Full Engagement

co-authored by: Merril Mullendore and Kim Arnold

Initially for our project we chose to address the issue of how to make college students want to come to class. We later wanted to discuss how to allow us to get more out of the classes we are in. So finally, after some research and meditation we realized there was a simple answer to both of these problems, hands-on learning. We followed that up with more in depth research of our new focal point and found the pros, cons, and ideas for introducing hands-on learning to more JSU classrooms.

College students around the country are learning differently than they use to. The boring lecture for three hours isn’t working anymore. Students get tired and burned out on class. What the classroom needs is hands-on learning. An employer would rather hire an experienced prospective employee. When students only listen to their professor, they do not get the experience necessary to play a vital role in the work force. College is a learning experience right? Well, let’s teach students with information and experience. Students will want to come to class if they get to take part.

There are many positive sides to having hands-on learning. Students really seem to capture the information. A Chinese Proverb says, “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” The method of hands-on teaching gives them lasting comprehension, not just short-term memorization. During lectures, information comes so quickly to students. It is pretty much going in one ear and out the other because so much is being told at one time. Hands-on allows them to not just listen about the subject, but experience how to use the subject. The sad part is lectures are the main way college students are taught. College students can’t process the information as quickly as the professor throws it out there.

Hands-on also allows the students become the creators. Students don’t like listing to a monotone professor, who they feel like they do not relate to. They also don’t like reading the big textbook that puts them to sleep. When they learn hands-on, they become interested. The students also feel they share the common interest with the professor. Students tend to do better in classes they are interested. When hands-on is involved they see the importance of the material. They learn skills that are important to them now and later. They also learn how to order their priorities. For instance, facebook does not come before taking an online test.

Hands-on learning will give students the experience and skills they need for the workplace. Students feel accomplished when they do their own experiments. Teaching is more effective when a student has to try something out to know if they really understand the material. When students understand the subject, they will be able to answer on-the-spot questions. They will also be able to apply the subject to everyday life and the workplace. Isn’t college all about becoming prepared for the work industry?

There are always two sides to every story. So, along with the positives effects also come a few negatives. The negatives are really based on the student. Hands-on learning could become a distraction to the students. That is where the student determines how they will spend their time. Maybe there is an instance where hands-on learning is taught without the logic and full teaching from the professor. The student wouldn’t be able to comprehend the material if the proper information wasn’t taught first. Hands-on learning should still be balanced with the old-style classroom teaching. The hands-on method preoccupies more time than a lecturing method.

 The benefits of hands on learning are obvious. Being able to retain the knowledge you are being taught and understand it`s applications is really the whole goal of a college course in the first place. If professors are willing to put in the effort, hands on learning can be added to any course in any number of ways and it has been proven to show incredible results. One way to add hands on learning to a course is to have the professor research online role playing games. Many can have real life applications that can help students to understand the subject matter by virtually “doing” what they are being taught. These games can teach you about social science, architecture, mathematics, economics, and many other real world topics. The entire class can be required to make an account and then be given assignments either individually or in groups that the professor can check from his or her own account.

Another way to make classroom learning more interactive is to have the professor break up the lecture. There are a number of ways this can be accomplished such as: letting the students watch a relevant video that shows the applications of what is being discussed, giving time for the students to practice what is being taught so they can figure out what they understand or don`t understand before they leave the class, asking specific questions so students can gauge how well they are comprehending the material, or opening the floor for discussion among the students rather than making the class an hour and a half long monologue by the professor.

Having two separate courses work together to solve a problem is another way to implement hands on learning. Making a course co-op would not only provide a sound understanding of the material and its applications, it would also encourage students to learn to work together and show how the subject matter in one class is connected to the subject matter in another. This could help show the relevance of all the courses that students must take and the benefits of learning a broad spectrum of subjects.

 One more way professors can make sure students are grasping the material they are being taught is by at the beginning of the class asking them what their learning goals for the semester are and what their confidence level in the subject is. This should be followed up by asking for regular, honest feedback about how well they feel they understood the section and how they feel their understanding could be improved while they are being taught the next section. This will allow the professor to make small changes throughout each semester so they can do the best job possible teaching that specific group of students.

If Jacksonville State University would integrate the hands-on learning method, major results would occur. More high school students would want to attend JSU. Word would travel that JSU is an interesting and fun place to attend classes. More starting freshman would see graduation day because they wouldn’t get so burned out on their classes. It would bring JSU into the twenty-first century. Finally, the teachers could be on the same page as the students. Students learn by doing, so let’s give them that opportunity! Our goal is to get college students to class and allow them to learn as much as possible while they are there.

REFLECTION

                                              photo credit: SonOfJordan via photopin cc
          In the short period of time I spent taking English 101 I have learned more about writing than I ever expected to. I assumed, like most freshmen do, that I would write several really long papers about subjects that didn`t matter to me and after they were graded they would look like a homicide crime scene. This class has been different than anything I ever expected. First of all, I learned what a blog was and how to create and publish my own which I thought was very cool from the beginning. Then I learned how to write for a much broader audience than I ever had before. One of the most important things to me was that I truly learned things about a subject that I had never given any thought before and I was able to give my own opinions instead of everyone else`s. It made me feel like what I was doing had a real meaning and was more than just an assignment. 
          
          In my post, College: Good or Bad , I discussed whether or not college was really all that everyone had promised. I was able to share many different viewpoints from a variety of sources and along with my own opinion. I feel I had a good mix of voices and that it gave the readers a thorough knowledge base about my topic. I also learned how to choose an image that not only added to the post but caught the reader`s attention and cite it properly. One of my favorite sentences from this post was, "There is no downside to college as long as you don`t miss out on it because you`re too busy rushing toward the end of it." I believe this statement summed up my thoughts really well and was a really good end to my post.

                                  photo credit: mezone via photopin cc                                           
          My absolute favorite blog post of the semester was,"I Don`t Follow, I Lead"! This is the post where I really found my voice. I had a very strong opinion about my topic and I feel like everyone who read it could tell how much I cared. While I was planning this post was when I realized exactly why I was here even though the odds are against me. 

"My goal, and I`m sure some of yours too, is to be a part of that future. I am getting an education, not so I can sit on the sidelines and wait until the game is won, but so that four years from now I can hit the ground running and be a player in this new world that is developing around us. I`m not just going to be a part of the future, I`m going to build it. That`s why I am in college, so I can have a foundation for my dreams. So my point to all of you is this: no, not everyone has a happy ending, but you can be that one in a million."

                                              photo credit: AlicePopkorn via photopin cc                                           This is one post that I am very proud to let anyone read because I feel that it was my absolute best.

          
          The last post I would like to discuss is,"Is College a Scam?" This was my revision post and I am very happy I chose this one. The first time I attempted to write about this topic I got very lost. The last half of it really didn`t even have anything to do with the topic. I did a very good job of going back and making my revision much more focused even though I used many of the same sources. I also discovered the topic of my capstone project in this post.

"Colleges don`t teach anything based on trial and error. There is only one right answer and one chance to get it. College students need hands on learning so they can see how the things they learn apply to real life. Colleges have their downfalls but they are a vital part of society, they just need to be reworked in order to keep up with the needs of their students."          

          
          Overall I feel my writing has developed a lot over the course of the semester and I am very happy that I chose the class that did. I don`t think my experience with English 101 would have been the same if I had been in any other. I am much more confident in my ability to write for an audience and really express my own thoughts. This class has proved to be more beneficial than I ever could have imagined.

Is College a Scam? (Why Do They Want Us To Go To College? revision)

          After doing more reading and thinking about the topic "Is College (Good) Enough?" I realized that I needed to redirect my questions from "Why Do They Want Us To Go To College?". My new questions are, does college teach us what we need to know? Who does college really benefit? And, is college good enough for everyone.

          So, does college teach us what we need to know? John Coleman doesn`t think so. He points out the bad habits that a learning environment like college plants inside even the most brilliant of minds. No matter how motivated or intelligent a new college grad is, they come out not fully prepared for a work environment. They look out for only themselves, are too perfection oriented, fear failure, and don`t understand true leadership. On the other side of that argument is Andrew Rotherham who explains that "...without a college degree, only 14 percent of Americans from the bottom fifth of parental income reach the top two fifths. But if they complete college, 41 percent of this same group can then expect to make it to the top two fifths." He then goes on to say that, "Children from low income families gain more by going to college than children of the wealthy lose by not going." I personally don`t believe that today`s colleges are teaching us what and how they should. We should be learning to treat our classmates as coworkers trying to achieve the same goal rather than being in constant contest with them and there should be more hands on learning so that we will know how to apply the ideas the courses are teaching us. At the same time I don`t believe that a college will ever be able to replace true experience.

          Who does college really benefit? This is a question that many people are asking now. They see tuition prices skyrocketing while the quality of education you receive at a university seems to be waning as the number of young adults attending college is at an all time high. A`s are now awarded to all average students and a college degree will be given to anyone who is willing to pay their tuition for at least 4 years. So what good does it really do you to have a piece of paper just like everyone else and nothing else to show for your time and money spent to get it. Noam Chomsky refers to this as a "vile maxim".  He points out that education is much cheaper in many other countries whether they are rich or poor and that the excuses made for the drastic rise in tuition rates are insufficient. He also tells about how many colleges are cutting programs in engineering, computer science, and nursing even though these are some of the few fields that are actually looking for new workers in this economy. I have also read many articles and blogs where tuition prices are being compared to the recently burst housing market bubble. According to Megan McArdle, "The average price of all goods and services has risen about 50 percent. But the price of a college eduction has nearly doubled in that time." So are the people in control of these universities really out there to educate people and add to society, or are they scamming us out of our money with useless degrees and nothing to show for our  effort? I don`t know but Rotherham points out that "...only 40 percent of Americans felt that colleges provided an 'excellent' or 'good' value for the money. At the same time, 86 percent of college graduates still felt the investment was a good one for them."

       
                               photo credit: Debbie Koenigs (probably outside) via photopin cc                           

          Is college good enough for everyone? The short answer is, no. Some people just don`t need college to achieve their goals. Some people are born with a passion or ability to do something that doesn`t involve a formal education. Others don`t get enough out of college to jump straight into the job market no matter how long they`ve studied a text book or how many tests they`ve taken. Then there are those who get exactly what they need out of their education. Then they can take their diploma and the basic skills they have learned and use that as a foundation to build a career on. Not everyone should go to college and I believe that less people should begin college just because they don`t know what else to do. College is not for partying, or escaping your parents, or "discovering yourself". It`s for getting an education so you can move on with your life. You shouldn`t just go through the motions of college without really knowing what you`re doing and what your goals are. According to The Case Against College Education, "40% of kids who enroll in college don`t get a degree within six years." Another factor to look at is how much the reward will outweigh the investment. According to Donald Marron in McArdle`s article, "If you`re in a position to be able to pay for education, it`s a bargain."

          So is college good enough? In some ways yes, it provides you with connections you may not be able to make anywhere else, it gives you a foundation of knowledge that you can continue to build on, and even though a degree is just a piece of paper in many career fields it`s the only option. On the other hand colleges don`t produce good employees. They have to be given a manual to know what to do and they lack the ability to turn what they know into something functional. Colleges don`t teach anything based on trial and error. There is only one right answer and one chance to get it. College students need hands on learning so they can see how the things they learn apply to real life. Colleges have their downfalls but they are a vital part of society, they just need to be reworked in order to keep up with the needs of their students.

I Don`t Follow, I Lead

          I read several of the essays in Share or Die but the one that really lit a fire inside me was "Unprepared From Elite College to the Job Market" by Sarah Idzik. You may can guess from the title that this was not the most uplifting thing that I have ever read, even though at the end of the essay she did talk about her hope for the future. She recounts her story from being a straight A high school student like so many of us are, to an unprepared college freshman where she finds her place very quickly, but then has to move on to the "real world" where its not all peaches and cream like she thought it would be. The only work she can find is a dead end job at a travel agency, and she can only barely make rent even though the work makes her miserable. Finally, she decides to quit her job and move to a new city where she can hopefully find her place in the world, but who knows, she could still be searching.

          After I finished reading this essay, at first I was very confused. I felt a little hopeless and I definitely had no idea what I could get out of that feeling to write about. Ever since I got to college I hear this same story told a million different ways. It was even a main point in the Presidential Debate Tuesday night. So once again I began to wonder, "Why am I even here if I`ll have the same future either way?" Then I remembered one small section of the essay that caught my attention as I was meditating on what I had read, "Out of everyone I knew, there was only one real success story - only one person who had secured a job in the appropriate field that set her on the career path she wanted." The second this sentence came to mind I knew that the one in a million who made it would be me. That`s why I`m in college learning and working toward a degree. I have a dream, don`t all of us? So why should we let the
      photo credit: deeplifequotes via photopin cc         possibility of failure hold us back? The "real world" is a tough and cruel place and the job market isn`t any better, but a few of us will make it. While most will give up the dream out of fear, and others will put it off until a "better time", some of us will push through and come out on top where we`ve always wanted to be. 

                                           

       
          In our english class we talk about the fact that the old jobs aren`t coming back, that the old economy is part of the past and a new one is on the way, the jobs that will be needed ten years from now are unknown to everyone at this point. That is why my sights aren`t set on getting an outdated job that there are fewer and fewer of every day. My goal, and I`m sure some of yours too, is to be a part of that future. I am getting an education, not so I can sit on the sidelines and wait until the game is won, but so that four years from now I can hit the ground running and be a player in this new world that is developing around us. I`m not just going to be a part of the future, I`m going to build it. That`s why I am in college, so I can have a foundation for my dreams.                      photo credit: BB2G_Images via photopin cc    Somy point all of you is this: no, not everyone has                                                                                   a happy ending, but you can be that one in a million. 

Why Do They Want Us To Go To College?

          When I began researching and learning about this topic, "Is College (Good) Enough?" I realized that I was finding more questions than answers. Does college teach us what we need to know? Is it really worth the price? And most importantly to me, is college the same amount of "good" for everyone?

          I`d like to start out by addressing the question, does college teach us what we need to know? There are many people who would argue both sides. John Coleman takes the side that it doesn`t. He points out the bad habits that a learning environment like college plants inside even the most brilliant of minds. No matter how motivated or intelligent a new college grad is, they come out not fully prepared for a work environment. They look out for only themselves, are too perfection oriented, fear failure, and don`t understand true leadership. Noam Chomsky concurs with his belief that we are educated the "right way: Limit their perspectives and understanding, discourage free and independent thought, and train them for obedience." But I`m not sure I agree with Chomsky about that. On the other side of the argument lie those who insist college is the only way to be educated. Most employers also lie on this side considering you are much more likely get a job with a college degree on your resume. I`m rather middle of the road on this issue. I believe that in most cases college gives you a basic foundation that you can build a career around. No, it can`t teach you everything but you have to start somewhere. In my case, no one would even consider hiring an engineer who didn`t know how to do higher level math. Nothing beats experience but most employers don`t want to teach you every detail of a job, they expect you to come in with the basics. On the other hand, many careers still don`t require a day of formal college education. If that`s the field you are pursuing then college cannot at all help you.

          My next question is, is it really worth the price? Years ago this was not a question at all. Of course that was back when the line between the cost of a college degree and the financial stability it promised in the future was a mile wide and before people were digging themselves into an unescapable hole of debt. Today, for many people, that line is very thin if it is still there at all. It is true that, while its hard for anyone to find a job right now, the unemployment rate for a college graduate is half that of someone who only has a high school diploma. The key word here though is "graduate". The number of college dropouts is growing just as fast the number of people attending, and the worst part is some of those dropouts are attending on borrowed money that they will never be able to pay back. According to The Case Against College Education, "40% of kids who enroll in college don`t get a degree within six years." But, with the influx in students, no matter how many graduate, came an influx in cost as well. According to Megan McArdle, "The average price of all goods and services has risen about 50 percent. But the price of a college education has nearly doubled in that time." Where there is money to be made someone will always find a way to take advantage of it. So my answer to this question is, yes it is worth the cost, but only for some people. Not everyone will benefit from going to college especially if they throw money into something they won`t finish. If you don`t have to go to college and you can`t afford it then don`t go.

          So this brings me to my final point, is college the same amount of "good" for everyone? My answer is, simply, no. Not everyone needs to or should go to college. College is not for partying or escaping your parents or "discovering yourself". Its for getting an education so you can move on with your life. If you aren`t going to put forth the effort to truly learn and earn your degree then you aren`t doing anyone any favors by going to college and throwing away money. If you are going through the motions of college without really knowing why you`re here or without having a goal then you should stop spending the money and figure out your plans somewhere else. You may end up choosing a career  that doesn`t involve a college degree and you`ll be happy you didn`t waste your time chasing something useless to you. Andrew Rotherham points out that "...only 40 percent of Americans felt that colleges provided an 'excellent' or 'good' value for the money. At the same time, 86 percent or college graduates still felt the investment was a good one for them." Again the key word is "graduate".

          My answer to whether or not college is good enough is that there is no specific answer. It depends on why you are in college in the first place. Do you really want or need to be there? Can you afford to be there? Are you wasting your time? Do you have a goal you are trying to reach? Each and every person has to decide for themselves whether or not college is good enough for them. They need to sit down and weigh the pros and cons of college for both them and the people around them. They also need to consider the financial burden and really understand if the pay off will outweigh the cost or if they will simply roll their debt off onto someone else.

          

College: Good or Bad?

          Before researching this subject I never knew anyone considered college a waste of time. What I have learned is that a person`s opinion about a college degree can vary as much as their opinion about the best movie ever made or anything else for that matter. Sometimes the people with the strongest opinions against a college degree are the actual graduates themselves. They feel that, in the end, the knowledge they gained was not worth the time, effort, or financial burden it took to gain it. Their degree either didn`t get them the job they wanted or didn`t fully prepare them for that job once they got it, and that was the sole reason they attended a university in the first place.

          In my opinion, the college experience is much more valuable than that. While some may argue that the things you learn in college are generally useless and that employers attach far too much value to a college degree, much like Doug Mataconis does in his article What Good is a College Education?, others counter that you get much more out of your time at a university than a degree. In Live and Learn: Why We Have College you can read about the function college serves in society. The author of the article, Louis Menand, provides two different views about the benefits of college which he explains as being separate, but I believe they coincide and are both equally true. He explains that college separates people by intelligence and aptitude according to an overall GPA and what field they earn their degree in. In his words, "College is essentially a four-year intelligence test." He also makes the argument that college develops better citizens, it teaches them social skills, and enlightens them to things they probably would not learn otherwise. In Mataconis`s article, he quotes Hans Bater who makes a direct contrast to this last statement. He claims that when polled, a person without any college education is more likely to know who his Congressmen are than someone with some. But another argument in Menand`s favor can be found in Professor: Value of College Extends Beyond Paycheck. In this article, Mike Rose makes the point that, "...having a functioning democracy requires having an educated citizenry." This seems to support Menand`s belief that, "There is stuff that every adult ought to know, and college is the best delivery system for getting that stuff into people`s heads", don`t you think?

          There are some who say that your opinion on college varies according to how you spent your time in college and why you chose to go to college in the first place. In Why Some Graduates Believe University Was a Waste of Time, Holly Higgins describes her findings when asking some college graduates about their experience. It shows that the people who took more time to enjoy college, learn socialization skills, and participate in extracurricular activities were much happier with their decision to earn a degree and more likely to encourage others to purse one themselves than people who earned a degree for the sole purpose of getting a leg-up in the work fore. What does this say to me? Enjoy college and make it a memorable experience instead of treating it as a nagging task that must be completed before reaching your final career goal and you will get much more out of college than a degree and a bunch of seemingly useless knowledge.

          In What is College Good for Anyway?, Nate Kornell Ph.D. asks college students about what they want to learn in college and what they would like to be learning if they were not working toward a degree. It turns out that the answers to these two questions were very different. Working toward a degree, students tended to take the bare minimum of courses required to earn that degree and their sole purpose was to get a good-paying job. When given the opportunity to take a course about anything they were interested in, students chose to learn things such as juggling or beer-brewing, or spent their time in South Africa. This, to me, provides an important perspective on how students should view their education.

                                         photo credit: Our Lady of Disgrace via photo pin cc

          My conclusion can be summed up like this: college is important and anyone who has the opportunity to attend should. A college degree is required for many jobs today and people with college degrees generally make more money than those without. Although the degree and a job based around that degree are the ultimate goal, the college experience should be just that, an experience. College students should take advantage of the social aspect of college by making lasting connections and learning how to interact with many different kinds of people. They should also get involved with extracurricular activities to make the time they have in between classes and studying enjoyable. College provides you with life-skills you may not learn anywhere else and it also gives a young person the chance to mature and become independent. There is no downside to college as long as you don`t miss out on it because you`re too busy rushing toward the end of it.

Why College Is For Me

          College has never really been a question for me. Ever since I knew what college was I knew I would be attending. My father always expected me to go to college, he always told me how much of a gift my mind is and he always pushed me to use it to the very best of my ability. If I had chosen not to attend college it would have broken his heart. When I was presented a full scholarship to his alma mater I could see the pride and joy on his face and it made the moment that much sweeter for me as well. I have always been a daddy`s girl so making him proud was a huge plus for going to college.

          My father was far from the only reason I wanted to attend college. Towards the end of high school I was ready for a big change in my life. I had grown up in the same small town going to the same tiny school with the same people I had known my whole life and I was sick of it. I could have gone to the junior college back in Pell City but I would have known over half of the people there and that was the last thing I wanted. I was ready to go to a whole new place with all new people. I loved the first day when I walked into a classroom and didn`t recognize a single person. It was a brand new experience and that is exactly what I was looking for. 

          I was also ready to move out of my parent`s house. I love both of my parents dearly but I was ready to mature and get on the road to independence. I chose a school that was far enough away from my hometown so that I didn`t know everyone but was close enough that I could see my parents on a regular basis. I feel that college is a wonderful stepping stone between being totally dependent on your parents and being totally dependent on yourself. College gives you a taste of the freedom and responsibility that you will face as an independent adult without drowning you in it.

           My final and most important reason for attending college is the degree. I am studying pre-engineering here at JSU and I will go on to get my bachelor`s and possibly master`s degree in aerospace engineering from another university. I want to work for NASA someday and I hope to have a part in designing a space shuttle, a satellite, or maybe even the next Mars Rover. You absolutely cannot do that without college. I have big dreams for my future and a college degree is key to achieving them. College may not be for everyone, but it is definitely for me.