Andrew Robbins

It is very important that during this project, I really narrow down exactly what I am criticizing about the education system as welll as offer up some sort of alternatives. In the process of researching the topic, I realized that it was not as easy a question to answer as I thought it should be. Many students are not satisfied with their education, but when asked what is wrong with it cannot explain their situation. After reading several articles, I have finally begun structuring my argument and possible amends.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/opinion/27taylor.html?_r=3&pagewanted=2&sq=Mark%20C%20Taylor&st=cse&scp=1

In this article, “End of the University as We Know It”, many of today’s educational problems are described and the second half of the article outlines a six part solution to these problems. I do not wish to address all of the problems that are mentioned in the article, but there was a few that really brought to light the feelings that I was having a hard time describing for myself. For example, the article describes that educational process as a mass production model that is doomed to fail. Also the author says that our educational focus is far too narrow and there is not nearly enough collaboration between disciplines.

“The dirty secret of higher education is that without underpaid graduate students to help in laboratories and with teaching, universities couldn’t conduct research or even instruct their growing undergraduate populations. That’s one of the main reasons we still encourage people to enroll in doctoral programs. It is simply cheaper to provide graduate students with modest stipends and adjuncts with as little as $5,000 a course — with no benefits — than it is to hire full-time professors.”

This quote really made an impression on me. I read it as this: In today’s educational system we are being asked to do more and more of someone else job with less and less in return all while focusing in areas of research and the arts that will not be able to support a career once and if we ever leave the university. I would very much like to find a way to focus the critical part of my animation on this fact.

There can be no criticism without a possible solution offered up in return. As I said before, the article outlines a six part plan that would completely revamp how we structure the educational system in our society. I do not want to focus on all six as that a lot of it is financial. Part two or six is where my focus lies. In this step, the author describes a complete change in the university process.

“2. Abolish permanent departments, even for undergraduate education, and create problem-focused programs. These constantly evolving programs would have sunset clauses, and every seven years each one should be evaluated and either abolished, continued or significantly changed. It is possible to imagine a broad range of topics around which such zones of inquiry could be organized: Mind, Body, Law, Information, Networks, Language, Space, Time, Media, Money, Life and Water.”

After having read this article and others like it, this idea makes a lot of sense. Why do we choose to just let it be? If the tool is obviously not working anymore, it is time to change it up. This idea of problem focused programs is a very interesting one. I feel that this style of education would open up huge possibilities for collaboration as well as prepare students to do what they want in a real world setting. Once these students graduate they will have the experience to hit the ground running, having already worked on projects that matter.