Blog Assignment # 8

All posts are due by April 2nd, 10pm.
All comments are due by April 3rd, 9am.

1. Write for 10-15 minutes about writing a research paper and how it might be different from writing academic essays, which is what you have been doing so far this semester. Use examples to support your ideas.

2. Read your classmates' posts.

3. Comment on one post.

Yulia Smirnova Blog # 7

I think that hard classes are better. Because when you have easy classes,you don't study so well, you don't do your homework every time,you are always relax. However when you have hard classes all the time you try to make yourself better in these classes,try to understand everything, you do all your homework, try to do your best. I think so, because last semester I had harder that this semester. So I know that last semester was more active and difficult. But now I have more free time,I feel like I became a little bit lazier.I have more time to talk with my friends, to go out, to sleep, to eat. My life became slowly. Also last semester I studied more. So the first thing that I will do next semester I will take hard classes.

Andrew Kim "Assignment #7"

Harder class is sometimes frustrating, but it can be better for ourselves.

I'm taking American history class which is very challenging. In the beginning of semester, many of my friends asked me "Are you serious? Why don't you take that in another school?" The course that i'm taking is notorious for its huge amount of readings and writings even though it is 103 level course. Each week, I struggled with readings and most of time ended up with finish less than half of the assigned readings. I felt like being tortured first several weeks, because i couldn't say any words about the books in discussion class.

I was once thought about become historian, and was good at multiple choice world history. But everything was totally new to me in this short period of American history. It broke my arrogance and made me work hard. As a result, nowadays I feel like i'm learning something. Today i'm done with my history mid-term, which was divided into two day exam. (identification of terms on 3/17, three short essays and one long essays on 3/19.) It was my first all essay exam and was the hardest exam i have ever taken. I just wrote crazily and don't remember much about how i wrote it. But the important fact is that i wrote all the assigned essays, although i'm not sure about my score.

Xian Li's blog assignment #7

After taking a midterm exam, the topics we are talking in class recently become so vivid. I do not like a very hard class because it will not help the students understand the essence of the class. Just as our presentation, professors always require me to make things as simple as you could so that we can attract the audience’s attention. In order to make a class better, the best way is starting from something easy to understand and gradually adding challenges. Students like challenges but not too much at a time. Just as my examination today, I spent several days on reviewing. However, most of the questions are beyond the scope of our lecture notes. I confessed I was defeated and would pay more effort to the course. But I really felt scared of the course because it was that difficult. Therefore, I think “the harder, the better” is not correct, at least it should not be a guideline for teachers to give lectures.

Hongchul : Assignment #7

I am not sure that the harder class, the better class. Sometimes the hard class may urge lazy person to greater efforts, while it may discourage him from success in that class. It depends on circumstances. However, based on my experiences a certain level of laborious works considering student’s ability is necessary to succeed in the class.
First of all, it is common that most people are apt to delay their works if there are no limitations and constraints in the class. Strict grading is considered as one of constraints. When the teacher grades student’s works strictly, most students feel stressed about the grade. To get good grade they should be always on time to their class, keep the due data, and succeed in the test. To do so they can easily get the educational goal of the class. Meanwhile, it is observed that some students are lazy to do their class without any hard works and constraints in the auditing class. In this case, the hard class is beneficial to student’s work in their class.
On the other hand, if the class is too hard for students to keep up with the class, the hard class discourages most students from success in the class. When the students are not satisfied with their class due to the hard working, the efficiency of their works in class is too low so that they may not succeed in their class.
The Analects of Confucius says, “It is always safest to take the middle course.” I am sure that a certain level of laborious works within the student’s ability is indispensable for our class.

Vanessa Cruz Inoa Blog: # 7

All the class represents different vision of the education. In some time has class harder, class easy or class better compared with another’s. The class it is a methods of learning, a complement between student and professor. Some times also one class represents a student’s goal. I my own experience the class with harder are in the university are Statistics Analysis, class. The professors are excellent, she it is really nice person but the class material it is really harder. The understanding the process of the equation, memorizing and calculate the exercises aren’t easy and it isn’t my strength. For example to the class are necessary use computer program SPSS, I haven’t idea how use this program. . Oh my Lord, never in my life makes one course really difficult. The first test it is five pages, plus vocabulary definition of 7 words. For my important are learning in the class and understand the class material.

This it is an example of my own experiences, but really true for many students aren’t easy learn and understand some else class. The student development reflects the feed back of the class. The responsibility of improve, learn and discover are represent a compromise. Between the student and professor this is dependent of the class are good or bad the most important are the effort and dedication of both.

Javier Rodríguez "Assignment # 7"

Personally, I don’t think that harder class makes it a better class. As students we are accustomed to being stuffed with so much information. This means that most of the information that we received in school is imposed by our teachers. Furthermore, this type of education represents traditional ways of teaching. Today, many academics believe that education has the onus to prepare students to be able to answer objectives test which measure the capacity and success of each student. However, many educators think that harder test and harder facts helps students to improve their critical thinking. In some ways this information makes students lose their interest on class subject and incite them to don’t pay any attention to class which results in lower grades.

I think that educators are confusing challenging with memorization. Students with a better ability to memorize facts will do better in tests. Furthermore, in order to provokes commitment on students’ educators has to explain how these facts helps them to improve their knowledge and also how these facts can be applicable to their life.

In my own experience, I gain more interest on topics when they are related in some way to my live. If topics are not related to my interest why I should pay attention? In conclusion, a harder topic does not make a class better. In order to improve students achievements educators has the responsibility to illustrate that information in a different way to facilitate student’s understanding.