Chapter 13 Undergraduate Education Triage: Honors Program Lifeboats

While the undergraduate suffers from bad teachers and oversized classes the honors program at many universities sit comfortably in classes of 25 people, developing and articulating their own perspectives. It was said by Dr. Joan Digby, editor of Peterson’s Honor’s Programs that honors class’s help students mature intellectually and prepare them to engage in their own explorations and research.

It has been said numerous times throughout the chapter that honors programs “empowers students to see themselves as generators of knowledge rather than as passive transmitters,” taking notes and regurgitating information on exams. In the honors courses students create and learn knowledge, not memorizing facts to write on a test.

The same ideas have been thrown around through out the chapter. The author is giving many examples of the way the honors programs at many universities are “special,” meaning they have benefits and privileges in a way. Honors students are better students because they get the personal direction from a full time faculty member, who actually cares about teaching and the students. The teachers are usually specially selected and have won teacher awards, who encourage a interactive class atmosphere.

So what happens to the undergraduate programs with 500 students in a class room with an idiot professor? They are left sitting hopeless and are lost in a sea of thousands of other students in the same situation. An honors student at the University of Texas makes a comment about his experiences in the honors program:

“I have many privileges here which make my undergraduate education particularly strong. But I hear awful stories…about (non honors students) poor advising, about being signed up for the wrong courses, wasting whole semesters and years not fulfilling graduation requirement. It sounds grim, and I’m thankful that I have a great faculty advisor.”

This comment from the honors student exemplifies the way undergraduate and honors students compare. But they really don’t. As money goes to the honors programs and none to the undergraduate programs the inevitable will happen. Undergrads will not learn much of anything and will rot away unless something drastic is changed within the system of undergraduate education.


I was thinking about all the ideas in the chapter and realize that students don’t have a lot attention in undergrad programs, but if one wants to really learn and succeed they will find a way to do it. One can learn the skills of writing, speech and many other skills by joining a club or organization. One has to be motivated to do well for himself. Once the mindset of a person is focused then it is only a matter of time that they accomplish their goal.