I think you're right DO - the dumbing down of universities probably did start with the rebranding of polytechnics as universities. They also seem to offer "degrees" in anything you want them to from the sublime to the ridiculous - IMO so the government can harp on about more kids being given a chance at an education (in what?!?) and to create new jobs, probably for those "university" leavers who have no other job to go into as they only hold a tossy "degree". But hold on, they can be a lecturer in their tossy subject instead! Going round in circles isn't it?
I have no problem (as I said before) in educating more people in society - but is this really happening? I mean, is it please? Anyone who is deluding themselves that society is benefiting as a result as the increased Higher Education intake is churning out highly educated, intelligent people is surely living in cloud cuckoo land? Doesn't today's appalling literacy problems (for starters) point to that being a misnomer? Kids aren't being taught properly anymore - probably because the teachers themselves that are coming through now don't know what they are teaching in the first place (as they were taught no better themselves) and if truth were told, probably shouldn't be in a position to teach in the first place in an ideal world. God only knows what illiterate idiots will be churned out of teacher training colleges in the coming years to "teach" the future generations, not least as the powers that be have seemingly decided that such inaccuracies as spelling and grammar mistakes shouldn't be penalised in exams - it beggars belief! Even when I was at school there were idiots with teaching qualifications - my A level Biology teacher can only have been in her mid twenties and when we were on the biochemistry module she asked me to take over the teaching of the lesson on free radicals because "you're studying Chemistry also so you know all about them whereas I don't know anything about them"