Now there's a web site and a calculator to help you decide!
It asks questions such as "how many times a week does the class meet?", "how long is the semester?", "how many classes have you already missed?", "will you miss a quiz or assignment?", "when is the next test?" and so forth. Type in your answers and the algorithms do their work for you and tell you whether or not you should go to class.
I find myself struggling to decide what to say about this. As a college professor, I believe in the value-added of the classroom and the learning that takes place there. As an online instructor, I appreciate the value of (some) information that can be found on the Web. As a former college student (back in the 20th century), I understand the need to occasionally miss a class/take a personal day.
Does this Web site say something larger about who we are today? Is it right in line with students who cannot, no matter how often they're asked, quit text-messaging for an hour and 20 minutes twice a week while they're sitting in their History classroom? Students who come to class on the first day without a pen or paper? Students who sign up for an online course and then tell the professor that they're not very comfortable with the Web and email? Are we engaging in a bit of self-delusion regarding our college-going culture?
What about a "should I skip work today?" calculator? The same questions might apply - who are we (both individually and as a civil society) and what do we value? If we value learning, then we should go to class (with pen and paper - or laptop - in hand), we should have enough respect for learning (and for the professor) to put our phones away while we're there, and we should give our best effort (whatever "best" might be on any given day). Instead of looking for reasons to avoid learning, we should celebrate the blessings and benefits of learning, whether it's in a classroom, with a book, from a Web site, or through a friend or mentor.
It asks questions such as "how many times a week does the class meet?", "how long is the semester?", "how many classes have you already missed?", "will you miss a quiz or assignment?", "when is the next test?" and so forth. Type in your answers and the algorithms do their work for you and tell you whether or not you should go to class.
I find myself struggling to decide what to say about this. As a college professor, I believe in the value-added of the classroom and the learning that takes place there. As an online instructor, I appreciate the value of (some) information that can be found on the Web. As a former college student (back in the 20th century), I understand the need to occasionally miss a class/take a personal day.
Does this Web site say something larger about who we are today? Is it right in line with students who cannot, no matter how often they're asked, quit text-messaging for an hour and 20 minutes twice a week while they're sitting in their History classroom? Students who come to class on the first day without a pen or paper? Students who sign up for an online course and then tell the professor that they're not very comfortable with the Web and email? Are we engaging in a bit of self-delusion regarding our college-going culture?
What about a "should I skip work today?" calculator? The same questions might apply - who are we (both individually and as a civil society) and what do we value? If we value learning, then we should go to class (with pen and paper - or laptop - in hand), we should have enough respect for learning (and for the professor) to put our phones away while we're there, and we should give our best effort (whatever "best" might be on any given day). Instead of looking for reasons to avoid learning, we should celebrate the blessings and benefits of learning, whether it's in a classroom, with a book, from a Web site, or through a friend or mentor.
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