ASK FOR HELP DAMMIT

[Hyndis]

In my experience so long as you show up for every class, ask questions during class, and ask for help if you still need additional help, its nearly impossible to fail a class.

Of course, most of life is just showing up. Perhaps this is the lesson students really should be learning rather than the topic of whatever class it is they're failing.

[Ophbalance]

In my experience so long as you show up for every class, ask questions during class, and ask for help if you still need additional help, its nearly impossible to fail a class.

Of course, most of life is just showing up. Perhaps this is the lesson students really should be learning rather than the topic of whatever class it is they're failing.

I'll take that bet. Back in the mid 90s when I was in college, Penn State lumped their CS program under the school of engineering. This had the unfortunate effect of meaning CS majors were required to take 4 years of physics and 4 years of calculus. I, being a CS major that was both an admin and programer, was not overly fond of this arrangement.

Our level 1 calc program was... hell. The profs job, and he was damn GOOD at his job, was to flush out folks that really didn't want to be math majors. I attended every class. I attempted to study in groups. I bought the $400 course book TWICE (took the class twice, the changed the book between semesters... which is a whole other rant). My problem with this class? The tests didn't resemble the class time, nor the book source material, nor our study groups. You had to make mental leaps that I just could not adjust for in order to grasp the tests.

The physics classes were pure boring ass lecture. In a dark windowless room. Did I mention they were morning classes? I fall asleep in these type of settings, no matter the amount of Mt. Dew I drink. It's been that way since I was in high school and continues to this day. I have way to combat it effectively, or at least not that I've found.

Now, throw me into a hands on program? I'm your guy. I'll learn quickly, and retain most of it. Stick me in a lecture hall with exceedingly boring source material? Forget it.

[RootedPhoenix]

What's sad to me in the above situation is that that material doesn't have to be snore-inducingly dull, but the wrong people always manage to do that. >_<

[KhirasHY]

I fall asleep in these type of settings, no matter the amount of Mt. Dew I drink. It's been that way since I was in high school and continues to this day. I have way to combat it effectively, or at least not that I've found.

Now, throw me into a hands on program? I'm your guy. I'll learn quickly, and retain most of it. Stick me in a lecture hall with exceedingly boring source material? Forget it.

I've had a somewhat similar problem in that I am not a morning person, not even remotely, so early classes tend to make me fight sleep. It doesn't help that I work the graveyard, so my "ideal time" isn't exactly offered in the classroom. I always recorded all of my classes (just in case I nodded off, and because I take notes like an idiot in shorthand, then forget what I meant by the notes), but I'd also ask each professor if they minded me occasionally standing during the lecture if I felt my focus waning. I tended to be the guy who sat in the front row, so they just asked me to sit off to one side if they thought I'd be needing to move a lot, and it worked out just fine.

Of course, the classes I'm in are usually History-oriented, and I find those fascinating to begin with (I want to be a History teacher). When I get into math classes though...I'm screwed there. It's always been my worst class, and I've forgotten 100% of the algebra I once knew. It's going to take a modern day miracle to get me to pass those classes, but dammit, I was totally right in high school when I mentioned that I would never use algebra again outside of a classroom. Haven't needed it yet in the world!

[Ophbalance]

What's sad to me in the above situation is that that material doesn't have to be snore-inducingly dull, but the wrong people always manage to do that. >_<

You'll find no disagreement here. Give me some Neil Degrasse Tyson and I'm hooked. Put it in a format like Discovery, and I'll glean tons. Make it relevant to the average students world and I'll wager it'd be far more interesting.

And realistically, unless you're going into a field that requires real world formulas and computations, most of the more advanced maths is overkill. I don't do ASM. The lowest level code I ever touched has been AS/400 CL, C, BASIC, etc. My main focus is HTML/CFML and I've done fine without phys/calc for the last 12 years in the field. But that's just me .

[lineswine]

And then there's the other type of student who wants to get everything handed on a golden plate, only to complain that the plate wasn't made from rose gold.

Oh, you mean athletic scholarships - the ones they give to jocks with room temperature
I.Q.s?

[PandaHat]

I once missed the deadline for an essay. It was due in by 4pm on a Friday, I thought it was due in for the following Wednesday, realised my mistake around 5.30pm Friday. Ooops. We drop down a grade point (i.e. from A1 to A2 or B3 to C1) for every day late it is. So I finished it by midday on Saturday, uploaded the electronic copy and went to hand in the paper copy to the office. Not just the office but the entire building was locked up. No way to hand it in. So I emailed a PDF to the markers and CC'd the course organisers explaining my mistake. I also handed in a paper copy before 9am on Monday.

I was then informed that because I couldn't hand in a physical copy for Monday, it was going to be counted as 3 days late rather than one. Which meant it would be physically impossible to get anything higher than a B1 for that project. I contested. I was happy (for a given definition of happy) to lose one grade point. After all it was me that made the mistake. But to lose 3 automatically just because it was over the weekend? Not cool.

Ultimately, I think I got no deductions, but due to the exceptional circumstances form I had handed in for everything else going on rather than because I had successfully fought their stupid system.

[gremcint]

Oi, assignment due yesterday, my office hour and extra lab are both on monday several hours apart. Student never asked for help. Got extension from prof and is now asking to meet me on thursday for extra help. He's lucky I already have to go in on thursday, I'm really tempted to tell him no.

[wolfie]

Oh, you mean athletic scholarships - the ones they give to jocks with room temperature
I.Q.s?

Am I correct in assuming that England uses the metric system, i.e. room temperature would be measured in degrees Celsius, rather than degrees Farenheit?

[Chromatix]

As far as temperature is concerned, I think Celsius is indeed more common than Fahrenheit these days. For many other things, England still uses Imperial measurements.

However, England also doesn't really do the "athletic scholarship" thing either.

[lineswine]

Yup, I.Q's in the low 10's...a.k.a. retards.