"Standard of the top students is improving every year...”

Press, 15 August 1978, Page 17

"Standard of the top students is improving every year...”

Passivity and reluctance to take an original position also shows up in students’ assignments. They can play it safe, writing to the lecturer’s approach; taking no risks over losing marks. “In essays, students tend to go after marks, steering down the middle, rather "than taking a fly.” Mr Kuiper says. “There is a fair amount of non-con-formity in essays they write for me— I wish there were more,” comments Professor Garrett. To suggest that firstyear students in a lecture theatre holding a class of from 150 -to 200 should engage in continuous ver-

bal sparring with their lecturers is clearly ridiculous. For one thing they usually lack maturity. Without a background of knowledge, it is difficult for them to challenge authority and to put forward alternatives. Then there is the inherent reluctance of New Zealanders to stand out. Lisa Sacksen calls it “the dreadful shyness.” On the other hand, staff report some good student participation in small grerfips, particularly among older and post-graduate students.

“The standard of the top students is improving every year,” says Nigel Roberts.

Staff report that the most interesting students are those who have not gone to university straight from school. Definite advantages are seen in studnets taking time off between school and their first year, or before undertaking a masters degree. While many students enter university with no clear idea of what occupation tney want to follow, there has been a marked increase in the popularity of vocational professional courses.

Students in the commerce department, for example, have risen from 636 in 1975 to 1074 this year (there is a worldwide shortage of account-

ants). The total number of law students is 596 today compared with 426 a year ago.

The university itself is not unaware of the need for critical dissent. The vice-chancellor (Professor A. D. Brownlie) says that the attitude of the university teacher must reflect the attitude of research and scholarship. This is that knowledge being communicated is up to date and scholarly, and that the teacher brings to it “that research attitude that reflects critical argu» ment, critical dissent, and reputation.” He acknowledges the difficulty of doing this in large lectures and points

to the importance of small group discussion. But there is a natural resistance of learners to this type of approach, he adds.

Students have become more critical of what is offered by the university and how it is offered. Courses and lecturers’ performances are assessed by students in the annual Ante Calendar. While satisfaction with courses is reflected, comments can be revealing. -‘Lecturer often reacted in hostile manner to any questioning,” reads one. .Others say: “New lecturer required to facilitate student comprehension of the subject... No time to ask questions in tutorials

as tutor is speaking for full 50 minutes.” Some staff theorise that television has prompted students to demand more visual material. Spidery writing on blackboards will not do. The university has had to respond with aids including overhead projectors, slides, and transparencies. Lecturing styles are changing. The experience of a teaching fellow, Mr Frank Nolan, who has a masters degree in mathematics and who last year taught a class of 200, is revealing. His students expressed their dissatisfaction by throwing paper darts. He walked out, and next time took up from the end of

the previous lecture, as if it had been continued to that point. The students wanted to know how they were to get the 40 minutes lost lecture notes. And the darts stopped flying. “I’m younger and should be able to relate better to kids out of school,” he says. “But there is a pupil-teacher barrier. I asked them to call me Frahk. The schools don’t do too much to prepare them for university.” There is a new group of students, including those taking the liberal studies course and women around their forties, who are not so much interested in gaining degrees as widen-

ing their knowledge. Their years have brought insights, and these students are more interested in education for its own sake. “I don’t want to spend valuable time devising methods to give back to lecturers what they want,” says one mature woman student. “Some take too elitist an approach to sharing their knowledge, restricting academic success to too few people.” What of the graduate? There is wide agreement that he is competent in his field. Professor Brownlie makes the point that there has been a tremendous growth in studies

associated with higher degrees and in research. Students undertaking Ph. D’s, he says, are heavily involved in critical inquiry and scholarship. The sheer growth of knowledge has meant a higher level of achievement. Comments Mr Kuiper: “Society is getting value for money. The graduates are well prepared, have covered the ground, and have done the work. They can stand up well overseas, even if assem-bly-line orientated.” a science 'graduate comments: “The graduate makes good executive material, or bureaucrats. He is good at following orders.”

Dr Reed maintains that young educated people are the most wasted resources '■ountrv. It. takes so long for graduates to get auy .viiere in the work force, he says. The idea seems to be that they are not anything until they are grey-haired. While employment is tighter, the graduate appointments officer (Mr Fred Whiteling) reports that employers are still looking to the university for a wide variety of staff. Personal interviews are important. And Mr McLuskey maintains: “Good graduates with good personal qualities still get jobs.”