BY ROBERT SAMUELS
As I walk around the UCLA campus, I often think that I am living in an ideal community where people from many different cultures and backgrounds live and learn together in harmony.
Sometimes I wish that there were more arguments in my writing classes and less dutiful copying of notes. Still, every year, I encounter many students who really do want to learn, who have worked hard to get where they are.
In order to support and nourish these students, we have to make higher education a national priority, and, at the same time, we have to hold our schools accountable to their fundamental mission. It is higher education that teaches young people to be responsible adults, creative and critical thinkers.
At UCLA, we have recently seen the move to increase class sizes and reduce the number of courses; we have also witnessed a push to move required classes online or to the summer. The result of all of these moves would lower the quality, while increasing the costs.
While some schools and some classes do stress the pure joy of learning and thinking, most institutions are stuck in a lecture-and-test system. Because of huge lecture classes, multiple-choice standardized exams and competitive grading systems, many students are socialized to be passive consumers of expert knowledge while they compete for grades and social recognition.
Moreover, because of the lack of concern for teaching and student learning at some institutions, we are seeing a de-funding of the faculty and an over-reliance on underpaid, part-time faculty.
Yet, even with all of the problems facing higher education, universities and colleges often do succeed in teaching students to think critically and communicate effectively.
When judging the educational quality of schools like UCLA, it is important to stress that universities usually do not teach undergraduate students a specific trade. Instead, higher education institutions teach people how to analyze, communicate and collaborate. These skills help all of us participate in our democracy and prosper in our chosen professions.
In fact, most employers say they want new graduates to come to work being effective writers, speakers and analyzers. Employers also hope graduates are ethical people who are self-motivated and work well in teams.
No matter how students discover their sense of purpose, universities give them the time and space to learn about themselves and the world around them. Sometimes, this enlightenment happens inside of class and sometimes, outside of class. Sometimes, a single teacher leads a student in the right direction, and other times, students discover what path they want to follow on their own.
As our society becomes more invested in high-tech surfing and multi-tasking, it is higher education which offers a chance to step back and think about how we use and produce knowledge.
Not only do students need to learn how to take apart an argument, but they also have to understand how to construct their own arguments. And as knowledge becomes more interactive, we have to teach students how to be ethical and responsible knowledge workers. If it doesn’t happen in higher education, where else will it happen?
Students who are committed to learning about themselves and the world need to hold UCLA accountable to its educational mission.
Since students are now paying more in fees and tuition, they should resist any attempts at downsizing their education.
Last year, students, workers and faculty members worked together to fight back some destructive changes. While we could not prevent the dramatic increases in fees, we were able to block some of the destructive changes, and we were able to get the governor to realize that our university needs to be better supported. Now, we have to continue to fight for our vision of the university.
Robert Samuels is the president of the University Council ““ American Federation of Teachers and a lecturer in UCLA’s writing program.