Update: someone IRL gave me an interesting answer. In high school, we had to take a bunch of standardized tests: AP tests, SAT and ACT, national standardized tests, etc. My school was a public school, so its funding and status was highly dependent on these exam results. This meant that my teachers had a true vested interest in the students actually understanding the content.
Colleges, on the other hand, have no such obligation. Since the same institution is the one administering classes and deciding who gets a degree, there’s super low incentive for them to teach anything, especially since students will typically be willing to teach themselves the skills they need for a job anyway (e.g. all the CS kids grinding leetcode for a FAANG internship). There’s actually so little accountability it’s laughable. And with that little oversight, why would anyone bother being a good teacher?
I always thought it would be great to have one set of professors do the teaching, and then a different set come in from other schools just for a couple weeks at the end of the year to give the students a set of intensive written and oral exams that determines a big chunk of their academic standing.
Update: someone IRL gave me an interesting answer. In high school, we had to take a bunch of standardized tests: AP tests, SAT and ACT, national standardized tests, etc. My school was a public school, so its funding and status was highly dependent on these exam results. This meant that my teachers had a true vested interest in the students actually understanding the content.
Colleges, on the other hand, have no such obligation. Since the same institution is the one administering classes and deciding who gets a degree, there’s super low incentive for them to teach anything, especially since students will typically be willing to teach themselves the skills they need for a job anyway (e.g. all the CS kids grinding leetcode for a FAANG internship). There’s actually so little accountability it’s laughable. And with that little oversight, why would anyone bother being a good teacher?
God, I hate bad incentive structures.
I always thought it would be great to have one set of professors do the teaching, and then a different set come in from other schools just for a couple weeks at the end of the year to give the students a set of intensive written and oral exams that determines a big chunk of their academic standing.
Great point. There is eg the GRE, but doesnt test anything from college