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From: jeffw@tekecs.UUCP (Jeff Winslow)
Newsgroups: net.rumor
Subject: Re: Any news about the reputed bomb... (really classes w/o lectures)
Message-ID: <5468@tekecs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 21-Jun-85 17:15:28 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekecs.5468
Posted: Fri Jun 21 17:15:28 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Jun-85 07:33:31 EDT
References: <1457@utah-gr.UUCP> <8@ucbcad.UUCP> <157@jendeh.UUCP> <43@avsdS.UUCP> <183@jendeh.UUCP> <4262@hlexa.UUCP>
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 37

>>			In many occasions it is possible to pass a class without
>>attending lectures. For example when the lectures follow exactly the contents
>>of the assigned text book or when most of the class grade is based on a final
>>  programming project that does not necessitate the knowledge imparted to 
>>  the students in the classroom. 
> 
> You seem to be confusing the notion of passing a course with learning the
> material covered by the course.  
> 
> A one semester, three credit course involves about 45 hours of lecture, and
> 50 to 150 additional hours of study.  Do you really think a two hour exam can be
> made up that adequately measures your knowledge of that much work? Do you
> really think you have learned the course because you have been able to answer
> 70% of the questions? 

You seem to be confusing a number of things. The article which you quoted says
nothing about final exams. Why did you bring them up?

>             Do you really think that if you complete the final
> programming project on which the grade is based there was nothing worth
> learning in the lectures?  If so, you might be in for a rude awakening when
> you take a grad school course based on what you skipped, or your next job
> requires you to use some of it.
 
Then again, you might not. The lectures in several of my EE classes (at 
Berkeley, no less) were simply repeats of the textbook material - not
too surprisingly, since the textbooks were often authored by the professor. 
If I had had to, I could have easily passed those classes AND learned the 
material with only the textbook and access to the professor for answers to
occasional questions.

Physics classes, on the other hand, would have been very difficult to do
that way.

Do you really think the answer to all your questions is no for all classes?

					Jeff Winslow