Bringing the Liberal Arts to Engineering Education

I would have loved it if my "required" courses were more engaging or interesting. One semester I got three As and a B. The As were in 3000 or 4000 level engineering courses. The B was in a 1000 level "required" course.

If I had questions on why I got homework or exam problems wrong (thus demonstrating that I didn't understand the material) my engineering professors or TAs would generally explain the mistake I made. It was really helpful to me and even though I couldn't retake the exam and get the points back to get a better grade, at least I (usually) actually learned it the second time. This also helped me figure out where I wasn't learning effectively and to improve my ability to study, thus improving not only the value of my education in school but my ability to learn throughout the rest of my life.

After my first exam in my "required" class that one semester, I got a decent but not great grade. On one of the questions I looked the answer up in the book. It corresponded to what I put down on the test. I took this to the professor and asked, given this information, how I got the wrong answer. The professor replied "you're supposed to pick the BEST answer" a bit smugly and would say nothing more.

I get that a college professor doesn't necessarily have the time to explain everything to everyone all the time (which is why lectures exist, they're more efficient), but it's not as though there was a line of 50 students behind me in the hallway outside their office. I was the only one there. Probably a bad teacher rather than a bad program, but it stuck with me nonetheless.

Anecdotes, data, etc.

I have a choice of not buying fries with my hamburger, but I have to buy a set "menu" of education, because there is a monopoly.

Anyway, this guy puts it better "The Trillion Dollar Liberal Arts Scam":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGlwfbZ8mWA

Comments are great as well.