Part of the problem is the way information is delivered. The model of "plop your ass in a chair and hit record as your professor speeds through PowerPoint" is i

Part of the problem is the way information is delivered. The model of "plop your ass in a chair and hit record as your professor speeds through PowerPoint" is insane and mind-numbing. It breeds students that are more interested in manufacturing the correct output for assignments than actually understanding the material being presented. There also tends to be a finality to grading that is disjoint with the actual amount of information learned. When you fail a homework assignment and finally understand what you did wrong, THAT'S where the learning actually occurs. Unless that student is able to resubmit that homework in some other form, the grade will never reflect that "Aha!" moment.