There is no doubt that the ideas goals missions and.docx

There is no doubt that the ideas goals missions and.docx

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Thereisnodoubtthattheideasgoalsmissionsand

AmusingtheMillions

HigherEducationandtheCultureofDistractions

KatherineL.Pfeiffer

FordForumPaper

ProfessorJohnston

April21,2009

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Thereisnodoubtthattheideas,goals,missionsandtechniquesofhighereducationarebothwideandvaried.However,allinstitutionsofhigherlearningcertainlyhaveoneveryrudimentarypremiseincommon,andthatisforstudentstolearn.Hereariseseveraldifficulties.Whatarestudentsgoingtolearnintheirundergraduatestudies?

Shouldtheybepersuadedtotakeasamplingofcoursesfromdifferentdisciplines,orshouldtheyfocusontheirchosenmajor?

Shouldtheybetaughttheclassicsorshouldthescopeoftheireducationbelimitedtomoremodernmaterial?

Shouldprofessorssticktostrictlyacademicteaching,orarecitizenshipandmoralityimportantpartsofundergraduateeducation?

Howshouldstudentsbetaught,inalecturehall,laboratoryorseminarcircle?

Perhapsthemostimportantquestionweneedtobeaskingis:

arestudentslearningatall?

Theanswertothatquestionisbothcomplicatedanddisconcerting.

Astheworldhasbecomemoreglobalized,technologicallyadvanced,materialisticallydriven,andunprecedentedlypopulatedansweringthatquestionrequirestherecognitionofseveralnewdimensionsandparadigmsthathaveaffectedlearninginthe21stcentury,apparentlyinanegativeway.AccordingtoLionGardiner,aprofessorofzoologyatRutgersUniversity,“Averyfewstudiesreportexceptionallyhighvalues,suchasstudentsretaining50%ofthecoursecontent,studiesmorecommonlyreportaretentionof20%orless.”Resultsfromthesamestudyalsoindicatethatmanystudentshaveadifficulttimeansweringbasicquestionswithintheirownfieldofstudyandanswerthemcorrectlyonly6%moreoftenthanstudentsinotherfields.Sowhatistheproblem?

Why,afterfouryearsofstudying,dosomanystudentsseemtohavenotlearnedmuchofanything?

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Thereismuchevidencethatindicatesthislackofprocessinghasmoretodowithourculturethananythingelse.Thecentralideabehindthistheoryisthatourculturalenvironmentprovidesaninordinateamountofmentalstimulationtotheextentthatweexpendmorecognitiveenergyweedingouttheinformationthatwedonotneedthanwedoactuallyprocessinganything.AhugepartofthisproblemisrootedinAmericanconsumerismandmaterialism.Advertisementsrepresentasignificantpercentageofthisinformationoverload:

“everyday,anestimated12billiondisplayads,3millionradiocommercials,andmorethan200,000TVcommercialsaredumpedintoNorthAmerica’scollectiveunconscious.”Essentially,thereisjusttoomuchgoingon.Although,wehaveyettoseegenerationaleffectsofconstantmarketing,wecanbesurethatourmindshavebeenaffected.Infact,thereisasetofterminologytodescribetheabusesthathavedestroyedourattentionspans,itincludesnoise,jolts（definedbyLasnasatechnicaleventthatinterruptstheflowofsoundorthoughtorimagery）,shock,hypeandunreality.Allofthesethingsaddtothedinofourculturalbackgroundandmakeitalittlebitmoredifficulttopayattentionandlearn.Therearesomanydistractionsinourenvironmentthatitisnearlyimpossibletofocus.

Theageofinformationandtechnologyiscertainlyhavingahugeimpactonhighereducation,andsomeofitisdefinitelypositiveandveryprogressiveintermsoflearning.Computersenableustolearnandrespondmorethaneverbeforewithhighspeedinternetconnectionsandglobaldatabases.Studentstodaycanresearchmoreandresearchfaster,ortheycanperuseFacebook,wheretheymeetmoreadvertisementsanddistractions.Asanationandasaglobalforcewehavecreatedandassimilatedsomanydiversionsthat

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knowledgehasbeenreplacedwithentertainment.Consumerismandglobalizationhavebothincreasedbecauseoftechnologicaladvancesmadeinthepastfewdecadessoitbecomesnowonderthatourmindsareelsewhere.KalleLasn,creatorofAdbustersmagazine,authorofCultureJamandadvocatorofmedialiteracysumsuptheinteractionthisway,

Inthelastquartercenturytheinsatiablecravingfortheconsumerculture’sbig,bigshowhasonlygrownstronger.Tomeetthedemand,mediaspectacleshavecolonizedourmentalenvironment,crowdingouthistoryandcontext.Intheirplacethereisnowonlyafloodofdisconnectedinformation:

Themarketissoaring,theplanetiswarming,thisfall’shemlinesarekneehigh,there’safamineinEastAfrica.

Thereisanotherdimensiontothisexcessofinformationthatwemustconsiderinthecontextofhighereducation,andthatistheoverwhelmingnumberofchoiceswehave.Dystopianliteraturealwaysportraysaworldwheretherearealmostnochoicestobemadeandthisresultsinhappycitizens.Thereader,especiallythewesternreader,refusestobelieveinsuchamindlesshappinessandwilldoubtlesslyrelatetotheprotagonistoftheworkwhodarestothinkoutsidethebox.Ofcourse,thisgenretakesthetruthaboutchoiceandhappinesstotheextreme.

Fromtheresearchitappearsthatthereissomequantitativerelationshipbetweenchoiceandcontentment.BarrySchwartz,socialscientistandauthorofTheParadoxofChoice,explainsthatourmodernworldprovidesuswithanexcessofchoicethatformanyindividualsbecomesdistressing.Thisrelatesbacktotheideaofeverything’sbeing

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biggerandbetterinAmerica.Consumerismpressuresustomaketherightchoicewhileatthesametimesettingthestageforustoregretourdecisionsforfearoffallingshortofourpotential.

Everythinginoursocietyhasbecomemarketableandwehavelearnedtoshopforeverything,evenoureducation.Schwartztellsus,“thesedays,atypicalcollegecataloghasmoreincommonwiththeonefromJ.Crewthanyoumightthink.Mostliberalartscollegesanduniversitiesnowembodyaviewthatcelebratesfreedomofchoiceaboveallelse,andthemodernuniversityisakindofintellectualshoppingmall.”Whileanabundanceofeducationalopportunitiesisnotnecessarilydetrimentaltohighereducation,therearesomefundamentaldrawbackstohavingsuchabroadrangeofchoices,andhowselectionsaremade.

“Shopping”forclasseshasbecomeapopularpracticeinsomeuniversitiesandthisinterpretationofcourseselectionreflectsourlargerpracticeofalwayslookingforsomethingbetter.Schwartzdescribesthisunconventionalmethodofschedulingasanexperiencequitelikeanyothershoppingtrip,“Inthefirstfewweeksofclass,studentssamplethemerchandise.Theygotoaclass,staytenminutestoseewhattheprofessorislike,thenwalkout,ofteninthemiddleoftheprofessor’ssentence,totryanotherclass.”Ourconsumerbingehaspermeatedevenoureducationsystem.Studentscanmakedecisionsabouttheireducationthesamewaytheypickoutanewoutfitatthemall.Unfortunately,apoorlychosencurriculum,oroneselectedforthewrongreasons,canhaveaworseeffectonastudent’sfuturethanafashionfauxpas.AccordingtoHagedorn

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andMaxwell,“occasionalcourseshoppingwasnotassociatedwithloweracademicperformance,butfrequentcyclicshopperswerelesslikelytohavestronggradepoint

averagesandasuccessfulrateofcoursecompletions.”Asaculture,wespendsomuchtimesortingthroughinformationandmakingchoicesthatoureverydaylives,particularlyasstudents,havebecomealmostmind-numbingtasks.

Technologicaladvanceshavealsoledtoanotherphenomenonthatweexperiencedaily,theconstanthumofourelectronics.Therefrigerator,thecomputer,rushhourtraffic,airconditioning,cellphones,music,andofcourseTVallhaveaddedtothedistractingbackgroundnoiseofwesternsocietymorethanwerealizeaswecollectivelystruggletotuneitout.Whenweexpendsomuchenergytryingtoconcentrateinthisnoisyexistence,weoperateatareducedlevelofbrainpower,“tryingtomakesenseoftheworldabovethedinofourwiredworldislikelivingnexttoafreeway–yougetusedtoit,butatamuchdiminishedlevelofmindfulnessandwellbeing.”Needlesstosay,forstudentslisteningtoalectureinaclassroomthatisbuzzingwithheatingorcoolingsystemsandvibratingcellphones,withtheconditionedattentionspanofagoldfish,itcanbeverydifficulttolearnanythingsignificant.

Essentiallywhatweareleftwithisasocietythatisnotconductivetoabsorbingmaterialofanintellectualnature.Nowthatwerecognizethereisalearningissueinhighereducationsettingsinthecontextofwesternculture,andparticularlyAmericanculture,whatcanwedotoreversethelowretentiontrends?

Andhowdowemaketechnologyworktowardhighereducationgoals?

JohnC.Scott,ascholarwhohasdoneresearchonthemissionstatementofmoderneducationalinstitutionsbelieves,“high

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technologyandrapidglobalizationarealteringwork,leisuretime,andformalschoolingstructures.Attheheartofthisnewinformationsociety,academicinstitutionsarepivotal

organizations.Yettheymustremainflexibleenoughtorespondtoemergingsocialdemands,technologicalchangeandeconomicrealignments.”

Indeed,universitieshavealwayshadtorespondtoandevolvewithchangesingreatercivilization.Inourpostmodernage,itseemsthateverythingaboutwhatandhowstudentsarelearningmustbereevaluated.Sinceeducatedcitizensaresuchavitalpartofanation’sgrowth,wemusttakecaretoseethattheyareactually“collegeeducated”bytheendoftheirtimeatcollegeoruniversity.ThefirstpartofthisreevaluationprocessconcernsthemissionstatementoftheAmericanuni