My ideal university would probably be just about the same as a traditional university. There would be some changes but not that many, because a traditional university is good for me. I do like the lecture style classes because it allows for more students to be in one class and I won't have to speak as often as in a class with only about 25 students. I think lecture classes benefit the teachers as well, because they are only two times a week and give the teacher more time to do what they want.
My first lecture class is Human Anatomy and I think that this style of class is perfect for this subject, because it is a lot of information to teach so it is better to teach to a large number of students. It is better to teach to a large number of students, so that the teacher doesn't have to repeat herself as often as some teachers do and it allows more time for her to be in her office, so if students want help they can come to her.
Smaller classes do work well for some subjects such as English and labs. These classes teach a lot of material and somewhat more in-depth information, so it is easier for students to learn the information in a small number. The lab I'm in for anatomy is about 3 hours and only seat 20 people. This is perfect because we have to do dissections, lab procedures, and ect. Trying to have say 50 people in one class trying to do this would be hectic for the students and the teacher as well. These classes make it easier for a student to learn the information and not be afraid to speak out if they have a question, because it is a smaller class room setting.
I do believe that the workload that some teachers give is ridiculous. I think that the workload does need to be changed because some students are taking a lot of credits. I think that if students are taking over the maximum number of credits to graduate early then they can't really complain about the workload because it is their choice to do that. For some students the workload is over bearing because of the type of classes they are taking. I think that teachers who give say 100 pages to read and give it to you the class period before its due are going to the extreme, because we do have other classes we have to do work for.For me, my work comes out a lot better when I have spent a quality amount of time on it and the teachers don't rush me to get it done.
The other part of college life I would like to see a little bit of change in is the partying aspect. Partying is fine if students know how to control themselves and most of the time they don't know how. They end up partying every weekend and don't go to class because they are hungover or haven't done the work they were supposed to be doing.
Learning is the most important aspect of college whether it be educational things or life lessons. These are the changes I would make to my university. I think these would make for a less stressful enviroment and more learning would occur.
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Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and your ideas for the ideal university. We both commented specifically on the different sizes of classes. I agree that large lecture halls work well for some classes, usually the ones that that involve information in bulk and just straight fact learning. The only thing I commented on a little more than you was that I think the small classes should be even smaller and run a little longer. For me, being an art student, this is just the system I think would work best for my classes. I think I would have more opportunities to learn that way.
And as far as work load, I agree that students should be prepared to do the work they sign up for. I don't think teachers should go overboard, but if you decide to take more credits than usual you should be ready for the work that comes with it.