PITY the poor University of Saskatchewan. Some of its buildings are falling apart, some of its medical programs are under scrutiny and now the university is dealing with the so-called gap between high school and first year university.
Fact: Roughly half of the first-year engineering students at the U of S failed their first year calculus exam in December.
Fact: One in eight students in direct-entry programs in 1996-97 was told at the end of the first year that, because of low marks, he or she would not be allowed back for at least a year.
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Fact: First-year students often see their marks fall drastically: the admission average for students entering the U of S in 1996-97 was 81.5 percent; by the end of the first year, their grade average was 67.5 percent.
There has been gnashing of teeth for years about students not being properly prepared for university, particularly in the fields of mathematics and English, so the concerns are not new.
What is new is the fact that, a generation ago, a high school graduation diploma was enough to guarantee a job with a future.
There is definitely a large gap between the final year of high school and the first year of university.
The U of S is looking at something called a transition year in which students who don’t pass a special test would upgrade English and math skills.
There is also talk of the university lowering some of its standards.
I believe both would be a mistake. Rather, I believe more onus must be placed on high schools to academically prepare students who plan to attend university.
One way is, as they move through high school, to place more responsibility on the students for their academic success and their behavior.
Another, is to make every Grade 12 student take departmental exams.
This would ensure three things: that the whole curriculum is taught, that marking is done in an impartial manner and against a common standard and that students would have experience studying and writing exams.
When students go unprepared to university, it is not the fault of the university and the university should not have to lower its standards because of the failings of another level of the educational system.
Given the increasing complexity of the world, we deserve to have the most highly trained people possible helping to run it.
