning platforms.
What Are the Reasons Behind Professors’ Concerns?
So, several professors from the different universities and colleges in the United States and Canada joined the ongoing discussion to share their opinions. But what are the reasons that alarmed them so much?
“U15 in Canada (similar to R1 in the USA). While grades were already becoming bimodal ten years ago, they are now even more so. The good students are as good as ever, but there are no longer a large proportion of students in the middle of the bell curve, where most students used to be. They are either wonderful/strong/naturally talented or struggling/don’t care/don’t know what to do/don’t have baseline knowledge. I offer additional assistance to struggling students (extra learning sessions, extras reviews, extra help) but only those who are keen but lacking in baseline knowledge take me up on those opportunities. Don’t know how to reach the others.”
As you can see from the honest opinion of the professor above, there is a growing gap between excellent students and all the others. Previously, this gap was filled with so-called “average students,” but there seem to be fewer and fewer such students every year. But let’s not rush to panic already! It can be just a single opinion of an eccentric professor from Canada, right?
Wrong: more voices rise in the tread to support the first one!
“Same for me in the sciences. I’m still new to being a professor, and I thought at first it was that I didn’t do a good job, then I got glowing feedback in the reviews saying how great my class was!”
“Agree with the “put upon” observation. I work at a fancy private university and tell my students to “just learn as much as you can “ but notice now that they only want a grade and to get out of school with the least effort. It has gotten worse over the last few years, student now treat attending class as optional.”
We will not bother you with more similar opinions, but be sure that such opinions exist and are presented in the discussion. The problem is real and getting worse with each year. Let’s try to figure out why it is happening.
And while we are on it, consider exploring what real school principals think about technologies in education, especially AI (we’ve covered the subject in one of our most recent articles). You may also be interested in reading about teachers’ views on AI cheating in college because this issue is closely linked with the one we are discussing today.
Why Is It Happening, According to Redditors?
Of course, there can be no solid debate without answering “why?”. Professors and anonymous Redditors tried to analyze the issue and find common ground in determining the most fundamental reasons.
“They can’t do the extra stuff if they are taking shifts making minimum wage to try and pay for groceries and rent.”
Apparently, one of the most popular answers was the global economic problem. Students don’t want to study because they are already struggling in the bad economy, need to pay for education and think early about getting part-time jobs. Hence, decent students can count on getting a fully-funded scholarship and continue excelling in studying, while average students face reality and concentrate on actual problems outside the college.
This sounds like a valid point (at least partly valid), but we can’t continue to link EVERY issue with today’s bad economy. Furthermore, we can easily counterpoint this thesis: recent statistics shows that nowadays less students tend to find part-time jobs.
Others prefer to blame the Internet accessibility and even COVID-19 and related educational limitations (you can find their opinions in quotes below).
“Basically no reading is required in high school which probably doesn’t help. Nearly every book assigned is on sparknotes, and the quizzes given are mostly just recall (which sparknotes is more helpful for than actually reading the book anyway) with little understanding required. Obviously stuff like the Divine Comedy is historically important, but how much are kids really learning when the book is never even opened because all the answers are online?”
“I teach at one of the top medical research institutes. The quality of students has been deteriorating over the last ten years. But what I notice from students who lived through Covid is that many of them report having mental health concerns and this has become very normalized. I feel very bad for them because I do believe that Covid seclusion must have been incredibly difficult and I don’t believe that society, and universities, acknowledge that young people were really hurt by locking them down.”
Well, all these answers are partly true, but we think that there is a need to finally address the primary most critical issue, the so-called “elephant in the room”.
Conclusion
In our opinion, the points of view presented above are just partly correct. The real problem is the growing need for tectonic changes in the education system and approved curriculums. We must acknowledge that modern technologies have already changed the world and make classic education more flexible and fast-changing. We need to analyze the experience of popular online learning platforms, which offer actual knowledge and skills instead of “classical” ones, and useful practice instead of academic theory.
Below, you will find one more opinion, partially confirming our point of view.
“Like you, I attended an “elite” institution and (perhaps unlike you) I teach at a large R1 public university. The last cohort of students I taught started their undergraduate years in the pandemic. I found them more difficult to teach than any I have ever had. They certainly aren’t interested in the sort of education I received, which is essentially what I try to impart: a lot of reading, a lot of thinking (prompted by classroom discussion) and a modicum of writing. They all felt quite put upon by my course.”
If you want to find more interesting discussions on Reddit, consider exploring the thread about the worst reasons to start learning a foreign language, or find more exciting subjects in our blog!
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