At times I get the feeling that my colleagues in math and the sciences don’t value the type of learning and knowledge that is taught in history, literature, and political science. I’m really pleased to see this group of engineering faculty standing up for the idea that their students will be less valuable as employees (and perhaps as members of society) with a general education that doesn’t require coursework in the humanities.
Of course at the heart of this change is the idea of ‘accreditation’ and having demonstrable learning competencies. This is just one of hundreds of examples of how the demand that colleges “prove” students know something is actually weakening students’ educations.
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