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Alex Chediak

Helping young adults thrive at college and beyond

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Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses

January 31, 2011 by Alex Chediak

I read about this book in USA Today and The Chronicle of Higher Education, and it sounds outstanding — and sobering. It is largely a presentation of extensive research done on “how much 2,300 statistically representative undergraduates—who enrolled as freshmen in a diverse group of 24 colleges and universities in 2005—had learned by the time they (in theory) were ready to graduate, in 2009.” As a measuring tool, they used the Collegiate Learning Assessment, a standardized test that gauges students’ critical thinking, analytic reasoning and writing skills. Their findings?
* After two years in college, 45% of students showed no significant gains in learning; after four years, 36% showed little change.
* Students spent 50% less time studying compared with students a few decades ago.
* 35% of students report spending five or fewer hours per week studying alone.
* 50% said they never took a class in a typical semester where they wrote more than 20 pages; 32% never took a course in a typical semester where they read more than 40 pages per week.
It’s not all bad news. As Kevin Carey reports:

After controlling for demographics, parental education, SAT scores, and myriad other factors, students who were assigned more books to read and more papers to write learned more. Students who spent more hours studying alone learned more. Students taught by approachable faculty who enforced high expectations learned more. “What students do in higher education matters,” the authors note. “But what faculty members do matters too.”

Another piece of good news is that who learned the most came from a variety of academic backgrounds. Read the whole thing.
Note: As my book makes clear, I’m not advocating for endless solitary, nose-grinding work without play. David Brooks’ op-ed piece has a point. I just wonder if we insufficiently value the fundamental development of critical thinking and higher order cognitive skills. It can be both-and, not an either-or.

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Filed Under: Thriving at College

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Beating the College Debt Trap book cover224 pages. Please allow 7-10 days for delivery.
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Amazon Book Bomb for Thriving at College"There is no better guide to college."
--Alex and Brett Harris

"Insightful and useful."
--Randy Alcorn

"Written by an ‘insider’—an excellent gift for high school seniors."--Jerry Bridges

 

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Also by Alex

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With One Voice

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Praise for With One Voice

This relatively short book packs a powerful bang for the buck, providing much biblical and practical advice for young men and women seeking to glorify God in relationships.

Alex and Brett Harris
Best-selling authors of Do Hard Things

Alex and Marni Chediak offer sound biblical advice and a clear Christian framework for working through the maze of confusions surrounding modern marriage.

R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Publishers have been cranking out books with all sorts of directions to help Christians navigate the treacherous waters between the buoys of singleness and marriage, and I know of none that is more clear, concise and helpful than With One Voice.

J. Ligon Duncan, III Ph.D.
Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church

With One Voice is clearly written and God-centered. Our eighteen year-old daughter just read it and restrained herself from underlining nearly the whole thing!

Dr. Bruce A. Ware
Professor of Christian Theology
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

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