Reply #28: My as well eliminate college then.

[Xithras]

Seriously. The point of college is to instill certain knowledge within the students, and then offer a confirmation in the form of a degree to inform future employers (or clients) of their knowledge level. When I hire computer programmers, I require that they show me a BS in Computer Science or a related field. Why do I do this? Because that degree tells me they have achieved a certain minimum knowledge level required for the job. Your suggestion would make degrees useless for employers and destroy any value they might have had. It would simply be a confirmation that you were present on campus for a few years. You might have been hung over from frat parties the whole time and not learned a thing, but if you were there you get a degree anyway.

You have far too much faith in humanity. I teach, and I've seen how lazy many students can be. For many of them, the testing and thought of failure is the only thing that keeps them involved.