By: Cristina Miralles / Contributing Writer
According to The Huffington Post, a study conducted on more than 2,300 undergraduate students showed that 45 percent of them performed poorly in areas such as critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing. I think there are different reasons that explain why students do not learn enough about these areas in college. Among these, are having unqualified professors, technology and the involvement in extracurricular activities.
Having unqualified professors contributes to the reason why students may not have a positive learning experience in college, especially when some courses are taught by the professor and the teaching assistant. I think there should only be one person teaching each class, because more than one person communicating the same information will only confuse the students.
Another thing I have noticed is that a lot of the professors are just as lost as some of the students. Sometimes, they seem like they do not know what they are talking about and give out a lot of information that does not make sense.
For example, I had a professor who would constantly change the syllabus and let the students change her mind. Her grading and assignments on Blackboard were never up to date, and she would have to pause after each sentence to look at the book, as if she didn’t know what she was talking about. To me, this is an unqualified professor. Instructors should not have to look at the book every other minute like they have no idea what to say next.
After gaining some college experience, I have seen that another reason many students do not learn is because of technology. When you walk into a classroom in most universities today, you notice that almost every student has a laptop. While the professor is teaching, many students, are on Facebook, watching videos and even emailing other professors and completing assignments. Some think they are able to multitask but, in reality, it is hard to do more than two things at once.
Technology today takes over many aspects of our lives. Students do not have to put in a lot of effort to research a particular topic. All they have to do is go to Google, type in what they are looking for and then receive over 100 results.
Being a part of extracurricular activities and having off-campus jobs can also be reasons why students do not learn much today. Many students join more than one club or organization and lose track of their studies. Having an off-campus job is difficult, since most of the time students have to choose their classes according to their work schedule.
Sometimes, it may come to a point where the student is so overwhelmed and tired that he does not feel like completing any assignments. This leads to failing courses, falling asleep in class and possibly having to repeat a course or two.
I found it interesting that The Huffington Post talks about part of its research being based on giving students a standardized test in order to see what level they reach. As a result, they found that the average student scores increased by seven percent from Fall 2005 to Spring 2007. In my opinion, students’ knowledge should not be based on the results of a standardized test. I, for one, am a good student with good grades, but I struggle with test taking, and I am sure this is the case for many others.
Going to school takes time and dedication, and I think these are two big factors that take a part in academic performance and learning. Having an off- campus job, taking three classes and being part of a club will hold you back a little.
College is a main step toward achieving your final career, and it takes a lot of effort to complete. However, every student is different and has a different lifestyle and way of learning, so generalizing based on test scores does not provide accurate results.
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