The best (or worst) questions that colleges can't (or won't or shouldn't) answer

College Search & Selection
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<p>The best (or worst) questions that colleges can't (or won't or shouldn't) answer</p>

<p>What questions should you ask? What constitutes a good answer? </p>

<p>From the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) website
You can check out the questions they ask...
<a href="http://nsse.iub.edu/html/survey_instruments.cfm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://nsse.iub.edu/html/survey_instruments.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>From NSSE's "A Pocket Guide to Choosing a College", the following are supposedly good questions to ask on a campus visit but I think many of them:
1. are irrelevant to educational quality
2. have no good or bad answer
3. a supposedly good answer might actually be a bad answer
4. schools and current students are unable or unwilling to answer the question
5. are "value laden"
6. are just plain stupid</p>

<p>examples:
Do exams require students to do their best work?...you're kidding, right?
What type of thinking do assignments require?...hmmm, I'll have to think about that
Do students have opportunities to tutor or teach other students?...don't waste my time
How often do students discuss ideas in class?...I am not paying $40K per year to listen to my roommate
What types of honors courses, learning communities, and other distinctive programs are offered?...wasting tuition dollars
What percentage of students do community service?...pressures and requirements for community service should be against the law </p>

<p>On the other hand, some of the following are good questions.</p>

<p>This is actually a critique of the NSSE since these are the issues that are addressed by the NSSE. </p>

<p><strong>Academic Challenge</strong>
(Demanding intellectual and creative academic work.)
To what degree is studying and spending time on academic work emphasized?
Do faculty hold students to high standards?
How much time do students spend on homework each week?
What type of thinking do assignments require?
How much writing is expected?
How much reading is expected?
Do exams require students to do their best work?</p>

<p><strong>Active Learning</strong>
(Intense involvement in learning.)
How often do students discuss ideas in class?
How often are topics from class discussed outside of the classroom?
Do students work together on projects – inside and outside of class?
How often do students make class presentations?
How many students participate in community based projects in regular courses?
How many students apply their classroom learning to real life through internships or offcampus field experiences?
Do students have opportunities to tutor or teach other students?</p>

<p><strong>Student-Faculty Interaction</strong>
(Meaningful contact with teachers.)
Are faculty members accessible and supportive?
How many students work on research projects with faculty?
Do students receive prompt feedback on academic performance?
How often do students talk with their teachers about what they are learning in class?
How often do students talk with advisors or faculty members about their career plans?
Do students and faculty members work together on committees and projects outside of course work?</p>

<p><strong>Enriching Educational Experiences</strong>
(Additional opportunities to deepen learning.)
What types of honors courses, learning communities, and other distinctive programs are offered?
In what ways do faculty use technology in their classes?
How often do students interact with peers with different social, political, or religious views?
How often do students interact with peers from different racial or ethnic backgrounds?
How many students study in other countries?
Do students participate in activities that enhance their spirituality?
What percentage of students do community service?
What kinds of activities are students involved in outside of the classroom?
What kinds of events does the campus sponsor?
Is a culminating senior year experience required?</p>

<p><strong>Supportive Campus Environment</strong>
(Positive relationships among students, faculty, and staff.)
How well do students get along with other students?
Are students satisfied with their overall educational experience?
How much time do students devote to co-curricular activities?
How well do students get along with administrators and staff?
To what extent does the school help students deal with their academic and social needs?</p>

<p><strong>Additional sources for academic and personal development.</strong>
What types of financial aid or scholarships are available to students?
How accessible are library services?
What safety services are available to students?
What types of health and counseling services are available?
What types of career planning and job placement services are available?</p>

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<p>"How often do students discuss ideas in class?...I am not paying $40K per year to listen to my roommate"</p>

<p>Maybe you aren't, but others are. For example, I'd much rather have discussion-oriented, seminar-style classes where everyone participates than classes where the professor just lectures and students take notes.</p>

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<p>^ I was about to say that.</p>

<p>You go to your lectures, I'll go to my seminar.</p>

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<p>And there are some classes called "sophomore dialogues" at Stanford so I assume they're like seminars but even more discussion. Maybe?</p>

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<p>Some discussion with other undergraduate students is good but less than say 10-20% of class time. </p>

<p>Seminars are a different animal. They are designed for discussion. But seminar style should be rare and reserved for upperclass courses. I don't think you learn very much from discussion with other students but it helps communication skills and might help you learn to clarify and articulate your ideas if you have difficulty in that area.</p>

<p>Discussion with faculty is great, on the other hand.</p>

<p>There may be some good insights that come out of discussion with other students but it is an inefficient way to learn. I'd much rather hear a good lecture as a standard teaching style. Sometimes personalities conflict, or people go on and on about minutiae. Sometimes the same few people dominate discussion. Sometimes undergrads can be downright rude.</p>

<p>I feel sorry for the hard-working parents who pay for a discussion-dominated education for their kids.</p>

<p>I think discussion-style classes appeal to lazy students with short attention spans. Lectures are more work but they are better for you. They are also more work for faculty. I think faculty who predominantely use discussion as a technique are lazy too.</p>

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<p>Collegehelp, some people learn better with discussion, and some learn better with lectures. And when I mean discussion, I mean discussion in small classes with professors and students. Actually, a lot of colleges boast that they have small class sizes. Few colleges brag about having a full auditorium of 500 students.</p>

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<p>Some classes have to be discussion oriented, but others are stupid if they are.</p>

<p>And yeah, I agree with collegehelp. I hate those "questions to ask" lists. I feel like slapping the people who wrote those for pointlessly harming the environment with their idiocy.</p>

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<p>You shouldn't necessarily ask all these questions at a college visit, but you should CONSIDER them when you're researching schools. The relevance of the questions depends on the student's preferences.</p>