Shae Turner

The Pros and Cons of Our Course Set-Up

          As a college student it has been frustrating at times to see the amount we must pay in order to move forward with our education. After I had already signed up for the Early American Literature course I noticed a perk when going to the bookstore to purchase my books. As I went to retrieve the books for this semester I saw the words written under this specific course’s label which said, “No books required, go to class for text.” (Or something in that sort of fashion) But not only were the texts being online beneficial for financial reasons, it also worked well for me in other various ways. For instance, I am the type of person who studies in various places, whether it is at home, the library, or even the homes of friends and family members. Because of my jumping around constantly, I tend to leave my study materials at these various places, thus it can be very frustrating when I need them on hand and do not have them. So, by having the texts online it was very convenient for me, since most people have internet and I could just retrieve the material by getting on a computer anywhere.  It was also very helpful that key points, ideas, and quotes were highlighted for us, thus letting us know the important concepts to reflect on as we came upon them.

          However, there was one aspect that I thought would be a downfall for having the texts online. For my personal studying habits I like to write notes in my books as I am reading along. I thought this would be a barrier in the way I usually study, but I quickly found a solution. (This is a solution I would recommend to other students who will have this course in the future). For others who like to study as I do, the answer is to make your own book. I bought a binder, printed all the readings out, and organized it in the sequence that we were reading the material. Because of this method of organization I was able to write all my detailed notes as if it was an actual book I purchased.

          Another element to this course that I saw as an advantage was the way the instruction was set-up. Most literature courses I have taken strive for class discussion, but what happens in the end is that it turns into a lecture from the professor. I for one like to hear from classmates, my own self, and my professor. This course did just that, which was very satisfying. I liked how almost each reading had a student discussion leader, and while they were presenting, the class as a whole (including the professor) added in their own thoughts as a reader. Thus, it makes the class more interesting by learning from your peers, and it also is a learning style that I would like incorporate in my future English classes. With that said it is clear to see that the way the class instruction was set up, is something that I would not change at all.

          The last aspect I would like to stress on is the questioning of not having quizzes for this course. Since I have taken another course before with Professor White I know how the quizzes are a great way in inspiring you to read the material for the week. As for myself I was still doing the work but I believe that the quizzes would have been a great way to check my own understanding. The quizzes were also a good way for not only showing the professor that the students read and understood the material, but also that they were present in class.

          As I have reflected back on this course in terms of the way it was constructed, I have no changes that I think need to be made except for adding the quizzes into the class. My learning experience with the online text was different, but in a good way. I honestly enjoyed coming to class and hearing what my peers thought about the material as well was conveying what I learned to them. For me, this class was a great way to end my college years as a literature student.