[ncasenmare]

Off the top of my head, I can think of 3 ways to provide real-world context for your studies.

The first would be a project-based curriculum. Students get to apply what they learn as soon as they learn it. I remember fondly the Twitter clone I made in Computer Science!

Another way is guest lecturers. In my high school, they would bring in a university professor to lecture once in a while. Students have more confidence when they know the teacher is immersed in the field.

Finally, internships. My internship at Electronic Arts taught me more than just technical skills - it also taught me communication, management, and design. Soft skills not taught in a curriculum.

[fixxer]

I tend to agree. It is easy for professors to complain about bored students and claim it to be a symptom of some broader problem, but I can just as easily claim that it is a symptom of too many professors regurgitating the text and calling it "teaching".