Subsequent research found students one year out of college are not faring well: One-third moved back home, and 10 percent were unemployed. The findings are troubling news for an engaged citizenry, Arum said.
Almost half of those surveyed said they rarely if ever discuss politics or public affairs with others either in person or online.
The report warns that federally mandated fixes similar to “No Child Left Behind” in K-12 education would be “counterproductive,” in part because researchers are still learning how to measure learning. But it does make clear that accountability should be emphasized more at the institutional level, starting with college presidents.
Some colleges and universities do not need convincing. The University of Charleston, in West Virginia, has beefed up writing assignments in disciplines such as nursing and biology to improve learning.
President Edwin Welch is among more than 70 college and university presidents pledging to take steps to improve student learning, use evidence to improve instruction, and publicize results.
“I think we do need more transparency,” Welch said. “I think a student at a private institution who might go into debt for $40,000 or $50,000 has the right to know what he can learn at the institution.”
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