Critical thinking is not a learned behavior

First, on the spring semester class front - the good news: My professor is very quick in grading assignments.

Now, the bad, with a hint of good: I still don't have a book for this class. Thanks soooo much Barnes & Noble. I'd have bought it elsewhere by now, instead of waiting for the campus bookstore to get an extra shipment in, but my job provides a "book scholarship", which is a B&N gift card good only at our campus bookstores. The good part is that the prof is understanding and has given an extension for the assignment that was due today.

On a slightly related note (meaning, related only in that this and the previous topic of the post involve something having to do with higher education), I just read an article that included this statement: "A study of more than 2,300 undergraduates found 45 percent of students show no significant improvement in the key measures of critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing by the end of their sophomore years."

Let me just say...duh. Seriously - have you spoken to a typical 19-20 year old college student lately? I encounter them every day at work, in the hallways...and in the classroom, when I'm taking classes. This is going to sound...harsh, but, a large subset don't seem very bright. Many of them don't appear to have mastered the basic academic acuity required to handle the course requirements for the lower level classes. Last semester, I encountered students in a Literature class who either didn't read the assigned texts, or, when they did, were completely unable to interpret, summarize or explain in context what they were actually reading.

As an "adult learner" I find this not only frustrating, but insulting as well. Full disclosure: I'm quite a number of years removed from high school, and I was a solid C student at that time. However, in the intervening years I've forced myself to learn and develop certain skills that come in handy not only in the grown-up work environment, but are useful in the classroom as well. The same skills that I would honestly expect an 18 year old, right out of high school, to possess. But this would appear to not be the case at all.

Has higher education just become an extension of high school for far too many college students? Do these unprepared students belong in the college classroom? Or is our higher education system functioning as a sort of sanctioned diploma mill, churning out large numbers of sub-par, mediocre graduates who do not possess certain skills traditionally considered vital to guarantee success in the wider business world, with the ultimate end result of further devaluing post-secondary education below the Masters level and creating a pool of graduates who will be outpaced by their international contemporaries?

In my opinion (such as it is), more graduates isn't necessarily the answer. What we need, to remain competitive globally, is a better class of college student to begin with. One that is prepared, and dedicated, and engaged in the process of learning, and appreciative of the opportunity being presented. That is not to say that students who have not performed well in high school should be denied the opportunity to attend college (and, of course, college isn't for everyone - nor is it always either possible or necessary, depending on an individual's personal circumstances). Instead, high school curriculum probably needs to be reevaluated and more resources need to be made available to a wider range of students earlier on in their education, to encourage and promote a higher level of academic excellence.

Some people will, I'm sure, shout charges of "Socialist" at such a suggestion, but education is the foundation of a skilled workforce. Period. End of story. When we do not value and support a comprehensive, high quality,  accessible education system, we as a society shouldn't act surprised when the primary skill-set of our up-and-coming workforce consists of being able to punch a button with a picture of a burger on it and remembering to ask if you want fries with that. Again, I come from a certain perspective, so there are bound to be dissenting opinions on this. So please read the full article, develop your own thoughts on this issue, and feel free to leave me a note in the comments section.