Oliphant on Degrees

I was appalled at Oliphant’s myopic approach to higher education. His thesis that higher education requires only extensive reading to counter the ills of poor instruction is a passive and outdated approach to learning. What about the development of the analytical skills necessary to be successful in the “information age”? How can he dismiss the learning process that is necessary to master science and mathematics? Where is the critical thinking and the development of the ability to produce results?

Based upon my experience as a student of architecture, I have to point out that the greatest value of this professional degree is its goal of focusing on an analytical system ground in the disciplines of fine arts, mathematics, history and science. Not only must these subjects be understood, but the students must produce solutions to design problems in written, graphic and mathematical form.

As a seasoned professional, it is relatively easy to knock over the student solutions, but the process of analysis and producing results is what is critical to the learning process. Students certainly couldn’t even begin to deal with the complex issues in this profession by just reading books. The need to understand the issues and work through the solutions is necessarily true for any subject or area of endeavor, and can’t be taught by passive exposure alone.

“A meaningless degree” is actually a yardstick of progress for any institution of higher learning which produces graduates who are welcomed by the business and professional community.

LAURIE BARLOW

South Pasadena