> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • Student-Success Resource Center
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
Old School New School small

Old School, New School

A conversation between a senior faculty member and an up-and-coming administrator.

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

The Lure of “Easy” Classes

By  Mary Churchill
January 20, 2011

Written with Michael Brown

Mary: There’s been a lot of discussion this week about the new book Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses, and The Chronicle released its own study of writing requirements, based on an analysis of syllabi from colleges and universities in Texas. One big take-away from both the book and study is that students are not doing enough reading and writing in their courses.

We're sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network.

Please allow access to our site, and then refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, please contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

Written with Michael Brown

Mary: There’s been a lot of discussion this week about the new book Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses, and The Chronicle released its own study of writing requirements, based on an analysis of syllabi from colleges and universities in Texas. One big take-away from both the book and study is that students are not doing enough reading and writing in their courses.

If students aren’t reading, and faculty are unable or unwilling to convince students of the necessity to read, where do we go from here? We do not live in country that wholeheartedly embraces reading. Studies have found that most people in the United States don’t even read a newspaper every day.

Although we assume that taking college courses translates into reading and writing, it does not necessarily follow that students plan to read and write for each of their classes. Most students I know create a class schedule based on a combination of easy and difficult classes. Easy classes have very few (if any) writing assignments and have a very light reading load. Students admit to me that they wouldn’t be able to successfully complete the work required from four difficult classes in the same semester. They need a break. They need a class, or two, that helps them to earn credits with very little effort.

Mike: There is certainly some evidence that supports your point, but I am not yet willing to jump to the conclusion (and you are certainly not doing that) that taking courses requiring less reading and writing is inimical to learning. The balance of “easy” and “difficult” classes may contribute to learning, and not all easy courses are, just by way of being easy, courses that don’t teach. Also, when an “easy” course relies primarily on discussion rather than product, it may teach what it is designed to teach better than one that promotes product over discussion.

ADVERTISEMENT

My point here is just that the standard generalizations may not be accurate ways of understanding how students learn and how colleges and universities can help them to learn. Of course there is a strategic aspect to students’ desire to balance the demands of their courses, but that does not mean that the effect is altogether negative.

Mary: Mike, I don’t disagree with you. I think that students may still be learning in their easy classes and that there is a range of easy classes. However, if a student views a class as easy, do we think they plan to do a lot of learning in that class? I know that students often learn even when they don’t plan to, but are we really helping them to learn by offering classes that they have written off as blow-off classes?

And how do faculty feel about teaching these classes that are used to fill a student’s schedule? What happens when a professor decides to take an easy class seriously and teach it as a difficult class? I was once given that task, and the students revolted. When we went over the syllabus on the first day of class, several students told me that my class was supposed to be their easy class and that they would have to drop it and find another. I told the students that my chair had asked me to make this class more academically rigorous.

They just looked at me in disbelief, and several students did drop it.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Accessibility Statement
    Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin