Originally posted on October 19, 2019, on LindaSuskie.com
At a recent workshop on general education in a region with low educational and income levels. I pointed out that general education can be a driver of economic development.
Generally speaking, people with more education earn more money. They spend more, pay more taxes, and other ways contribute to regional economic development.
We also know that college students are most likely to drop out of college during their first year or two—when they’re taking gen ed courses. This means gen ed courses can have a significant impact on degree completion and therefore income and regional economic development.
We also know that students are more likely to persist when they’re actively engaged in their learning and see relevance in their learning.
This means that what is taught in gen ed courses and how they’re taught can have a significant impact on degree completion and therefore income and regional and economic development. Focus on teaching transferrable thinking skills more than memorized knowledge, and use active learning strategies rather than having students sit passively to a lecture, and you may make an important contribution to your region’s economic development.