 My freshman year: what a professor learned by becoming a student.
Author: Nathan, Rebekah Published: 2005 After more than fifteen years of teaching, Rebekah Nathan, a professor of anthropology at a large US state university, realised that she no longer understood the behaviour and attitudes of her students. Fewer and fewer participated in class discussion, tackled the assigned reading, or came to discuss problems during office hours. And she realised from conversations with her colleagues that they too were perplexed: why were today's students so different and hard to teach? Were they, in fact, ruder, more likely to cheat, and less motivated? In an attempt to find the answers to these questions, Nathan took a sabbatical and enrolled as a freshman for the academic year, immersing herself in student life, moving into the dorms, and taking on a full course load. She ate in the student cafeteria, joined student clubs, and played regular games of volleyball and football. Based on her interviews and conversations with fellow students and academic and other staff, My freshman year provides a compelling account of college life that should be read by all those who participate in it, at whatever level. |
