Are American college students getting better, or worse?
We often hear from the higher-ed establishment that they’re getting better. Grades are rising, so they must be learning more. So, let’s get even more people into college and thereby lift up the whole nation.
Not so fast. In today’s Martin Center article, economics professor Clark Ross of Davidson rains on that parade with a host of observations about how his students have changed over the decades.
He writes, “This past spring, with 31 student grades administered, I had a GPA of 2.4, essentially a flat ‘C.’ My course is a 14-week, one-semester class that covers both introductory microeconomics and macroeconomics. Of my 31 students this spring semester, I had about 12 who showed strong interest in economic theory and performed well. Others appeared baffled by the theory, in both microeconomics and macroeconomics; nine students received a grade of ‘D’ or ‘F.’ This performance was perhaps the worst by a group that I have had in 50 years of teaching introductory economics, going back to my first such offering in 1972.”
What’s the problem? Ross points to a number of factors, including declining mathematical ability and more class-cutting. Students often miss key concepts and then fail to get caught up on them. Many are reluctant to seek extra help from the professor. Today’s students are definitely learning less about economics than did Professor Ross’s students 20 and more years ago.
What to do? Ross offers some good advice for both faculty and students — but will they take any of it?