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The Evolution of Higher Education in the Classroom

What is taught in institutions of higher education?

Keyla Eusebio
Salem State University
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The Evolution of Higher Education in the Classroom

The Evolution of Higher Education in the Classroom

Over the years, higher education has worn many faces as a result of a constantly changing

academic culture. Inevitably, what is being taught in the classroom has also changed over time

and today students have a variety of career and professions to commit to. However, there once

was a time where the only options were to learn Latin, study agriculture or get a degree related to

technology. Nowadays, students can tailor their degree specifically in the interest of advancing

professionally and to gain upwards social mobility. Higher learning institutions have transformed

their more traditional curriculum from agriculture and technology to one that embraces

interdisciplinary studies and professional development.

Technology Education

According to Pak (2008) in his article addressing the Yale Report of 1828, since the

1960’s historians have been pushing to completely transform the traditional views of the

antebellum college. The curriculum most traditional colleges had at the time were deemed

“conservative, dogmatic, and secretarian institution more concerned with discipline than

instruction and hostile to the very idea of curricular innovation” (Pak, 2008, p. 31). Latin, Greek

and philosophy were the hallmarks of a traditional curriculum which were believed to help a

school remain in competition with other highly esteemed institutions (Pak, 2008). Revisionists

on the other hand, believed it was time to evolve the curriculum to better suit the changing times

of the economic and political environment that students were learning in. Between 1800 and

1850, the number of students attaining a higher education increased from about 1,000 to

approximately 10,000 (Pak, 2008). In order for schools to meet the diverse and high demands of
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The Evolution of Higher Education in the Classroom

their students, higher learning intuitions across the country had to rethink their curriculum which

introduced an improved medical and law education as well as a new technical education.

The Industrial Revolution was the transition of society delving into the world of new

technology. Slowly by surely, rural areas were turning more urban and agriculture was changing

to adapt to the new terrain. Many traditional agrarians were against the “industrialized approach

to large-scale production” however it was necessary for the growing population (Thelin, 2011, p.

82). Famers at this time also saw scientists and scholars as being unqualified to give advice on

farming (Thelin, 2011). As agriculture began to decline, higher education began to change, and

more students wanted to attain a degree in technology, law and medicine.

Medicine and Law Education

In the 1860’s, seminaries were combined with degree granting colleges which

incorporated the applied sciences (Thelin, 2011). Amos Brown was one of the first people to

establish a mechanics institutes which is the equivalent of an engineering program today (Thelin,

2011). More institutions wanted to create a valuable education which inspired the creation of

more technology intuitions like MIT which was established in the 1850’s. Steadily, the number

of people investing in advanced technical education increased which was first met with

opposition (Thelin, 2011). This kind of educational innovation strayed away from traditional

education and “federal project intruding on the state’s rights” (Thelin, 2011, p. 81). During this

time the Dartmouth ruling had just deemed that the federal government would protect colleges

from state intervention (Thelin, 2011). Another argument made against new technology

programs was how the connection between practical and liberal education could co-exist in

harmony. Some colleges began to create separate “schools” within the college which maintained
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The Evolution of Higher Education in the Classroom

the connection between having a practical education while utilizing the innovative new

curriculum. Just like technology, law and medicine education were also growing in popularity in

higher education.

While practicing medicine was a serious issue, many schools were not strict in their

standards of admitting students and most schools were freestanding (Thelin, 2011). What was

taught in the classroom varied from anatomy, theories of disease and other topics (Thelin, 2011).

Medical schools at the time had no labs but had access to cadavers and students would get to

dissect (Thelin, 2011). The fees to attend medical school were expensive and were mostly paid

directly to the professor and students had to take exams twice to ensure their academic

excellence (Thelin, 2011). As for law school, being a lawyer was a popular profession so much

so that even Europeans came to visit and comment on the law practices in the U.S. (Thelin,

2011). By the end of 1860, Thelin (2011) theorizes that there were about 36 distinct law schools

that were open for instruction. Lawyers at the time would mostly gain experience being “clerks

and apprentices for a law office or judge” (Thelin, 2011, p. 54). Unlike today, lawyers in the

1800’s did not have to possess an academic degree to get a state licensure which showcases how

far higher education has come over the years.

Education Today

In the 21st Century, there are many subjects being taught in the classroom. Yet “today

more students attend college for a specific reason: professional advancement” (Whitaker, 2018).

Since students are attending college for different reasons compared to decades ago, courses that

are offered at higher learning institutions are changing. As Whitaker (2018) mentions in her

article, “colleges are no longer singularly committed to knowledge production for the sake of it.
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The Evolution of Higher Education in the Classroom

Academe has shifted toward helping learners use knowledge in new ways —toward innovation”

(Whitaker, 2018). Since innovation is being emphasized, colleges are seeing an increasing

number of students taking more classes related to interdisciplinary studies and students majoring

in interdisciplinary studies has increased by 37% (Whitaker, 2018). Whitaker (2018) suggests

that students now more than ever want to learn how to solve contemporary social issues and the

best way to gain a broad perspective is by taking classes across a variety of disciplines. For

example, ethnic and women studies are now prominent courses being offered at colleges. With

that data in mind, institutions are in the process of restructuring general-education requirements

to ensure that all students take courses that cover diverse perspectives and subjects (Whitaker,

2018). Changes in colleges main curriculum were catalyzed by student protests and petitions in

the fall of 2015 (Whitaker, 2018). Another change being taught in higher education is how

instructors teach.

In addition to integrating different disciplines, professors are also seeking new ways to

teach their students. Traditional lectures are now slowly being replaced by online lectures

because of the vast technological advancements we have made over the last decade (Hainline,

Gaines, Long Feather, Padilla, & Terry, 2010). In response to this change, educators are

beginning to understand that learning cannot be a one size fits all so they try various teaching

techniques. One common idea that students are now taught in the classroom is to do something

valuable with what they learn and integrate it into the work they produce rather than memorize or

regurgitate facts (Whitaker, 2018). This new way of learning places an importance on retaining

information that will be detrimental to work life after college which contribute to a student’s

professional advancement. Innovation and diversity are now at the core of many college’s

curriculum which is progress from the original ideas of philosophy and the Greek language.
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The Evolution of Higher Education in the Classroom

The Future

While our current idea of a curriculum seems ideal, there will come a day where our

curriculum will change again as a result of our changing political and economic climate.