This assignment started out by reading all the other students’ discussion board posts from unit 8 assignment 1. Following this, we had to remind ourselves of the best ways to respond to the posts of other students, by reviewing the course syllabus. Finally, we had to respond to 2 other students’ discussion board posts, including one student who had a similar solution to mine, and one student that had a very different solution than mine.
The first student I responded to was a girl named Subin, because I thought her proposed solution was the most similar to mine. She proposed pop quizzes in the middle of classes, so students would be less bored, and professors would get more responses. I proposed asking questions about course material but also asking questions about pop culture or other interesting topics, in which students can answer through a clicker or mobile phone. Both of our answers revolved around asking questions to students in the middle of the class, in order to engage students and satisfy teachers.
I discussed how I liked how her choice of quiz time, during the middle of the lecture, rather than at the beginning or end. In the middle, you do not know when it is going to happen, so the students would have to stay engaged. If it was at the beginning, students could take it, and then zone out, and if it was at the end, students could zone out for most of the class period.
I agreed that her proposed method would lead students to concentrate on classes more. When grades come into play, students take things more seriously, so having graded pop quizzes in class will lead students to be much more focused in class.
My one hesitation with her idea was that I wondered how this method would affect how students enjoy a class. For example, if a student is always worrying about grades and pop quizzes, they may be anxious in the class and may have associated that class with negative feelings.
The second student I responded to was a girl named Erin, because I thought her proposed solution was the least similar to mine. Her proposed solution was to shorten lectures to less than 40 minutes to ensure that no one gets too bored. My solution was to ask questions about course material and also ask questions about pop culture or other interesting topics, in which students can answer through a clicker or mobile phone.
Even though her answer is very different than mine, I agree that it would succeed in ensuring that no one gets too bored. I have also thought about that, because most of my lectures are 75 minutes long, and I have a hard time staying engaged for the complete duration of the class.
I liked that she also included that professors should be more interactive with the class, and limit the number of words they include on a slide. Being interactive is a great idea, as asking them questions or giving them time to discuss things with a peer can allow students to relieve boredom. Additionally, limiting the number of words is beneficial because it can allow students to understand concepts better, and in turn enjoy the lecture more.
I wonder why Universities have not at least attempted this solution she proposed, and I wonder when Universities will start trying since they have not really attempted it yet. If it could yield positive benefits of keeping students motivated and allowing the professors to be listened to, I think it is worthwhile to try!
Reflecting on this assignment, I thought it was a good idea to read through the posts of all the other students in the section. Not only did this remind me of the course material we were learning about a couple days prior, but it also allowed me to get to know the beliefs of different students a bit better. Without reading through other posts, often times I would not have had the opportunity to interact with some students. So, this allows me to make sure I get to know everyone at least in a minor way.
Additionally, I thought it was great to reply to one student with a similar solution and one student with a different solution. This type of assignment has been done in previous units, but I wanted to reiterate why I think this is a good idea. Replying to someone with similar beliefs allows you to build community and know that you are not the only one who thinks like you do. Replying to someone with different beliefs allows you to imagine things you may not have thought of before, and broaden your horizons.
This is another example of an assignment that is fairly simple, but still impactful. Allowing us to review recent material and also interact with others is a great combination, and made my time more enjoyable. I always like these type of assignments and look forward to experiencing more of them in the future!
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