RIC Students Respond to Academically Adrift in 2011

This is a video created by my COMM 242: Message, Media, and Meaning class in 2011. At that time, they complained to me about the General Education curriculum at Rhode Island College. I had them read a summary of the book "Academically Adrift" (Arum & Roska, 2011) and we discussed the findings in class. They believed that no one in the administration would care what they thought. We decided to create a video response to "Academically Adrift." I contacted our Vice President of Academic Affairs, Ron Pitt. I told him that the students did not think the administration would listen to them. Well, he did listen. He watched the video and came to my class and spent an hour and a half talking to my students. He explained the rationale for the General Education courses. And he acknowledged their complaints. Now, in 2020, as RIC begins an assessment of the Gen Ed requirements, I think what theses students from nearly a decade ago say is still relevant.
Personally, my biggest takeaway from this project was that our students do not want easy classes and easy grades. They prioritize and put more time into courses taught by "demanding" teachers. - Bonnie