The article I am referring to appeared today in CNN.com:
Sure, I've taken some tough courses as an undergrad. In fact, I recall being in classes where the professor came right out during the first class and said, "About 25% of you will drop this course after the first exam, and only half of you will make it to the end." At first, I recall thinking, "Geez, this guy has a great bedside manner. Thankfully he is not the type of doctor that takes care of people." It was sobering. Despite that very first impression, at least for me, it served as a nice warning to make sure I keep up with all of the material. I got the point he was trying to make. So, how did the rest of that semester go? Did he jump through hoops to make sure I was engaged, interested, and motivated? No. Did he pay attention to everything I was doing to make sure I was keeping up with the material? Nope. Did we watch lots of cool videos? No. He pretty much lectured for the rest of the semester, and gave extensive, stressful assignments, and taught with the expectation that the majority of our learning would happen outside of the classroom.
Though I might not adopt this scare tactic for classes I teach, I also do not see it as completely out of line. Let's get something straight: college is not supposed to be easy! Earning a bachelor's degree needs to mean something. Listen, if colleges were handing out these degrees with minimal effort on the part of the student, then what value would it place on the degree? Learning is work, and sometimes it is damn hard work. If you aren't working hard in college, then you're probably not learning much. If you are not learning about your field of interest, then how would we be adequately preparing you to get the best job offers in your field? The fact of the matter is that most employers pay attention to which colleges are offering the best programs, and they consider this information in considering prospective employees. Employers and graduate schools want students that are graduating well-prepared for their next phase of life. Thankfully, it is not the only information they consider, but it surely is a big part of it. Having hired many people during my years in industry, and having worked with other employers and "head hunters" shopping for talent, I know for certain that where you obtain your degree from matters. Not all computer science programs are created equal, and most employers are quite aware of this. If you are at a low-ranking school in computer science, then you better make sure you supplement your degree with quality internships. Look for opportunities to do research. Find a temporary job doing IT-related projects during your summers. (Even if you are at a very good school, you should still consider this!)
OK, going back to this article. It's a well known fact that our country is continuing to suffer with our STEM education. The article is certainly pointing the finger at STEM education in our education system, right from K through 12. But, the problem is also within higher education. Educators need to be more aware of just how much students have changed the way they learn and acquire knowledge. Like it or not, we are in a highly interactive, visual, media-based culture. Young kids today are using iPads, cell phones, and laptops for the majority of their communication and education. Educators (I'm preaching to myself here as well) need to carefully consider how students acquire knowledge today, and embrace it in our classrooms, our assignments, and our overall communication with students. I know personally how difficult this is for many of us Ph.D.'s. We busted our behind for many years in graduate school. We had to teach ourselves an extensive amount of material to do well in research. But, we are a unique breed. We should never expect our students to have the same drive for learning as we do. Again, the burden lies within us. We need to provide the motivation for our students to learn, and we need to do it in an interesting, relevant way.
Here was my big "take-away" from this article:
Hrabowski said many people assume they're not smart enough to study science or math. His response?
"No. Your teacher wasn't innovative enough."
I mostly agree with this. Again, I do not necessarily like it. It makes me uncomfortable. It requires me to step out of my zone of comfort and keep thinking of new ways to approach the material in my classroom. I need to consider ways to connect to the student right in the classroom, to encourage open discussion of topics, the relate the material to them and their world so they understand its relevancy. I need to help them better understand and appreciate why my topic is so important and relevant. I love what I teach (most of the time!) So, how can I convey this better? More consistently?
On a somewhat related note, I need to better address the dichotomy of students that I have in many of my classes with respect to their background and "comfort level" in the class. I so often find that in a typical class of 20 or so students, I have about 5 that answer the majority of the questions. I need to level this out.
I think it is extremely important to raise awareness of the problem. The article does that. How about some solutions?
