Ask yourself this question. "How do I study for a class? More precisely, how do I get an A, or just a good grade (well, OK, a passing grade) for a class?" Here is one answer:
"Studying? What studying? All I need to do is commit to memory everything the Instructor said in class, what is printed in the textbook, listed on the syllabus, outlined in the handouts, attempted in the laboratory experiments, and rumored to be on old exams (all on the night before an exam). I then merely regurgitate it on the relevant exams. Wait. That's too much effort, unless I'm going for a top-of-the-class A+ (and who needs that?). For an A, I need only an A-. That means I can reduce my effort by 10%, mostly on attendance of the class lecture. Even better would be a 20% cut, that way I can skip the Monday morning or Friday afternoon classes, but make up for it by laughing loudly at the Instructor's jokes and stories or volunteering what I think are coherent and relevant questions in class when I do attend. A grade of B for the course is even easier, since then I can neglect to do a few homework assignments, miss a lab or two, not to mention an exam, or take off a whole week or more for deer hunting or that special October (February) vacation. And a B still looks almost as good on a transcript, I hear. On the other hand, that still requires a lot of effort. A C will let me count that class for the Major, enough to graduate. Anyway, it's worked before, it'll work again. Right?"
All right, I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get the idea. Even so, if I were to reply to the above paragraph, I would say ...
"WRONG! Not in a Physics, Engineering, or Mathematics class (and a lot of other courses, too), at least not if the Instructor has any professional integrity with respect to her teaching and her evaluation of students' understanding of and skill in the subject. (I'm not exaggerating now.) There is not one thing correct in that Paragraph that would help you get a passing Grade, let alone acquire an Understanding of the Subject of that Class."
Does my response come as a shock to you? It certainly would be a surprise to a lot of college students today. (Note: I'm not talking about cheating or behavior unbecoming a serious student. That is a question of Ethics, the topic of a different essay.) There are at least eight Wrong Ideas about studying in that paragraph. I will address all of them, in no particular order. Along the way, I'll be addressing the most common Complaint that I, and most other Science Instructors, have received over the years from Non-Science Majors taking a Lib Ed Science class: "I get A's and B's in all my other classes, but I'm struggling to get a C in this class," or "This is the hardest class I've ever had!"
"Studying? What studying? All I need to do is commit to memory everything the Instructor said in class, what is printed in the textbook, listed on the syllabus, outlined in the handouts, attempted in the laboratory experiments, and rumored to be on old exams (all on the night before an exam). I then merely regurgitate it on the relevant exams. Wait. That's too much effort, unless I'm going for a top-of-the-class A+ (and who needs that?). For an A, I need only an A-. That means I can reduce my effort by 10%, mostly on attendance of the class lecture. Even better would be a 20% cut, that way I can skip the Monday morning or Friday afternoon classes, but make up for it by laughing loudly at the Instructor's jokes and stories or volunteering what I think are coherent and relevant questions in class when I do attend. A grade of B for the course is even easier, since then I can neglect to do a few homework assignments, miss a lab or two, not to mention an exam, or take off a whole week or more for deer hunting or that special October (February) vacation. And a B still looks almost as good on a transcript, I hear. On the other hand, that still requires a lot of effort. A C will let me count that class for the Major, enough to graduate. Anyway, it's worked before, it'll work again. Right?"
All right, I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get the idea. Even so, if I were to reply to the above paragraph, I would say ...
"WRONG! Not in a Physics, Engineering, or Mathematics class (and a lot of other courses, too), at least not if the Instructor has any professional integrity with respect to her teaching and her evaluation of students' understanding of and skill in the subject. (I'm not exaggerating now.) There is not one thing correct in that Paragraph that would help you get a passing Grade, let alone acquire an Understanding of the Subject of that Class."
Does my response come as a shock to you? It certainly would be a surprise to a lot of college students today. (Note: I'm not talking about cheating or behavior unbecoming a serious student. That is a question of Ethics, the topic of a different essay.) There are at least eight Wrong Ideas about studying in that paragraph. I will address all of them, in no particular order. Along the way, I'll be addressing the most common Complaint that I, and most other Science Instructors, have received over the years from Non-Science Majors taking a Lib Ed Science class: "I get A's and B's in all my other classes, but I'm struggling to get a C in this class," or "This is the hardest class I've ever had!"
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