Rick wrote:
I guess that I am an old geezer. I teach real college courses for real 
college students. If they can think, assimilate information, engage in 
critical thinking, fine. I refuse to bring down traditional higher ed. to 
accommodate unqualified, or lazy students.

Call me crazy but think back to when you were an undergraduate if you are 50 
or older. Reading the original sources, not summary watered down texts, 
comprehensive midterms and finals (never had a MC test as an undergraduate), 
20-30 page term paper required in each course. Remember? That was an 
education.

No doubt you are an old geezer and I suspect I am even older and geezier. 
But,but, but, I disagree with you. I went to a fairly decent undergraduate 
college (University of Delaware). I had multiple choice exams in intro 
classes. We read Scientific American Reprints (remember those, geezers?) not 
original articles. My papers were 5-10 pages long and I read and studied a 
long procession of exceedingly boring texts that were also watered down. I 
still have copies of my intro text in 1961 - Bugelski was the author and you 
would never have known that humans had anything to do with psychology. I 
have exams from those glorious days of yesteryear as well - I got a MC 
question about negative reinforcement wrong and mixed up CS and CR! In one 
of my senior classes we dealt largely with the primary literature, but that 
was a senior seminar in learning theory. I started my graduate teaching in 
1967 with Buss and then Coleman for Abnormal. Thank heavens for me these 
were pretty watered down because I didn't know diddly squat about abnormal.
I suspect we remember those likeminded students who, like us, spontaneously 
read original research articles and debated them, but we forget the others 
who didn't becuase they didn't have to. I know of only three graduates in 
psychology at the U of D in my year who went became faculty.

I have been on the full time faculty at a Medical School, two free standing 
professional schools, two prestigious four year colleges, s University, as 
well as several part time positions over the last 34 years of teaching. In 
my geezerdom I have come to believe that we are admitting students who 
wouldn't have gone to college 30 years ago, that they are less well 
prepared, but basically no more nor less motivated or willing to work than 
before. The good old days weren't good, they are just old.



Harry Avis PhD
Sierra College
Rocklin, CA 95677
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

Life is opinion - Marcus Aurelius
There is nothing that is good or bad, but that thinking makes it so     - 
Shakespeare


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