Academic Sheep
My time in university has largely been a very positive experience. The U of A is one of the finest institutions in the country but I am often taken aback at just how dumb some people are. It's mindboggling that in an age that encourages independent thought there are still so many people who must be told exactly what to do.
Yesterday, I attended what was very likely the worst lecture I have ever had in my academic career, through no fault of the instructors. We spent over half of the time fielding questions about an upcoming midterm (multiple choice) and hardly even touched on any relevant material. My annoyance is aimed squarely at a large portion of the students.
The course, dealing with urban planning, has no text book but we are provided with relevant readings (2 so far this semester) and have watched a few videos. And yet many in the class have no idea what they should be studying. Despite several attempts by the instructor to explain that we should look at the readings, our notes, and remember general concepts in the videos, hands were still raised demanding to know exactly what they should know.
To these students all that matters is the grade. They have to know that they are doing better than everyone else and they have to know exactly how to get there so that they can regurgitate the required information. When presented with a slightly less structured approach to teaching, they panic like the Apocalypse is at hand.
Maybe it's just me but I happen to feel that if you've managed to make it to university, you should be capable of using what most would call common sense. This feigned gratitude and appreciation for independence collapses at the mere mention that they might just have to do some of these things on their own.
You're not kids anymore! Mom and Dad aren't around to make sure you do your homework and help you when you have questions. Everyone has questions and shouldn't be blamed if they don't understand an important concept. But for crying out loud, this is a university! It's time to take some responsibility.
Yesterday, I attended what was very likely the worst lecture I have ever had in my academic career, through no fault of the instructors. We spent over half of the time fielding questions about an upcoming midterm (multiple choice) and hardly even touched on any relevant material. My annoyance is aimed squarely at a large portion of the students.
The course, dealing with urban planning, has no text book but we are provided with relevant readings (2 so far this semester) and have watched a few videos. And yet many in the class have no idea what they should be studying. Despite several attempts by the instructor to explain that we should look at the readings, our notes, and remember general concepts in the videos, hands were still raised demanding to know exactly what they should know.
To these students all that matters is the grade. They have to know that they are doing better than everyone else and they have to know exactly how to get there so that they can regurgitate the required information. When presented with a slightly less structured approach to teaching, they panic like the Apocalypse is at hand.
Maybe it's just me but I happen to feel that if you've managed to make it to university, you should be capable of using what most would call common sense. This feigned gratitude and appreciation for independence collapses at the mere mention that they might just have to do some of these things on their own.
You're not kids anymore! Mom and Dad aren't around to make sure you do your homework and help you when you have questions. Everyone has questions and shouldn't be blamed if they don't understand an important concept. But for crying out loud, this is a university! It's time to take some responsibility.
posted by Jason at 9:04 a.m.
1 Comments:
Will this be on the test?
Post a Comment
<< Home