Rethinking College Classes

So this has been on my mind constantly throughout this semester at school.

I believe the current method for taking and passing college classes is completely outdated. We sit in class listen to lectures and then take the test in order to pass. But is sitting in class really necessary? Or even efficient? I would argue no, or at least not for everyone. Many students have no problem listening to a lecture and using that as their main source of learning for the concepts in a class.However, many, myself included, do. I can't focus on a teacher and I don't really learn anything in the traditional lecture setting. So you may ask yourself how do I learn? I read the book outside of class. Here is my break down of my situation:

I spend around 650 minutes a week attending classes, which would be every single class without skipping any. I would say I spend about 250 minutes of that sleeping, 350 minutes on my phone browsing WSO and other internet sources, and the remaining 50 minutes doing administrative tasks concerning my schoolwork (planning, checking, updating my schedule, etc.). Now clearly these 650 minutes a week could be used for a better purpose. Obviously I don't get any learning done during class. Before a test I will spend hours (however many are needed, be it 1 or 10), combing through the textbook or lecture slides or the internet figuring out how to do whatever is required to pass the test. I would say attending a lecture has zero bearing on my success, so isn't it really a waste of time?

The point of college classes, especially business courses such as accounting, finance, and economics, is to learn a tangible set of skills in order to use them in the real world. The test for these skills should be just that; a test. I believe the grade should be 100% on you passing the test and demonstrating you've learned the skill. Why should it matter if you went to class and turned in busy work that really means nothing?

SO here is my suggestion: classes should continue to be taught by teachers for those who want to learn that way, but for anyone else they should be optional. You should get class credit as long as you pass the tests showing you've learned what needed to be learned, attendance should be 100% optional. Let us look at the ramifications of this change for people like me. I would have 650 more minutes a week of free time. What could I do with this time? I could probably take two extra classes and still get good grades because I have more time to study, I could work 10 extra hours a week, I could spend 10 hours a week at the gym, the list goes on and on. I'm not suggesting this for all classes, mainly business classes. Classes like english where there isn't necessarily a tangible skill or classes that require discussion and interaction should remain traditional. But classes such as my accounting class where tests are worth 85% of the grade anyway and the tests are simply whether or not I can perform certain accounting tasks, should never require that I attend them because for myself, the other students, and the teacher it is a waste of time. Say there is a class of 50 students and they are split down the middle 50/50 students who want to attend class and learn that way, and students like me who learn on their own. If the 25 like me didn't have to go to class the teacher would be able to interact much more personally with the 25 students who wanted to learn from the teacher.

Sorry this got a little ranty, i'm a bit fed up with some of my classes, especially early morning ones :-)

Please comments with any thoughts