You’re probably not learning as much in college as you should be.
That’s what “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses” suggests about students today. The book is a study of 2,300 students in four-year colleges, which found that 45 percent of students did not improve their learning skills by the end of sophomore year. Thirty-two percent of students are not taking classes that require more than 40 pages of reading or 20 pages of writing per semester.
Would that be the case at UF?
“It certainly would,” said Jeanna Mastrodicasa, assistant vice president for student affairs.
The culprits, she said, are students who enroll in classes with smaller course loads, favoring a high GPA over a challenge.
“Our students definitely pursue the path of least resistance,” she said.
But these trends aren’t new, Mastrodicasa said.
In a survey conducted by Student Experience in the Research University, researchers found that 46 percent of UF students were spending more than 11 hours a week studying or working on homework, compared with 59 percent of students at other universities.
The same study found that 75 percent of UF students spend more than 11 hours a week in classes or labs compared with 86 percent of students at other universities.
Those were compared with 30 percent of UF students who said they spent more than six hours a week partying, as opposed to 22 percent of students who do the same at other universities.
Kevin Knudson, UF honors program director, said he attributes the lack of learning to students who choose to use their first two years for review.
For example, a student who scored a five on his or her Advanced Placement calculus test in high school might elect to take the same class in college as a review for an “easy A” or to prolong his or her stay.
“College is fun, right? Students don’t want to leave early,” he said.
Andrew Daw, a freshman taking 13 credits this semester, said he can understand why other students might not be making educational gains. He pointed to easy general education electives and a sense of freedom for freshmen.
“You have the ability to be apathetic,” he said.
