Get Real!

I hear students regularly refer to life outside of and after college as “the real world.” That is a telling phrase. What it implies is that what occurs in college is separate from what really counts. Academia is somehow divorced from reality. Life really begins upon graduation and when one has secured a job. This perception does not reflect well upon higher education. It indicates students do not experience college as relevant to life.

I recently attended a conference on integrative learning. An important aspect of this approach to education is to connect academics to students’ experiences outside of the classroom. I find students hungry for this type of learning. Integrative learning theory can help us respond to what students are saying they need us to do: Get real!