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2.2 Discussion Board I: Reflection (Required to earn certificate)
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Posted by CUNY Mindset Initiative on March 11, 2024 at 10:58 am💬 Discussion:
- What is the purpose of higher education? What is its value? What are your thoughts on requiring students to take General Education courses outside their chosen field of study? What purpose does it serve? What is its value?
- What are your thoughts on the sentiment that some students bring motivation with them into their learning & some do not; where does the responibility lie when it comes to student motivation? What is the relationship between student engagement & student motivation?
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The purpose of higher education is to provide the space and prompting to allow students to find their own voice, think critically, be able to understand the larger world around them and express their experiences in an organized and coherent manner. I think General Ed. courses provide a framework to see how the pieces fit together and make a more well-rounded student. General Ed courses are essential in allowing students to organize their thinking for their chosen field of study and apply the time management, study and research skills they should be provided in the General Ed. classes.
My first question to students…Why are you here? What do you want to learn? Why are you taking this course? Most people are in school without understanding their why and following a plan set out for them. The key to engagement and motivation is helping people find their why and not being compliant because they want to please their parents or find a good job. As life unfolds if you are not aware of your choices, the ability to discern and find your why becomes increasingly more difficult. It is our duty as educators to facilitate students in finding their why and passion.
For most, but not all students, I think their answer to the question of the purpose of higher education would be related to being able to choose a career of their interest and to be economically secure. This seems to be true now more than ever. As others have said, taking courses outside of their major opens up their minds and worlds and broadens their skill sets, all of which are important in the world of work, and in life in general.
The responsibility lies of course with both the educator and the student in terms of motivation. Some students come to class highly motivated and interested in the subject. Others are motivated simply by getting a good grade and not necessarily interested in the learning process or the subject. And then the motivation to learn of others has been completely sapped before walking into the room. I think our job is to ensure our classes are interesting and to also show the relevance of the subject to the lives of the students. This is easy for me in my personal and community health classes. However, a boring lecture is a boring lecture and even if the subject is relevant, it needs to also be presented in an interesting way. Active engagement of students is required to motivate them! Some students are going to be present no matter what, and others not present no matter what. It is our job to try to engage those in the middle, and to move those who are not present a little closer to being present with a diversity of engagement strategies and techniques. I like the strategy of giving the students the role of contributors of knowledge rather than consumers of knowledge. I want to do that better.
Higher education’s primary goal is to provide students with the necessary skills to secure employment and cultivate a sense of civic engagement. Higher education offers numerous advantages, including financial stability, knowledge, skills, and attitudes that empower individuals to contribute positively to their communities.
General education courses play a crucial role in equipping students with a diverse skill set that is essential for thriving in a professional environment. These courses not only broaden students’ understanding of subjects beyond their major but also provide practical skills that are directly applicable in the professional world. For instance, learning a foreign language like Spanish not only enhances linguistic abilities but also offers cultural insights and the potential to serve as interpreters when needed.
From my experience, I’ve observed that student motivation levels can vary and are often influenced by their cultural backgrounds and upbringing. However, I firmly believe that educators play a crucial role in nurturing motivation. By creating an inclusive learning environment where all students feel comfortable and supported, educators can foster participation without the fear of judgment, thereby enhancing student motivation.
Student engagement and motivation are closely intertwined. When students can connect their learning content to their interests, hobbies, family, or community, they are more likely to recognize its relevance and importance, leading to increased motivation and a desire to explore and master the material.This approach is quite intriguing. Understanding the “why” can significantly impact how students react when encountering challenges. Last semester, I provided my students with a logo for their devices that read, “Remember why you started.” This served as a reminder whenever they were tempted to give up, remember the” why,” and despite the challenges, they have not mastered the task “ Yet”. When students understand why they are enrolled in the course and see the purpose and relevance of the content, they tend to engage more with the material and cultivate a stronger sense of community in the classroom.
When teaching a foundational course that might not feel directly relevant to a students’ career goals, I do try to emphasize any aspect of the course content that might be applicable to the science that is topical and discussed in the news. However, there will certainly be topics that students find abstract and unrelevant. Because I personally find my course content fascinating, I do try to remind myself that students might not feel the same way and I do feel responsible for showing them why something is important and interesting and motivating them to work hard. I agree with others that student engagement and motivation are related and can be enhanced by creating a classroom environment where students can interact with me, other students, and the course content through interactive activities.
“No habrá desarrollo sin educación, ni progreso sin cultura.” (There will be no development without education, no progress without culture.) Alberto Assa
I tell my students they are privileged because they study at the university. There are more opportunities for higher education here than in my country. The benefits are enormous in every way, and although they may not see them now, they will discover them little by little. I mention the financial advantage once they enter the working world of their career and the change or improvement in their thinking skills.
I often share with my students how a typing course I took during my undergrad led to a good job and how an anthropology class, which was a requirement, opened up a whole new world of knowledge for me. I stress that the classes they are taking now will undoubtedly be of great value in their future, contributing significantly to their analytical skills and society.
I taught a Reading in Contemporary Spanish-American Literature course, and I asked the students what the course would help them with because I knew they were taking it as a requirement. They gave me the reasons: to learn to write better, to expand their vocabulary, and to impress family and friends, among others.
As for motivation, speaking about my experience as a student, the instructor’s attitude towards the subject and the students is essential to attracting and engaging students.The purpose of higher education is to broaden a person’s informational horizon, widen their imagination, stimulate their curiosity, and deepen their expertise. Taking classes outside of one’s chosen field of study, in my opinion, is valuable and shall continue to be required. However, the content of the courses and their pedagogical structures need to be designed and presented in such as way that is challenges students to think beyond the familiar but also not lose sight of the practical. As such, higher education must continue to change to serve its students well. Such change is one of the elements needed to motivate and engage students. It is a hard balance to find, but a necessary one.
I think one of the many purposes of higher education is to challenge our perceptions of the world–who we are, who those around us are, and what’s out there. It may also have something to do with specific, vague or unformed interests or goals that we have for the future. Anyone who has spent any amount of time in a classroom knows that motivation is pretty relative. Some students are motivated to learn, some are motivated to reach a goal (like a job), and others are motivated to get out of the house. When I was an undergrad, I was motivated to go to college because that was the thing to do. I chose a major because I was overwhelmed with the choices and went with what was familiar. Was I motivated to pursue it? I never questioned it. No one challenged me to question it. I own that though. Given that developmental stage of my life, I did my best to get by. I think of this when I teach students. I ask them questions, in person or through assignments, that asks them about their motivation and goals. It’s not my responsibility to motivate students, but I do think I can plant seeds by asking questions, offering courses aimed at engaging students in what matters to them, and connecting them to opportunities and resources that will support them and challenge their perceptions of the world.
Higher education, from my point of view, opens and trains the mind to appreciate, understand, and study culture. I know that many students will disagree, and think of higher education as something more practical, and I understand that too. Our students need to know, and deserve to know, that their years of work will add up to a comfortable life. It’s value is that one gains perspective and can communicate and critique effectively. I do believe that students should take general education courses; we should learn about the world, its histories, how the physical world functions, how the mind and its curiosities function. Its value is that a well-educated population can better take care of human lives. Also, a life of the mind is very rewarding and critical thinking is essential.
I agree that some students are more motivated than others. I believe both students and educators are responsible for maintaining motivation, but I also believe we should not depend too much on it. Having motivation, a reason why we do the things we do even when they’re challenging is helpful, but we also need a plan for how to get work done, how to meet challenges even when we don’t feel like it. Having strategies for maintaining self-discipline even when our motivation is low is very helpful. One of those strategies might be to look for ways to find satisfaction that might not be easily imagined.
Thank you Tim Leonard for organizing the breakout room (Purpose) and I agree with what was said. I agree with Angela Padila (Physics) that is our responsibility to motivate the students.
I feel that the purpose of higher education goes well beyond simple job training. It also gives students the tools to become critical thinkers, which is an invaluable skill no matter what field the student eventually enters. Without taking a political stance (I promse!) we can all see how the lack of critical thinking has affected the US in recent years (as well as throughout history in general). I know it’s a cliche, but I do believe that college teaches students HOW to think, not WHAT to think.
I think gen ed courses are absolutely necessary! Far too many students want to “rocket” through a degree and take no classes that don’t directly relate to their field of study. On a very pragmatic level, this means that if a student later switches careers, they may have to go back to college to learn the necessary skills! On a more humanistic level, this means that students are not exposed to a wide range of information and viewpoints. A gen ed US history class helps a student understand the underpinnions of origins of the current US situation. A gen ed English course not only helps students communicate effectively but also exposes them to the experiences, opinions, and stories of people from all times and places, which IMHO is invaluable in developing empathy. It’s true that empathy is not a resume item nor an interview question, but I believe it is a very important part of being a thoughful person who lives an “examined” life.
What are your thoughts on the sentiment that some students bring motivation with them into their learning & some do not; where does the responsibility lie when it comes to student motivation? What is the relationship between student engagement & student motivation?
I think those of us with a few years’ experience in the classroom have definitely come across a wide range of motivations when it comes to students. I have had excellent students who do not seem particularly motivated to learn history but are motivated to get a good GPA. On the other hand, I have had super interested and motivated students who seem genuinely engaged in the classroom but can’t get it together logistically to be a successful student. So I don’t think there is a simple response when it comes to engagement and motivation. I do feel like it is the professor’s responsibility to harness these different kinds of students/learners – and to have the flexibility and willingness to adapt to differently-motivated students.
Student engagement and student motivation are clearly connected but not the same thing since you can have some of one, less of the other, a lot of both, or very little of either.
I work in a unique context – a randomized control trial assessing the efficacy of a sex education curriculum for young folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our ability to bring about lasting changes in knowledge and behavior hinges on whether we can effectively transmit “purpose” and “relevance” to participants across wide range of learning styles and support needs. Identifying each participant’s long-term interests/desires and adapting our curriculum accordingly is often the key to engendering motivation to learn and to transfer their learning to other contexts in the future.
Teachers and students alike have the power to make or break a class. I step into a class aware I have a stake in its success and so do those I teach. Understandably, we (teacher and students) lose sight of the goal. The syllabus helps me think through the road map for individual courses. However, daily, I keep looking for ways to identify and reinforce the stakes in our encounter. In education, we seek reasons for why some succeed while others fail. What is the impact of our choices? In the short term? In the longer run? How do curriculum and pedagogy fit into this scheme? For this student, here and now?
I have little doubt that a broad general education curriculum including courses outside a major field of study is important. A filmmaking student, for example, might not immediately see the value of the math and science they must take, but I would think that it they turn up to be useful when doing carpentry to build a set, doing budgets for a project. Sometimes students are surprised in a discipline like that to see how much research skill is needed to develop characters, choose locations, design historically accurate settings. In other words, that these classes may help students “learn to learn” in ways that are actually applied, if indirectly.
As for motivation, I have observed that students who report that they were channeled toward a particular major by their parent(s) may be poorly motivated. They may feel pressure to do well because their family is helping support them during college years so long as they are in a particular major — but their ambitions and interests are really somewhere else. But pressure and motivation are different; a student under pressure can be engaged but because they have to be, not because they want to be, which seems to impact how they retain knowledge and develop a sense of self-worth. As a faculty member with advising responsibilities, I find these instances to be challenging.
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