Degree completion is more difficult now.

Reinventing College Education

College, university or postsecondary education has always been a problem.  Specially, in those very high standard higher education institutions.

Most of those postsecondary education universities were more institution and professor oriented.  The student had and has little value for them.  And students allowed that!  Probably, making them masochists!

Let me explain my point.

Part I:   The "F" Professor:

There is something called a learning curve.  Because of its shape it is called a bell.  It is mostly applied to grammar, junior and senior high schools.  What this curve indicates is that in any given classroom there should be a certain amount of A's, B's, C's, D's, and F's.  There should be a few A's.  Some more B's, many C's, fewer D's, and few F's.

Well in those first schooling years, many children go to school because they have to, they don't have a choice.  There are students at this level that don't like to study, don't like to learn school stuff, some dropped out of school and went to work in construction, agriculture, and factories.   They didn't need a school diploma to work in those places.

But as sophistication and laws progressed, these dropped outs now have to stay in school even hating it.  If their families recieve welfare, they will lose those benefits if the child doesn't attend school.   They are force to stay in school against their will.

They hate studying, school, and they have low grades or are "failures".

Based on the above you can say that the learning curve is correct.

But when that learning curve is applied to college students, there is a great difference.  The immense majority of college students are there on their will.   Even if they don't like studying they do their best to succeed, because they know that their future depends on it.

And if we apply this to high standard "educational" institutions, when they have the cream of the best students there, then you have to rethink about the learning curve.

Here the learning curve should be:  a lot of A's, and B's, less C's, few D's, if any, and very few F's, if any.

Of course, there are times that due to a diversity of situations an honor student can receive an F.  An accident, illness, family problems, etc.

If most of your students are interested, motivated, good grade students, they want to succeed, then they will be applying themselves to whatever they are pursueing in college.

Then, why do we have professors in a higher educational institution where their majority of students are getting C's, D's, and F's.

THE MAJORITY OF THEIR STUDENTS!

And the students and the institutions does nothing about it.   The institution says that the professor has liberty of speech, of teaching.   They have a doctoral degree in their specialization, and that's what is important.

For decades, students have kept silence on this.   Probably, because they are there on government financial aid, and scholarships, and think that they don't have a say  on their emotional wellbeing.  Emotional, because low grades affect most college students.

They think that since they are "financial aid" students they are there for FREE!

Did you know that educational institutions live, earn, have income, get profits from their students?

Without students a college can't pay its president $100,000.00 per year or more, plus benefits.  Deans, Department directors, office personal, security officers, maintenance personnel, and, of course, the professors can't be paid without students.

Students are college customers.  They bring the money in for their luxuries.  Probably, the student doesn't pay directly, Pell Grant, scholarships, and, worst, student loans pay the College for having you as a student there.

There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of students that have lost their Honor student status, and even other students have gone to probation because of these kind of "most F's" professors.

What can you say of a student or hundreds of students that get A's and B's in other courses, and there is this professor where all those students recieve C's, D's and even F's in her/his course?  Year after year?

That professor can be the best expert in her/his field in the world, but as an educator is a complete failure and shouldn't be allowed to teach anywhere.

Those C's, D's, and F's are her/his.

This kind of thing require students to keep repeating courses to improve their grades, and even withdrawing from those courses to repeat them if they are needed for graduation in their field of studies.  Worst, if that is the only professor that offers that course.   Some brilliant students getting a D or F from these kind of professors have repeated the course to receive a C after intensive studying.  Some schools don't even permit a D to be repeated, and this will destroy that student's GPA and Field grade forever.

Congress passed the new Pell Grant limitations of only 12 semesters allowed to complete a bachelors degree, and lowering family income to $23,000.   This will dramatically change all US students alternatives.  They will have to do their best to get the BA, or BS as quickly as possible.

These limitations has destroyed many poor families' ambition for a higher degree.

And what will happen when a student finds her/himself with an "F" professor?

Part II:  The "No Course Available" Syndrome:

This is another issue that have faced college students for decades, too.

You registered in a college program.  Probably, some other 30-100 students in your same field of studies, too.  You will live the nightmare of in some semesters not finding the courses that you need to complete your degree.  Sometimes you will find two or more courses that you need at the same time and day.  You have to decide which one you take, even if you need them all.

You might lose a semester or a complete year because of that.  Specially, if those are courses given one per year.  You will take more time to complete your degree than you expected.

Several years back when that happened you took other "refill" courses.  Some people even took advantage of that and finished two or more degrees.   Now that is not allowed.  You can only take the courses that are required for your specified degree.

You have another problem, you need a minimum requirement of credits per semester to qualify for your Pell grant.  If you don't have the courses you need for your degree, and you can't take other courses, what can you do to keep your Financial aid?

And if you have only 12 semesters to finish your degree using your Pell grant, what can you do to complete your degree if this issue of "no courses available" repeats a few times?

Part III:  Students Must Become Assertive:

I consider that these two issues, and there others, too, can have a solution with students becoming assertive. And as a group, claim their rights.  They must claim that they are the college's customers, and that they request customer satisfaction.  Contact your consumer affairs office.

There have been "diseducation" lawsuits against colleges.

I consider that a solution must be what technical institutions do.   When a group of students register with them they are given the complete degree completion schedule.  What courses and at what days and hours they will be taking them.   No missed courses.

And for the "F" professors:  get rid of them if they aren't willing to change their attitude.  Stop being these sadistic professors' masochistic victims!

Most non-traditional colleges are more student oriented than traditional colleges.  Changing that mindset isn't going to be easy, but for students to survive they must do it!

This is my humble opinion.

Antonios