tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164556861454970487.post1418827777746261365..comments2023-10-08T05:00:23.559-04:00Comments on Clarissa's Blog: A Weird Article on College Education in the New York TimesClarissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11027134365260069910noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164556861454970487.post-67517001373241275502011-05-16T01:55:24.399-04:002011-05-16T01:55:24.399-04:00"And discussing references and context for 7...."And discussing references and context for 7.5 pages is as much as I can get through in 50 minutes at that level"<br /><br />-That's exactly what my experience is, too.Clarissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11027134365260069910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164556861454970487.post-17155881758872246042011-05-16T01:54:43.713-04:002011-05-16T01:54:43.713-04:00"these are all critical skills for scientists..."these are all critical skills for scientists and engineers."<br /><br />-This is exactly where the problem lies. The article's authors have a very narrow understanding of what critical skills look like and what college education should be structured around. Lots of reading and tons of writing is too simplistic a recipe for something as complex as higher education.Clarissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11027134365260069910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164556861454970487.post-92085996402419589752011-05-16T01:26:29.975-04:002011-05-16T01:26:29.975-04:00And, continuing on re the junior level -- I might ...And, continuing on re the junior level -- I might assign 15 pages. More, and you just get padding. I insist on well written, well wrought pages, not just random dumping of words -- that is why.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164556861454970487.post-67261269730687373672011-05-16T01:21:53.934-04:002011-05-16T01:21:53.934-04:00In a junior level course in a foreign language, th...In a junior level course in a foreign language, they can read 7.5 pages per class period, if you want them to actually read it, look up words, etc. And discussing references and context for 7.5 pages is as much as I can get through in 50 minutes at that level.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164556861454970487.post-32273956105696320492011-05-15T22:16:53.665-04:002011-05-15T22:16:53.665-04:00OT ... or maybe on critical thinking skills ... cf...OT ... or maybe on critical thinking skills ... cf petition to remove Stalin bust from D-day memorial: http://stalinstatue.com/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164556861454970487.post-31721595657875556412011-05-15T17:12:17.639-04:002011-05-15T17:12:17.639-04:00Students actually don't like professors who as...<i>Students actually don't like professors who ask too little of them. In my teaching experience, the only way to get students to evaluate you highly is to demonstrate that your knowledge of the subject matter is profound.</i><br /><br />I completely agree with this. Students are not all lazy procrastinators -- I find that many (perhaps most?)of them appreciate being held to a high standard, as it's a sign that you respect them and believe in them. High standards are not a problem if the teacher is knowledgeable and the course is structured so as to give the students the tools/skills that will help them rise to the challenge. <br /><br /><i>50 percent did not take any course requiring more than 20 pages of writing over the semester</i><br /><i>a large number of the students showed no significant progress on tests of critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing</i> <br /><br />I teach classes in the physical sciences and engineering. Our students have a number of liberal arts/humanities/social sciences requirements, and I presume they do most of their essay writing in these courses. However, once the students start taking more technically-focused courses, the amount of writing in the traditional sense certainly drops, but there is plenty of problem-solving and calculations (analytical and numerical) and challenging technical projects (group and individual); these are all critical skills for scientists and engineers. It looks like the authors dismiss any aspect of education that does not directly improve "analytic writing" (GRE speak) as a measure of critical thinking or complex reasoning.GMPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17872461021953583473noreply@blogger.com