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Easily distracted during lectures
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by mat16 | March 12, 2009 at 01:02 am
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If you sit at the back of the lecture hall of Simon Fraser University's Surrey campus, during a lecture you might see a variety of things on the screens of various student's laptops. Some of them have word, or another program that they use to take notes with, while others are often on sites completely unrelated to what the professor is talking about. I should know, after all... I also get tempted by the internet and browse around on Facebook or I log onto MSN, "just to see if anyone else is on", or so I tell myself. This usually has a snowball effect, and after going on Facebook, it can't hurt to check if any of the online comics I read has updated... can it?
Unfortunately, yes it can. While it may be true that some professors post up slides of their lectures, students who get absorbed in their internet activities miss out on information that helps to strengthen their understanding of their course. Not only this, but they also miss out on information that might not be related at all to the slides but their assignments. While they could just ask a classmate afterwards, they'd be in trouble if no one else was paying attention also!
After consulting a few of my fellow students about why they didn't pay attention during lectures, the most common answer was "If it seems boring, then I can't really help but lose interest and tune it out." I found myself agreeing with what they were saying. Even though I try hard to pay attention at the start of my lectures, part way through the lecture my attention wanders, and I find it harder and harder to stay focused on the subject. Then the temptation of the internet kicks in, and I find it harder and harder to say no.
Some professors say that going onto Facebook and MSN is not allowed. However, that does not stop students. I wonder, if the professors actually caught a student not paying attention and punished them, would students work harder on keeping their focus? Would they start to become more sneaky at hiding their browsers and applications?
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (1)
at 11:22 on March 16th, 2009
Seeing those students are paying for their own education, university is more for self-discipline. The professors are paid to educate, not to babysit.
The problem is that they do not see the consequences because they believe they are still young or plan goals without effort. For those thinking of girlfriends or boyfriends, you are probably not ready. They are very time consuming (which can be refocused at education) and sometimes costly (your parents are not going to fund you forever). At the very least, try this quiz first at www.okcupid.com.
Now assume the students are currently nineteen and most people live until about eighty. While they have used twenty percent of their life, in a relative point of view, usually a maximum of ten percent of those years are used for post-secondary.
Example:
For most students, it requires four years; however, if they are on academic suspension, it would require at least one year to return back. Students will then be back at square one (first year) with now reduced a courseload. The years required in university will also increase because of need of funding (work). There would be a time where the cost at university will be equal to the costs of society. This will cause two choices: to make a last ditch effort to finish education or work unskilled and underpaid.
If the students do not control themselves, the nature of our society with time would harshly discipline them into reality.