Do you prefer to be challenged or just sail through getting your degree?

[soliloquy]

I'm not saying that this instructor is calling our class a bird class but it did make me think about creating this thread.

Here's one instructor's philosophy on teaching at COSC.

Here's my philosophy on how to make this class and your general educational experience both worthwhile and enjoyable:

HAVE FUN WHILE LEARNING!!!

Really?!

Yes, really. You’ll find that the more fun you have in class, the more you’ll learn. The more you bring your personal experiences into the assignments, the more you’ll think, the more you’ll enjoy the work, and the more you’ll learn.

Some of you know me so you can likely skip the rest of this announcement.

Others who are new to my style should know that I sometimes ask unusual questions, at least unusual in the sense that the questions will differ than what is usually asked in school.

The design is to ENGAGE you. I don’t want you to just go through the motions. I want you to bring some passion to your answers.

I also want to minimize stress.

Tough grading and tough teachers have their place in our educational system. I attended an Ivy-league law school. While some of the professors were nice, the majority were stern taskmasters who asked questions in a way that really challenged students. It is debatable whether that type of teaching is good in any capacity (as most of my classmates were one step away from a nervous breakdown!) but, at least in the context of training soon-to-lawyers who would be walking into demanding courtrooms, corporate board rooms, and law firm partner’s offices, the boot-camp mentality is defensible.

For adult students who are heroically going back to school… not so much.

You guys/gals are awesome just for being here. I’ll comment further as the course goes along. But, basically, you are putting yourself out there, doing your best, lifting yourselves, all while working, being a parent, taking care of parents, and dealing with the rigors of adult life.

While I will comment on grading as we move along, I want everyone to RELAX and focus on learning and having fun while doing so.

Agree with his philosophy or disagree? Thoughts?

[AngelaP]

I agree with him. He doesn't state that his class is going to be easy, but yet that if you are enjoying yourself you will learn more. If you are engaged, you are learning more. I took a literature class many years ago and really thought I would do poorly in the class. However, the teacher engaged me, which made me want to learn and do better, which I did. I feel the instructor's attitude towards the class and their students has a bearing on how well the class will do as a whole. You can be challenged, but yet feel you are sailing through at the same time.

[sanantone]

As long as there isn't any busy work. For-profits and non-traditional colleges tend to give out a lot of busy work to give the appearance of being rigorous. If the assignments don't facilitate relevant learning and intellectually challenge the student, then they are just tedious, not rigorous.

[Yanji]

Sounds like a great instructor to me. Enjoy the class!

[ronaldemail1]

Sounds like a great instructor to me. Enjoy the class!

I hope tha I am not off topic.

Like many here, I had the misconception that an online degree was going to be the easy equivalent of sailing through peaceful waters.
After I finished my Associate and my Bachelors. I have a completely different perspective.

Things may appear easy but they are not. The amount of time studying and learning each course became as demanding and in certain occasions
more demanding than dealing with a brick and mortar institution. You learn to have a very good conscience of your advantages and shortcomings,
and then how to apply them towards your studies. (this may happen in a brick and mortar too, but if you study online or in go to class, everything
is still up to the student, there is still no easy method to convert you into a professional).

[cstock]

This sounds like a great class to me. Also, it may still be tough. Good luck

[UptonSinclair]

It sounds like this instructor is more interested in teaching than proving how smart he/she is.

[soliloquy]

It actually has been a great class so far. It's a constitutional law class. He doesn't have any particular format for assignments, he's not requiring any specific type of citations such as MLA, APA, or Blue. That part is refreshing. But, right off the bat the discussion board problems were very interesting and thought provoking. I'm actually finding this to be a breath of fresh air. I have taken constitutional law classes before except they were CLE's and not credit classes and I had to study the constitution pretty thoroughly to pass my CP exam so this isn't brand new to me. But, still...it is thought provoking and I like that part of it. I still wanted to know what the consensus was here...do you prefer challenging or to sail through...no one has answered that question. LOL

[UptonSinclair]

I believe it is going to be tough to get an answer. Your question assumes a binary answer to an analog situation. I prefer to be challenged with relevant information properly taught. I despise courses that attempt to be constructivist by leaving out information in an attempt to manufacture aha moments. Many instructors seem to think a lack of teaching equates to rigour.

[LaterBloomer]

Sanatone's view about "busy" work didn't ring true for me. When I entered college (B&M) years ago, the professors treated us like children, and I felt that we had to "do" things just to do them. When I'm in a class where a professor knows he's dealing with adults, s/he tends to get to the point and not add busy work. That's my experience.

What is challenging? Do I want to be challenged? Depends. If it's learning something about history, law, politics, or business, I'll stay at something that's hard because I find the topics fascinating. Since I hate logic, math, and writing, I'm STILL nine credits away from a BSBA -Gen Mgmt (and have been stalled for a year), because I find stats, col. alg., and the thought of the writing necessary for a strat. mgmt. test/course overwhelming. So, no, for those topics, I don't want to be challenged! I want easy-peasy!