College Science Courses, Boring?!?!

CrimsonTide4 · #1 04-23-2004, 08:38 AM

College Science Classes Are a Bore, Report Says

Thu Apr 22, 4:13 PM ET Add Science - Reuters to My Yahoo!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - College science lectures are a big bore to students and need to be replaced with hands-on classes where they can actually learn better, a team of experts said on Thursday.

"Revolutionary" courses that mimicked the way real scientists actually work -- by doing science instead of reading about it -- actually helped students learn and encouraged them to take more science classes, the experts said.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...nce_classes_dc

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I only took one college science -- Biology 100 with Dr. Lewis -- interesting because it was environmental science but it was very very little hands on. I never saw the labs unless I took a walk around the building.

AchtungBaby80 · #2 04-23-2004, 09:02 AM

Hands on is what bores me! I would so much rather listen to a lecture than do experiments or whatever with a group of people who expect to sit on their arses and let me do all the work...that's, what, high school all over again? I had two really great science professors, though, that kept things very interesting so we were never bored.

Edited to Add: The intro science classes are usually so big anyway that it would just be more trouble than it's worth to include more "hands on" experience.

Intense1920 · #3 04-23-2004, 09:41 AM

As a Chemistry major, every class we took was a lecture followed by a lab. The lab work was basically the same as everything I did once I got out into the "real world."

CarolinaCutie · #4 04-23-2004, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by AchtungBaby80
Hands on is what bores me! I would so much rather listen to a lecture than do experiments or whatever with a group of people who expect to sit on their arses and let me do all the work...that's, what, high school all over again? I had two really great science professors, though, that kept things very interesting so we were never bored.

Edited to Add: The intro science classes are usually so big anyway that it would just be more trouble than it's worth to include more "hands on" experience.

You are the first person I've ever heard say that... but I totally agree! I hate science labs, they bore me to tears. But I find the actual lecture information pretty interesting, and I perform well.

AlphaXiGirl31 · #5 04-23-2004, 10:59 AM

I'm a biological science major, and pretty much EVERY class has a required lab section attached. Please, no more Hand-On time...

I'd much rather take a lecture for less credits and be able to pick and choose which labs I take. Getting one credit for 2-3 hours in the lab every week is kinda lame. Instead of a five credit class requiring 5 hours per week like other majors, a five credit class can be 7 hours in class/lab.

LovedOne · #6 05-03-2004, 02:04 AM

I am all about hands-on classes. I'm a very visual learner and pick things up much easier when I'm actually involved in what's being taught, no matter the subject. Sciences are especially easier for me when there is a lab involved though, and my Chem grade from last semester proves that.. I failed the lecture, and I mean failed as in around a 30%, but I still passed the class because in the lab portion of it I got a 95%

#7 05-03-2004, 02:20 AM

I had a Botony class that was sooooooo dam boring the lecture was from a short man syndrome professor but the labs were cool

Glitter650 · #8 05-03-2004, 03:41 AM

I know labs not only make science more interesting to me... but also help me to understand more... I know I was BORED out of my mind in my Bio class which I took without a lab... but I LOOVED AP bio my senior year of High school because we did lab stuff as well. and chem which I took with a lab in college was SOO much better because I could see the practical application...

LovedOne · #9 05-03-2004, 09:07 AM

That's exactly what I think about science classes.. If I can't see how the information I'm being told is actually used it just doesn't make sense to me.

Dionysus · #10 05-03-2004, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by LovedOne
I am all about hands-on classes. I'm a very visual learner and pick things up much easier when I'm actually involved in what's being taught, no matter the subject. Sciences are especially easier for me when there is a lab involved though, and my Chem grade from last semester proves that.. I failed the lecture, and I mean failed as in around a 30%, but I still passed the class because in the lab portion of it I got a 95%

Yeah, college is very discriminatory towards both visual and hands on learners. I don't know why though. Not only when it comes to science, but anything else. When I was a freshman I was very disappointed to find out that my broadcasting classes were all about history and theory! Zero time in our school's tv and radio station.

How is theory and history supposed to prepare us for the real world?

Oh yeah, I only took one science course. Bio 10, lecture class, no labs. Boooooring! I only showed up for 5 or 6 classes, but I recieved a B.

texas*princess · #11 05-03-2004, 03:30 PM

I say get rid of science classes all together!

(except maybe for people majoring in that stuff)

I don't know about other people, but science generally bores me to tears. I'm a business major, so anything marketing, operations, even finance gets me all excited.

I had to take two sciences my freshman year and I chose Geology & Meterology/Climatology.

I probably could have made better grades in those classes, but the bottom line for me was that I didn't CARE about the study of rocks, or weather patterns. I spent my time reading up for the other classes that really interested me instead of reading about rocks.

That's just my opinion though.. maybe someday universities can offer custom-made degree plans for people with low tolerances of certain subjects