I think there is really important reason "to force students to figure this stuff out on their own".
Figuring stuff ON YOUR OWN is what higher education is all about. It is not about teaching one tool or the other and if someone is learning tools instead of "how to learn to use those tools" he is doing it wrong.
Dev work is from my experience mostly about "figuring stuff on your own" and I expect that this should still be main goal of higher education.
> Figuring stuff ON YOUR OWN is what higher education is all about.
I share this view. Not everyone agrees.
Maybe it depends on what you mean by "higher education". I mean a degree. If you have a degree, that should signify that you know how to study on your own, and have a general overview of your degree subject. You should be able to make some sense of a research paper in your subject, even if you can't follow it in detail.
A degree isn't a vocational training course. If you hold a good batchelor's degree, then you should be qualified to undertake a master's degree, which in itself isn't much use, IMO; the purpose of a master's degree is entry-level training in research. You get to find out whether you want to/have the ability to undertake a doctorate.
If what you want is to learn how to do a certain job, then surely a vocational course is more appropriate (the hint is in the word "vocational").
Figuring stuff ON YOUR OWN is what higher education is all about. It is not about teaching one tool or the other and if someone is learning tools instead of "how to learn to use those tools" he is doing it wrong.
Dev work is from my experience mostly about "figuring stuff on your own" and I expect that this should still be main goal of higher education.