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From: bph@buengc.BU.EDU (Blair P. Houghton)
Newsgroups: comp.edu,sci.math,sci.physics
Subject: Re: Student preparedness
Summary: This ain't as funny as it sounds.
Message-ID: <1828@buengc.BU.EDU>
Date: 3 Jan 89 20:45:34 GMT
References: <4893@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <6435@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> <5237@pdn.UUCP> <2145@faline.bellcore.com> <210@uncmed.med.unc.edu> <541@mccc.UUCP>
Reply-To: bph@buengc.bu.edu (Blair P. Houghton)
Followup-To: comp.edu
Organization: Boston Univ. Col. of Eng.
Lines: 24

In article <541@mccc.UUCP> pjh@mccc.UUCP (Pete Holsberg) writes:
>
>A fairly popular scheme based on handing out lecture notes is called
>"partial notes".  The instructor prepares lecture notes as usual but
>then deletes about 50% of what's there, leaving empty space.  This
>permits the student to take some notes but not all, and encourages
>preparation so that the student will know what's in the notes.  Pretty
>useful in a wide variety of courses.

A more popular scheme is called "partial lectures."  The instructor
prepares copious and confusing notes, then gives a lecture that only
manages to cover half of what is in the notes.  However, the student
is responsible at exam-time for "all of the material," and so spends
valuable time reading what is no doubt not understandable without
comment from the professor.  Manic students (I spent a semester and a
summer as one, so I know) will add library time investigating the
mysteries of the notes.  The professor, of course, expects all students
in _his_ course to be of the manic type.

This has happened in more courses than I can name.

				--Blair
				  "Although Bioelectromechanics
				   oozes to mind..."