Improving Higher Education
My University: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RuG)
CNN has an interesting article up – at least for me, being a student myself at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen – about the fear of the “Americanization of higher education” in Europe:
German universities are trying to charge tuition. Paris schools are considering selection instead of open admission. Dutch colleges are pushing students to finish faster. Greece wants to lift a ban on private universities.Change is rattling Europe’s temples of learning.
Resistance remains fierce, driven by fears of the “Americanization” — or commercialization — of higher education.
But economic realities are overpowering those who maintain that universities should impart universal knowledge, not pave the way to a job. Too many European graduates are getting welfare checks instead of paychecks.Europe’s universities don’t provide the skills and research needed to help the continent prosper and compete with rapidly growing economies in Asia and elsewhere, according to international rankings, school presidents, students and European Union officials.
The article goes on to describe that the quality of European Universities is declining. With that I agree. At least, when talking with people who studied say 20 or 30 years ago, it seems to be true that the quality has – in certain respects at least – not improved.
Some of you may remember my posts about the Nobel Prizes this year. As I wrote, the fact that America won everything and – logically – Europe won nothing, worried me.
The American sweep of this year’s science and economics Nobel prizes is likely to sharpen the debate.
It seems that other Western European countries should look at Britain and, quite simply, copy-cat. Britain has adopted more American policies regarding Universities and it is paying off.
Obviously, I am with those who say that we have to reform our system (in the Netherlands). We are a small country, we can only compete with other countries in the long run in one area: knowledge. We have to be more knowledgable, better educated and more innovative than foreigners.
6 Responses to “Improving Higher Education”
Take care.
I am quite familiar with the Netherlands, though I’m American.
You guys are doing quite a bit correctly. You have tended to do that based on your own philosophy. Why question that philosophy?
My Dutch wife often startles me by asking a simple question … one I hadn’t even begun to think of. Sometimes I think this ability to see problems, and their associated answers, clearly is an inborn Dutch trait. Please don’t start imitating other countries and let that trait die out.
I still laugh. When a high-pressure salesman has me on the ropes, I sic Ineke on him. It never fails. She asks a few innocent questions (“Why would I buy that when …”) and leaves the salesman stuttering.
I always give her a big “high-five” when we leave a salesman who was trying to sell me a bill-of-goods.
Dutchmen are a force of nature … keep up the good work.
Eclectic, thanks and you have a good point. However, we can learn from other countries, without abandoning our own strengths. In fact, I would say, we have to develop our own strengths more. To do that, it might be useful to look at what other countries do and see what might benefit us.
Wouldn’t you agree?
Michael, in Spain the controversy about Americanization of Higher Education is fierce. Except they don’t call it that, they call it “Europeanization”. The latest is pushing for all degrees to last a maximum of 4 years. This can only be done, in some cases, by cutting down the actual knowledge that is taught. Biology is 5 years, Medicine is 6. If you shorten them you either force triple the effort or cut down on knowledge.
Spain could stand to be more competitive, but the cause of that lack is not in the way our students are taught. Quite frankly, students tend to come out quite prepared. The univesity system is such that instead of studying a “major” and taking courses generally associated with that major, each student out of high-school chooses a “carrera” or career, and spends the next 4-5 years studying that and pretty much only that. It could be argued that that makes us less well rounded, but it gives us a lot of preparation for our future jobs. No, Spains problem is not how we teach, it’s the fact that AFTER college there isn’t a lot of investment in investigation. That is slowly changing on the public front, and more government centers are opening all the time, but there is virtually no private R&D industry. I’m willing to bet that this hurts us a lot more than not forcing people through school in 4 years or, God Forbid!!! not indebting them for 10 years with tuition payments. The main and best universities are public and cost very little. I think making higher education reachable to those in the working classes is a GOOD thing.
You should look at . The are regular posts on the problems in European Universities. One article was onhow the French University is a rigged game for the elite. Another was on how bad the Universities in Italy are.
The trick is to find a way to make higher education affordable for the masses and yet still excellent.
The American system is losing in the affordability category, and is hurt by the terrible conditions of public schooling.
OPPS that did not work.
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