I have only been teaching for four years at the undergraduate level, but it's become clear in that short period of time that there is something very wrong in the world of higher education. I don't know precisely what it is, but it's there. Walk through any university campus and you're bound to empathize with my observation. Look at the physical resources: the buildings, the technology, the staff. Now simply ask yourself, how much does it all cost to produce and maintain? Next, stop a random student and engage them in an intellectual conversation. Finally, ask yourself, do the benefits exceed the costs?
If you're anything like my older faculty colleagues this experience will have you reeling. You'll likely blame the contemporary culture of entitlement, grade inflation and the commercialization of education. To me, all of the above might very well be true, but they don't seem to offer any solace or practical suggestions for reform. So I ignore them.
Most students don't want to do well in most classes. They only care about passing most classes because they need those credits to graduate, to earn a degree, to get a job, to be successful, etc. If you want students to learn, you have to get them to want to learn. Learning requires neither a classroom nor a course credit, and I am becoming more convinced that is actually hindered by these institutional features rather than helped. I recommend lowering any and all transaction costs that stand in the way of learning. Co-curricular programs, service learning, internships, group projects, common curriculum requirements - cut them all, they don't work. They don't make students want to learn, they make students think that there is a simple process to completing their graduation requirements. So what to do?
I have faith in one simple fact in life - ideas matter. Second, I believe the premier sources of quality ideas in this world are books. Thus I recommend the following to anyone and everyone interested in being a more effective educator - USE BOOKS! If you have a budget, buy books with it. If you are frustrated that your students don't know something in particular, then that is probably a good place to start to figure out which books to buy. Next give the book(s) to the student(s). Tell them you think that they personally would like it. Read those books yourself. Discuss their contents as though the ideas inside of them actually mattered. Discuss ideas in front of and in spite of students who haven't read. Demonstrate the truism that knowledge is power because ideas allow the people who know them to better understand the real world that we live in. Lead by example. Enjoy learning, enjoy reading, enjoy engaging ideas. If we allow students to participate in this process, they may start to want to learn. They may even start to enjoy it.
If you would like funding to mentor your students through books, discussion groups, invited speakers, or any other way, apply for the Hayek Fund for Faculty. IHS has grants of up to $5000 available for faculty in their liberty-advancing intitatives.
