Dumbing Down College Curriculum Is Dumb

When was the last time you heard of a college decreasing the number of credits needed to earn a degree?That’s what may happen at a community college near me.In a few days, the board will vote on allowing students to earn an associate of science in nursing degree that would eliminate a two-semester American history course that everyone else attending the college must take. It would decrease the necessary units for the nursing degree from 80 to 74.The school also offers an associate of arts in nursing degree that does require the American history course.Honestly, I was little horrified to learn about this. The New York-based League for Nursing Accrediting Commission has requested the college offer a 74-unit degree or lose its accreditation.To its detriment, the commission first recommended in 1999 that the college develop a 72-unit degree. The college stood its ground, maintaining an 85-unit requirement. Then in 2007, the commission threatened that it would withdraw accreditation if the college did not reduce the credit requirement, according to several newspaper accounts.It took a second threat for the college to draft the 74-unit degree program, and now they’ve got their back to the wall. If they don’t offer the watered down program, they won’t get accreditation, and that would be doing all of their students a disservice.I’m feeling like the astonished mother whose child has just done something really stupid. I want to ask the commission, “What on earth are you thinking?”According to a newspaper article, the commission has not said why it wants the college to offer a degree that doesn’t include a history course. My call to the commission went unreturned.I’m not the only person who feels like the commission is asking the college to dumb down their requirements. I agree with a recently retired history teacher who bemoans the civic illiteracy in our country. Possessing a general knowledge of our history and how and why our government operates is essential to being good and useful citizens, regardless of what profession you choose.Sure, high school students get American history as part of their curriculum, but a college-level class should help students to understand history more deeply and thoroughly.Thankfully, the college president said that he expects this change will affect only a handful of students out of the school’s 33,000, and that counselors will encourage nursing students to choose the associate of arts degree over the associate of science. This seems like a wise course to take, and will give prospective students something to think about. Hopefully the students will see the folly of eliminating American history -- especially if they aspire to further education.What do you think?

Dumbing Down College Curriculum Is Dumb

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