commentaries

Anti-intellectualism is alive and well on syndicated talk radio.

Anti-intellectualism is alive and well on syndicated talk radio.

(1) There is nothing that is as anti innovation, anti thought, and overly protective of their turf as the education profession. Rarely have I ever met a professor who could actually teach. They simply regurgitate the same lectures they have always given, some I have had literally read out of the book. (2) Its all about $$$$..

These big free online classes are great for motivated and curious people who actually want knowledge for knowledge's sake. They're great for people who have the skills to make use of them. However, I don't think they really deserve college credit. It is just too easy for people to cheat or have others do their work for them. The reality is that most college students (especially first and second year students) just don't yet have the discipline to succeed in an online class that requires this level of self-motivation. They need the structure provided by a college curriculum. A college education isn't just about the classes, it is about learning time management, learning to respect and engage other people, and learning to behave like a decent and informed adult. This talk radio host, Jason Lewis, also lacks several of these life skills. I think you can guess which ones.

Radmon has a point. I have undergrad, grad, and professional degrees. I was lucky in all those years to have four teachers who could really inspire and teach. The rest were nice folks making a living covering the basics.

Its all about protecting ones turf. They are not interested in listening, experimenting, analyzing the results because they believe it infringes on their domain. Maybe it will be a failure, maybe not. They are not interested because it doesnt make them the center of attention.

Our entire education system needs reform just as health care did. Just like health care, we spend more money on education than any other industrialized nations and produce about the worst results. Education is a black hole that consumes too many tax dollars and has a primary objective of promoting and growing itself. We are a brain dead society and today's college degree is yesterdays high school diploma for many. Even liberal icon Steve Jobs was aware that in order to find capable people you must outsource to other countries.

My daughter is one of 10 remaining in the honors math program as a junior in a big Midwestern university. Very few take the difficult road to success and many will graduate and demand a job as a right and that taxpayers pay off their student loans. My daughter will be hired before she graduates, make great money and pay high taxes to compensate for all those who live off the government.

Terric article Jason. It is ironic that those who supposedly are the thought leaders are so opposed to progress. The ability to educate the masses at a fraction of the cost should be pursued. The private sector has adopted video learning, online certification and chats with instructors. This is in response to new "disruptive" technology and a soft economy that requires reduction in spending on conferences and travel. I personally find them to be effective and I would rather get a good salary increase and bonus every year rather than attend conferences. Minnesota higher education is stuck in the past.

The Wall Street Journal comes out with a piece on admin. costs using U of M as an example. Jason Lewis, a right-wing talk show host, implies that the mission of higher education should be to "teach Western values that unite us." I'm all for administrative efficiency and wise use of public funds, but I suspect the right-wing is using this issue to attack the liberal in liberal arts. I'll be proven wrong when the WSJ does a companion piece on the high admin. costs of the upper echelons of corporate America.