If college has taught me one thing, it's that classes get in the way of learning.

I often think about how my day would be more productive if I didn't have to sit through three boring lectures.

I leave each class knowing nothing more than when I entered.

Think back to your first day of classes your freshman year. The first day was incredibly exciting --over 200 students in one class and the professor used a microphone to ensure everyone could hear.

You thought that was so cool because you came from a high school with 300 kids total. The lesson was done via Power Point on a huge projection screen in the front of the classroom. You were in awe -- you had officially been initiated as a Penn State student.

As I attended classes the past two years, I gradually began to wonder why it is that we are students seeking "higher education" at a large state university when there seems to be no emphasis placed on the need to be taught in an interesting or interactive way.

Some professors literally think outside of the box when designing lectures, and they also manage to keep the information presented pertinent to the subject at hand.

I can remember when my economics professor opened up class one day with Pink Floyd's "Money." He then discussed the relevance of the song to the lesson planned for that day. Everyone in the class seemed to enjoy the departure from the usual Power Point, and I know that was one of the days I learned the most.

At a place such as Penn State, with almost 40,000 students present, it must be hard to accommodate large classes and successfully relay the necessary information to students, many of whom are not even majoring in the subject being taught. Professors, graduate students and undergraduate teaching assistants try their best and deserve credit.

Professors who believe in the effectiveness of lecturing should stop relying almost solely on Power Point and overhead presentations, reading straight from the book, or subjecting their students to an outdated film on the subject.

For those students who share the same undying passion for the material at hand with their enthusiastic professors, the new techniques may not alter their learning.

But the students who have no choice but to take certain classes to fulfill their general education requirements are suffering as a result of repetitive teaching styles. These are the students you might find staring at the screen with a look on their face that says they might as well be reading Hieroglyphics.

Instead, would it not be such a wonderful departure if time during each class were devoted to an open discussion, no matter the size of the class? Most students will be willing to share their "two cents" as well as learn from the ideas of their fellow students.

While some professors already do post their notes online, they all should get into the habit of doing so and leaving out certain vital material so that students can fill in the missing information as it is discussed in class. This will coerce students into paying closer attention and asking questions, and ultimately ensure a higher level of interaction.

While thousands of students receive degrees from Penn State every year, many graduate without retaining any of the information with which they have been presented.

Ten years out of school, you're not going to remember Dr. So-And-So's boring Power Point lecture on the economic implications of dissolving the Soviet Union.

You will remember the engaging life stories Frank Clemente shared with your social problems class and how he made them relevant to your life.

That is what higher education should be all about.