Any
college course should increase your understanding of the subject matter of that
course. But there are other kinds of understanding which are also important
parts of the college experience. One of these is the enhanced understanding of
yourself – your abilities, limitations, interests, etc. – which should evolve
as a result of your participation in any college course. If you are actively
involved in the learning process, this result is almost inevitable.
Another
kind of understanding is that which must PRECEDE your effective use of the
opportunities you will have in college. Following are some things you should
understand to be successful in college.
I. The title of the person assigned to this course is “professor,” not
teacher. A professor is someone who provides students with the conditions for
learning, with the expectation that students will use the materials provided by
the professor to teach themselves, and seek help from their professor when
their own efforts are not sufficient. This system requires that you take an
active role in the process and not expect someone else to do for you what you
are not willing to do for yourself.
II. In order for you to be an effective
teacher for yourself, you will have to have:
1)
interest – that is, a curiosity about the world around you, and openness to new
information, an enthusiasm for new learning opportunities, a willingness to try
different approaches to the work before you;
2)
skills – for listening, taking notes, reading, asking questions, studying,
taking tests, organizing your time, researching information, communicating
effectively both in written and oral form, and using available technology;
3)
time – to provide the opportunity to both absorb and reflect upon the
information presented in this course;
4)
intolerance of your ignorance – a willingness to acknowledge and attack your
lack of understanding.
III. The grades in a course constitute
a RATING of your performance relative to the standards established by the
professor, not a RANKING of your standing in the class relative to everyone
else, and the grade you receive will be a reflection of YOUR performance in the
course, regardless of whether anybody or everybody in the class performed well
or poorly.
IV. The grade assigned to you in a course is a
reflection of your ACHIEVEMENT in the course, NOT:
1)
the amount of effort you expended during the semester, or
2)
the amount of money you paid for the course, or
3)
the grades you got in high school or other college courses.
V. One of the reasons why many employers require a college degree as a
prerequisite of employment is that they expect college students to have
developed habits and attitudes toward their work that will make them more
effective employees. Therefore it would not be in your best interest for your
professor to tolerate absence from class, sleeping in class, dishonesty,
tardiness, late submissions of assignments, sloppy or incomplete work, or any
other deficiencies of performance that would not be tolerated in the workplace.