They fidget. They whine. They Facebook-stalk during lectures. They have notoriously short attention spans, rely on their parents for everything and can't seem to wrap their rez-room bed heads around the meaning of the term "independent research paper."

They are, in short, every university professor's worst nightmare. And many academics fear these archetypal degenerate students are becoming the norm in universities across Canada. Some pedagogical experts argue that such stereotypes are just that and believe students are as studious (or immature) as they ever were—that it's each generation's curse to bemoan the intellectual shortcomings of the next.

Others, however, claim that statistically lower levels of academic engagement resulting from the assembly-line education of a cash-strapped public system, combined with a generation relying on their parents more, for a longer period of time, all makes for a lowest-common-denominator approach to higher education.

When Tina Parks started her education program at McGill University as a mature student, she was astounded at how lost her fellow frosh seemed—she remembers being shocked when a teaching assistant spent much of their tutorial going over what an essay should look like. "The students I was with...had little to no experience when it came to learning how to write papers," she said. "Many kids, by the time they get to their third year, they're all flunking out—they just can't do it. And I don't know if they're ill-prepared or what."

Ms. Parks was in her forties by the time she started university. She had been through adult education and Quebec's CEGEP program and credits that experience with helping her cope in a university setting. But as far as she could tell, many students fresh out of high school didn't seem to stand a chance. "If they don't have the determination to want to stay there and sit down and study, they're going fail. And many did."

Increasingly, says University of Western Ontario education professor James Côté, first-year classes are populated by students accustomed to getting good grades without trying—and who find themselves lost when that's not the case. "Students are basically given very few challenges during high school. Then they come to university and we're attempting to maintain standards and many students haven't developed a work ethic to meet the challenges and feel entitled to high grades with very little work," he said. "It's a process that's been getting worse and worse over time."

At least some professors seem to agree: A survey of 2,000 Ontario faculty and staff this spring found 55% of them thought their students were less prepared than they were even three years ago. Those surveyed also found students were less mature, lacked critical thinking skills, expected "success without the requisite effort" and were unable to do research or learn independently.

Ontario faculty association president Mark Langer calls the survey a "report from the front lines"—one that brings sobering news. "Students don't know how to properly use libraries; they haven't properly developed research skills compared to students in the past."

At the University of Toronto, a sense of shifting student demographics—not to mention the rising tide of phone calls from anxious parents inquiring after their progeny's academic progress—sparked the creation of a website aimed at educating students' families. "Increasingly, this idea of a young person who goes off to university and is suddenly transformed into this young adult who doesn't need the support of their families has become somewhat of an outdated concept," said Deanne Fisher, director of the university's office of student life.

The website, family.utoronto.ca, has information in multiple languages on subjects such as how to help the new undergraduates make friends at university and how much information the school can legally disclose about a student without his or her permission (hint: not much). "Many students still see their families as part of their support network even after moving through the undergraduate environment," Ms. Fisher said. "Although there are very clear laws as to what we can and can't communicate to family members, we don't have to treat them as though they're persona non grata."

But some disagree with these dismal assessments of today's crop of students. Charles Ungerleider, an education professor at the University of British Columbia and a former deputy education minister in the B.C. government says teachers have been complaining about their students' lack of academic prowess since Aristotle took issue with Pythagoras's shortcomings.

"Pretty much every generation of university professors has said that the earlier cohorts of students were better prepared than the ones they faced," he said. Canada is actually rising in the literacy ranks among other OECD countries, Professor Ungerleider said, adding that on the maturity front, young people have never been more capable of making a go of it on their own. And the ubiquitous multimedia onslaught they deal with makes them natural multitaskers, he argues."Kids are much better at self-regulating, and I also think they're better at self-advocacy. They can advocate on their own behalf in ways that 50 or 60 years ago students maybe were not as capable of doing."

Professor Côté points to strained university budgets and increased competition between schools for rankings, students and funding as putting further pressure on the quality of education students get. No school wants to post high numbers of dropouts, he said. So universities may tailor their programs to better suit struggling students—further lowering the bar.

But although Professor Ungerleider doesn't deny he has issues with contemporary curricula, he said it's alarmist to suggest public education is letting students down. "We set the standards—we determine what knowledge is most worth knowing at any particular time. So if we're lamenting...the so-called trivial nature of university course work, we're responsible for it," he said. "Typically we get the kind of education that a society deserves at that particular time, unless we're asleep at the switch. "I don't think we are."

TEN HABITS OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL FRESHMEN

1. Talk to your profs

You know that 700-person first-year psychology class, which seemed really interesting until you missed a class and fell hopelessly behind? Talk to your professor. Most hold office hours or if you can't make those, most will arrange an alternative. You'll get answers and face time and they'll get to know you as something other than Clueless Frosh #82.

2. Read your syllabus

In between keggers and the frosh concert, take a look at that list of readings and assignments your professor handed out on the first day. Then—we're entirely serious—write it in a planner. You'll thank us later. Speaking of which...

3. Plan your time

Compared to high school, university is a paradise of unstructured hours. But if you can't prioritize and manage your time, you're sunk. "Science students have a problem of being caught up in the things that feel urgent and neglecting the things that seem important," says Nellie Perret, a learning skills counsellor at the University of Toronto. "Art students get caught up in the fact that there seems to be a wonderful amount of nothing to do until the middle of November, and then all their papers are due."

4. Take breaks

Take it from those of us who've been there, all-nighters aren't everything they're cracked up to be. Cramming for an exam or writing a paper in one 16-hour stretch is a rookie's mistake and won't get you good results. And litres of Red Bull? Not a healthy life choice.

5. Check the rules

Wait, we're not supposed to cite Wikipedia? How about urbandictionary.com? Uh, no. If you're not sure what counts as plagiarism, do the homework and check. All schools have information on academic regulations, and your professor or teaching assistant can help you with the parameters of an assignment.

6. Ask questions

There's no way to mess this one up, unless you're the kind of person who skips two weeks, then asks, "Did anything happen in class while I was gone?" Asking questions—in lectures, tutorials and office hours—will make you stand out (hello, participation marks) and ensure you know what's going on.

7. Get a note

Family emergency? Your professor is obliged to let you off the hook if you have a good reason, but you need to back it up. While there's no need to provide a urine sample, a doctor's note will dispel doubts as to whether your excuse is legit.

8. Get a life

Work-life balance? It sounds like something from a self-help show until you realize you haven't left the library in days, partly because your muscles have atrophied and you can't get out of the chair. Conversely, it could prove problematic if you're more familiar with the notes scrawled on the bathroom stall of the campus pub than you are with your lecture notes, that could prove problematic. Everything in moderation, etc etc.

9. Get engaged

Even if your required courses include "An Introduction to Monotony and Paint-drying 101," find something that intrigues you. If you're engaged in what's going on you're more likely to retain the information for the exam.

10. Keep it all in perspective

You slept through your mid-term, are a week late with your term paper and forgot all about tomorrow's group presentation? Take a breath. Talk to your professor (see number 1) or an academic counsellor and remember: It'll all work out in the end.