What fraction of American college freshman do you think know that it was to protect France from Germany, and that it failed near the beginning of World War II? If the percentage is small, I think it makes sense for college history classes to test for knowledge of facts like these. Ideally, well-prepared college students who know such facts will be able to start with more advanced history classes.
It makes more sense not to extract out the meaningful content of college courses as a way of compensating for the failings of the high schools and of the students themselves.
That essay question I made up is precisely the sort of question that should be appearing in introductory courses. As I said, the point is to learn how to see connections between historical events and write about your own ideas coherently, not to memorize the members of each team during World War II or the year that Czechoslovakia was invaded.
If your goal is to memorize a list of facts, all you need is a mass-market book or two and maybe an internet connection. You certainly don't need to pay a couple thousand dollars (or way more) to listen to an adjunct tell you what to memorize and when to take the online quiz.
