Re: STUDENTS GO AWAY!!!!!!!??????

[mrbunny@mail.zynet.co.uk]

On 21 Apr 1997 23:18:21 -0400, dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar)
wrote:


>
>There are hundreds of schools teaching Ada (go check www.adahome.com for
>info), to thousands of students. if all of them posted questions about
>all their assignments, simple arithmetic shows that 99% of the messages
>on CLA would be from students. An analogy would be in a big lecture if
>students never read anything, and each asked dozens of qustions like
>"I couldn't be bothered to read about arrays, how do they work?" As
>in a lecture, you need to put in some work of your own (e.g. visit
>www.adahome.com and run one of the online tutorials created by hard
>work of some individuals contributing their time).
>
This paragraph makes some very broad assumptions.

One is that it assumes all students will not do their own research.
Yes there are some who will always take the easy way out, but the
reality is that these are a small minority. Students know that if they
are to have any future in their subject they must do their own
research and fully comprehend their subject, if only because once or
twice a year they will sit exams in which the only person to help them
will be themselves. 

Another assumption is that if students have a problem they will
immediately post a request for help in the Ada newsgroup, and not
consider other resources. If that were the case the newsgroup would
have by now seen a lot more studnet requests.

Finally it assumes that students have easy access to the equipment and
facilities to enable them to post to newsgroups. My experience is that
even computer students do not automatically have these facilities.
Whilst colleges offer the use of the Internet, e-mail is not normally
part of the available facilities as colleges are reluctant to provide
the uncontrolled use of their e-mail address. Otherwise anyone could
give the impression they were posting with the authority and status of
the college. The small minority of students in my class possess home
computers, simply because as students they cannot afford them, let
alone pay the cost of Internet subscription.

I find it difficult to agree that there is a plague of lazy students
just waiting to overload the Ada newsgroup if they are given half a
chance. 

I must also distance myself from these imaginary students who are
saying  "I couldn't be bothered to read about arrays, how do they
work?" My lowest assignment mark is 80% my maximum 100%, that 
does not come from not being bothered.

Mark.