The Purpose of Gen Ed Courses

For some students, general education courses are a puzzle. If you’re majoring in Business, why do you have to study Biology?

Colleges have several reasons for requiring general education courses. First, many students have uncovered a hidden passion for a field of
study as a result of taking a required course. After enjoying a class, you may find yourself minoring or even majoring in a topic you would have
never considered.

Second, required courses ensure that every college graduate has the same basic set of tools. Colleges want you to graduate
with strong analytical and writing skills, plus a basic understanding of modern society. General education courses ensure that Chemistry majors
can communicate via writing and English majors understand the scientific method.

https://www.bestvalueschools.com/faq/what-are-general-education-courses/

When I was younger, I too often questioned why we were forced to learn about stuff like history (I actually fulfilled my history credit at UH summer school), social studies, etc. As I got older and hopefully wiser, I wish I had more of that. Admittesly, it’s a personal interest, but I still believe one needs to know where they came from to guide where they are going.

When I was younger, I too often questioned why we were forced to learn about stuff like history (I actually fulfilled my history credit at UH summer school), social studies, etc. As I got older and hopefully wiser, I wish I had more of that. Admittesly, it’s a personal interest, but I still believe one needs to know where they came from to guide where they are going.

Can be taught at the high school level which is free.  Taught at the college level cost thousands of dollars and time. 

I have a great interest in military history, but the books only taught me 1 chapter for WW1, 1 chapter for WW2 etc...So I do my owned learning online now.

I wasn’t saying needs to be at college level. And the history class at UH was a joke. About half each class was a useless video.

I am for streamlining higher education and I generally agree that most professions involved tons of OJT. That said, I think that reducing it to “major specific” courses only will leave the world a bunch of Sheldon Coopers.

"You're in my spot"

“Was that sarcasm?”

Can be taught at the high school level which is free.  Taught at the college level cost thousands of dollars and time. 

I have a great interest in military history, but the books only taught me 1 chapter for WW1, 1 chapter for WW2 etc...So I do my owned learning online now.

Knock 32 hours of gen ed off the total, and you'd spend ~100 hours divided by 8 semesters = 12.5 hours per semester.

Most colleges count 12+ hours in a semester as full-time.  If you take 12 hours or 15 or 18, it costs the same.

So, cost-wise, you can go for 4 years without gen ed classes and you pay the same amount -- just 1-2 fewer classes each semester.

If you continue at 15-18 hours per semester, then you potentially could save money by graduating about 2 semesters earlier.  You'd get your degree in 3 years, not 4.

BUT, if everybody drops to 3 year programs, you know the schools are going to raise tuition rates to make up the difference.  Whether you're paying tuition that 4th year or not, they still have to pay professors, building maintenance, admin staff, etc, etc, etc.

In the long term, the school will dictate what your degree costs.  You might save a year of your life, but the school will force you to pay the same -- they just won't have to expend that money on your 4th year of instruction.  Win-win for the school.

I always use this from my life as an example.

In high school I took basic and advanced algebra. Got out of high school and started college and dropped out. Never in my life did I think I would ever use most of my knowledge. I went to work in the construction industry. Guess what? I needed algebra to do my job!

And I took history and social studies in HS. Now I have a love of history and politics.

None of this includes the classes I would later take when I went back to college. The classes I enjoyed the most in college were communications.

Bottom line for me is that not all of the classes I took that were related to my major were helpful to me in my life. But some are. You never know which classes will be helpful to you in your life. This is what being well rounded is all about. JMHO

I always use this from my life as an example.

In high school I took basic and advanced algebra. Got out of high school and started college and dropped out. Never in my life did I think I would ever use most of my knowledge. I went to work in the construction industry. Guess what? I needed algebra to do my job!

And I took history and social studies in HS. Now I have a love of history and politics.

None of this includes the classes I would later take when I went back to college. The classes I enjoyed the most in college were communications.

Bottom line for me is that not all of the classes I took that were related to my major were helpful to me in my life. But some are. You never know which classes will be helpful to you in your life. This is what being well rounded is all about. JMHO

I read an article once that the educational system (grade school, not college) was to keep people conformed to the factory work style.  I think it was an article about the fed reserve vs. gold/silver.

In factory work in the industrial ages, you're told when to come to work, when to take a break, when to eat lunch, and when to go home.  So the school system was set up in the same way.  This ensured once people left school and went to work in the factories, they were used to the system.  A teacher who is like a floor foreman, and a principal who is like the factory foreman telling people what to do.

But now that factory work is not a majority, the indoctrination system doesn't apply.

It took 4 adults with college degrees to figure out the volume of a post hole needing concrete to secure a deck post in. 

Funny you mentioned this. I used to teach an adult re-education class. Helping injured on the job construction workers how to be an inspector. Taught them how to do their job, taught them code interpretation and the hardest part was teaching them how to read blueprints. Also helped them study for the certification tests. Did this for a couple of years. I enjoyed teaching more than anything I have ever done in my life. Anyway, I always started the first class by trying to make a point. The point is to listen and understand what people tell you and/or ask of you. And to not respond without knowing what the correct answer is. I would hand everyone a slip of paper and instruct everyone to ONLY write their answer on the paper with their name. There are 3 possibilities. The right answer, wrong answer and do not answer if you don’t know for sure. DO NOT SPEAK. After I asked the question, I picked up the slips of paper and wrote on the white board how many people got it right, how many got it wrong, and how many didn’t answer.

Here is the question: “How many cubic feet of dirt is in a hole 2’Wide x 3’Deep x4’Long?”

Generally, 90% of the class would get the answer wrong. The rest would either have it right or not answer. I would then explain to those who didn’t answer and didn’t get it right that they didn’t listen and understand the question before they wrote their answer.

Depends if someone filled the hole back up with dirt...

If they fill back up, it’s not a hole anymore. 

The point is too many didn’t get the correct answer. And that is sad.