Searching for Value

Classrooms are rife with history, ideas, experiments, knowledge, and, yes, fun. We learn something new literally everyday when in school – that’s kind of the point. With the right attitude, education encourages us to become smarter and bolder, to grow empathetic and compassionate, to broaden our horizons, and to dig deeper. We can probe the minds of those wiser than us and build lasting relationships with mentors, role models, and peers. And while technology is pushing the boundaries of education further and further, the atmosphere of a classroom is forever unmatchable. 

Yet there’s a flip side to this coin. With an indifferent attitude, the classroom can be nothing less than a waste of time and an early morning disturbance. Particularly with classes irrelevant to our interests, we often take an apathetic stance – pass the tests, pass the class, and be done with it. This attitude wastes money, time, and potential - all which carry immense personal value. 

Think to the last time you did something you didn’t want to. Whatever it was, you probably did it anyways – that’s just a part of life. Maybe it was cleaning up the house after a night of partying, or studying for the SAT, GRE, or whatever ABC you needed to get into your dream school. Perhaps that math class wasn’t pertinent to your aspirations of becoming a lawyer, but it was still necessary to graduate – some things aren’t going to change. 

What can be changed, however, are the attitudes and perceptions toward those undesirable situations. You might take that class only because you have to, but you may as well gain something valuable from it. 

Changing perceptions

Choosing the right course load isn’t easy, especially for undergraduates. Statistics show that around 75% of students change their major throughout their college career, while most students at public universities are taking longer than four years to graduate. As tuition costs continue to rise, this deepens the onus of taking unnecessary classes, such as general education courses, while simultaneously altering attitudes and perceptions toward them. If a class is irrelevant, then why take it? If it simply must be taken, then why pay attention?

As humans we’re gifted with the power of choice, and how we choose to perceive our circumstances dictates the value we gain. We can choose to search for value where we’d least expect it, using our educational opportunities to explore and push the boundaries outside of our current interests. We can choose to keep an open mind and broaden our perspectives, as college is intended to do, and take advantage of the unique scholarly environment – never again will we live through such an experience.

Yet this is much easier said than done. In a world where our attention is constantly demanded, and 10-second portions of satisfaction are so easily accessible, it can be difficult to find value in those undesirable situations.   

Easily entertained, effortlessly distracted

Technology has pushed us to crave constant stimulation; we yearn to be entertained yet we’re easily distracted. A teacher that fails to captivate a class loses its attention to Instagram or Facebook, to Snapchat or Bejeweled.

It’s tempting to leave reality and lose one's way in the digital city. It's even more tempting when we lack sustainable, real world stimulation.

Like most students, I've experienced this numerous times before. As an avid enthusiast of philosophy, literature, sociology, and pretty much every other liberal arts subject around, I tend to sift through a frenzy of random Wikipedia tabs during classes involving angles, statistics, numbers (some not even real), and formulas. I found those concepts to be boring – I found those concepts to be useless. 

Yet there’s something to be said about general education classes. These courses are intended to do exactly what they suggest – provide a well-rounded foundation and an introduction to a variety of broad, general subjects. You’re not expected to excel in each subject, or remember everything from the course – you’re simply pushed to be conversant enough to understand the value in a real world context. And who knows - the class may be more interesting than expected. 

Sure, maybe you don’t need to prove those two triangles are congruent to be a successful lawyer. And you probably don’t need to understand the nuances of microeconomic supply and demand to successfully run a business. But this doesn’t render your geometry and economics classes useless. Maybe learning proofs can improve your ability to systematically check your logic in providing irrefutable evidence. And understanding how humans interact on a day-to-day basis may strengthen your understanding of how employees act and react in a business setting. The opportunities are endless. 

Wherever you go, there you are

Whatever it is, everything in life carries some sort of meaning. What we do, who we meet, where we go – it all has an impact on our perception of the world around us. Positive experiences certainly generate positive value – why else would we do them? Yet when it’s reversed, when it’s something that we don’t necessarily want to do, we frequently fail to find value. More often that not, we fail to even look.

These thoughts aren’t meant to be didactic – they’re meant to be reinforcing. It’s easy to lose oneself in a world of constant stimulation and positive feedback. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, wasting time can be a serious drawback. But there are things in this life we can’t control, and it’s something that must be accepted. Whether it’s taking a boring class or waking up early, there’s always something positive to be attained. There’s no point in avoiding the unpleasant realities of the present - they're simply unavoidable. Wherever you go, there you are. 

this article was originally posted on 7/6

by Lawrence Doppelt

Images via Unsplash

The Future of Universities | Technology & The Classroom Experience

The class of 2015 is savvy, ambitious, and ready to take on the world. Like the graduating classes before it, this one is well equipped with the knowledge and toolset to begin a meaningful journey along a successful career path. But their degree granting institutions aren't so steady- the university system is bound to undergo a technological transformation.  

Universities will not disappear from society, but the way they operate will dramatically change. Mass online open courses are (MOOCS) are being incorporated into traditional college settings, and we can expect other leading institutions to jump on board this trend. ASU has recently teamed up with edX - a partnership between MIT and Harvard - to allow first year undergrads to complete their entire first year of schooling online. These students will have access to a wider variety of courses, taught by renowned professors from around the world, anywhere and anytime.

Anyone who's survived the freshman year dorm life would say this 'online outsourcing' would depreciate the college experience. Because after all, social networks and relationships are one of the most memorable and long-lived rewards of attending college. Universities will have to walk this fine line, and bridge the gap between online learning and in-person socialization.

Rather than completely abandon the on-campus model, schools will need to re-think the classroom experience, and redesign courses to incorporate in-class socialization and teacher interaction. All to often college students sit in lecture, browsing Facebook and shopping online as professors read off Powerpoint slides that are already posted online! Online courses can be used for studying, learning, and thinking, while the classroom should be a place of clarification, collaboration, and team work. The Internet still has it's benefits for being utilized in class, but regulations and even mobile apps can incentivize students to use the web appropriately. 

Some elementary schools have adopted this "flipped" classroom model. Salman Khan, founder of not-for-profit Khan Academy,  is one of its leading advocates. His website offers educational videos with complete curricula in a variety of subjects, completely free of charge.

Today's youngest generations are digital natives- they are incredibly good at picking up a new technology and learning it themselves. Future college students will not only be proficient at online learning, but they will accept new learning models because they fit into their technology infused lifestyles.

In order to stay relevant in the rapidly developing technology society we life in, existing universities will need to integrate modern forms of learning into their systems. Not only will this distinguish them as leaders in academia, it will ensure that our "social media" society values interpersonal and social development just as much as technological proficiency. 

by Charlie Stephens