Xref: utzoo comp.edu:1533 sci.math:5085 sci.physics:5129
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!convex!killer!elg
From: elg@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Eric Green)
Newsgroups: comp.edu,sci.math,sci.physics
Subject: Re: Student and Course Integrity  (was Rising cost of textbooks)
Message-ID: <6388@killer.DALLAS.TX.US>
Date: 11 Dec 88 22:21:25 GMT
References: <4526@homxc.UUCP>
Organization: The Unix(R) Connection, Dallas, Texas
Lines: 36

in article <4526@homxc.UUCP>, bgt@homxc.UUCP (B.TONGUE) says:
> This is a double-edged sword.  The potential is there, but it
> cannot be solely the professor's duty to offer support - students 
> must be receptive as well.  I remember one of my professors
> offering extended office hours after 1/2 half of the class 
> failed the first hourly (senior-level course) - not one person
> showed up!  Great incentive for a continued interest in "reaching"
> the students!  One of my meetings concerned "Departmental Policies -
> voice your concerns!"  Six students showed up, and four of us
> were the officers!  With those kind of conditions, it's under-
> standable that professors at times believe the students couldn't
> care less - it's admirably demonstrated time and time again.

Note that the average student of today is NOT the average student of
20 years ago. I am 24 years old, work, and live in a house 3 miles
from campus. While I try to go to each instructor's office at least
once during office hours during the semester, often that simply IS NOT
POSSIBLE. For example, I was not able to make a single ACM meeting
this entire semester -- they were all held at 3pm or 4pm in the
afternoon. Either I lounge around campus for 3 hours after my last
class, which is a total waste, or I come back to campus 3 hours later
-- which means interrupting whatever work I'm doing, then coming back
to it an hour later. The days when students were all between 18 and
21, all lived in dorms, and all could attend activities on campus at
any time, are long since gone.

I won't comment on whether this change in student demographics is
beneficial or not, except to note that it was beneficial in my case
(today, I can take courses at my own pace, without feeling
pressured... something that was impossible at age 18). 

--
Eric Lee Green    ..!{ames,decwrl,mit-eddie,osu-cis}!killer!elg
          Snail Mail P.O. Box 92191 Lafayette, LA 70509              
"We have treatments for disturbed persons, Nicholas. But, at least for
the moment, we have no treatment for disturbing persons." -- Dr. Island