The demise of university?

Just over a year ago, a professor at the University of Prince Edward Island made his overcrowded History of Christianity class a stunning offer: He would give a grade of 70% to anyone who stopped showing up for the rest of the semester and didn’t bother to complete any of the course work. About 20 students took him up on the offer and the veteran academic was ultimately forced into premature retirement by an embarrassed administration.

David Weale made national headlines and garnered notoriety for his seemingly cynical act, but he was also lauded by many who shared his frustrations for daring to expose some unpalatable truths about Canada’s post-secondary education system.

Prof. Côté has since employed the UPEI test on his own classes – as a hypothetical exercise. When he offers 68% to anyone who quits, the only takers are those who failed the mid-term. As he edges the freebie higher, more students are willing to take the bargain.