Survey Reports Students Slacking, Preparation Lacking

"College students' 'get away with' poor preparation," according to a November 10 USA TODAY article by Mary Beth Marklein.A recent survey of college students and college professors discovered a discrepancy between what professors require of their students and the reality of the student's work.

"Nearly one in five college seniors and 25% of freshman say they frequently come to class without completing readings or assignments, a national survey shows. And many of those students say they mostly still get A's," the article reported.

The National Survey of Student Engagement of 380,000 randomly selected freshman and seniors at 722 four-year colleges told the world what most college students already know. Students don't do everything they are expected. The real news for many is that they are getting away with it with relatively no academic repercussions.

When faced with the results of the survey, Carson-Newman Dr. Mark Hussung associate professor of music and head of the honors program said, "I was shocked that that many could not do the work and still get A's."

However, is this average the norm for Carson-Newman students or does this institution hold its students to a higher academic standard?

An informal survey of many C-N students revealed that these student's study habits were as varied as the students themselves. Will Hodgson said he shows up to class without completing the required reading or assignments "probably about 96% of the time."

However, Nathanael Mosher says he usually completes the work expected of him. During those times he doesn't Mosher said, "I can get by. Teachers don't even notice."

Associate professor of religion Dr. Wayne Ballard disagrees, " you can tell if they have read or not." Dr. Ballard sees a direct connection between the students' grades and the work they complete, but in today's busy world, Dr. Ballard knows that not all students work as much as he would like. "They have to cut something and sometimes that is school work," he said.

Dr. Ballard admitted that in his day, he was one of those 'just getting by.' "The opportunity for leaning is just so great. I could have leaned so much more," he said.

Dr. Brian Austin associate professor of philosophy also remembers slacking during his college years. "When I was in school I got by without ever cracking open a book and made A's. I will not do them the disservice that I was done," he said.

"We have a society that seemingly, over the years settles for mediocrity," said Dr. Ballard.

"I call myself lazy but actually it's efficiency, " said freshman Ah-reum Han.

With more activities, students are feeling pulled in more than one direction. Many students account this for the academic short-cuts.

"Professors can be pretty demanding. Professors want you to give all to their subject, but we have neither the mental capacity nor the time to do that," said Han.

"I am going for the least amount of input for the most output" freshman Kelsey Solomon admitted.

By skimming the top of what they 'have' to do, students have perfected the art of discerning between the work that is necessary to maintain their goal grade and the work they can skip without consequences.

"I expect students to spend at least the amount of credit hours they receive up to 50% more than credit hours." Dr. Austin said. This would mean approximately 4-4 hours spent hitting the books for every 3 hour class. For a student with a 16 hour load this would mean 20-30 hours a week reading and completing homework. Add sports, clubs, and a social life to the mix and this can lead to a very busy life.

"You make choices and juggle things," Dr. Hussung said.

"Learning is a two way street. Teachers have an obligation to teach well and students have to do their part," he added.

Many professors believe that students today don't know how to study.

"They are not in the habit of studying. Most high schools, at least around here, don't require a lot of outside work," Dr. Austin said. This leads to students unprepared for the level of work required of them in the college setting.

However, is this the professor's responsibility to hold students accountable for completing their work, or is it merely up to the students?

"I think we have the responsibility to try," said Dr. Ballard. For example, Dr. Ballard holds weekly quizzes over the required reading. "I do this because if I didn't, students just wouldn't read," he said.

Certainly students on Carson-Newman campus 'just get by,' but a majority of professors remain invested in their students' success and do their part to keep students accountable. So whether or not the students pay for their short-cuts today, many Carson-Newman professors believe that 'tomorrow' they may.