Yvette Chambliss

Rebecca Weaver 

Section 304 English 1102

21 April 2022

What can colleges do to better Accommodate to student living 

 Historically Black Colleges and Universities are now one of the most growing private schools in American. These colleges hold so many triumphs of historically African Americans who have made an impact on the world today who have contributed back to the Hbcus in so many ways by funding, holding fantastic events where African American students can come together and enjoy themselves as one. Unfortunately HBCUS are fairly looked down upon just for being an all Black college and University where the expenses are not properly funded  to one of the most important issues till this day with HBCUS dormitories, so what can HBCUS do better to accommodate student living.    

Renovation issues with dormitory and the poor environments

Howard university was founded in 1867 and is still standing in 2022, now that’s a very long time. The dormitories probably went through a couple of renovations here and there throughout the year, but this wasn’t enough to sufficiently place students in these dormitories to live in for at least a year or the rest of these students four- year of college experience. In the article  “ Howard University students reach an agreement with officials after a month of protest” Jonathan Franklin states “Since the start of the fall semester, students say they’ve raised concerns to campus administrators regarding mold in the walls of their dorms, the lack of COVID-19 testing for students and the overall safety on campus, according to DCist/WAMU” (Jonthan franklin par. 10). where students started to notice mold growing on walls and their belongings where students could not continue to stay in these hostile environments. Students who literally forced to move out of their dorm because of how life threatening it would be for them to even be in a literal toxic environment, as Jonathan claims “ Frederick stated that mold was discovered in 41 out of 2,700 rooms on campus, with some of the damage being the result of “accidental human error.” ( Jonathan para.11). Students that felt as if the administration were not quick to initiate the problem would just get worse. 

      A month later  in Atlanta, Georgia, Spelman University an all African American women’s university, Clark Atlanta University, and Morehouse University  an all black African American university all very Popular HBCUs who are experiencing some of the same conceptions and issues as Howard university. In the article “Atlanta HBCU Students Demand Better Housing Conditions, More Funding” Valencia Jones states “They say there’s been mold and leaking pipes, particularly at Clark Atlanta”(Valencia para.3) the minor things that these HBCUS could have fixed these maintenance issues that have resulted in major issues that now has caused an outbreak of rage for student.” Tuesday marked the second day of protests near the Atlanta University Center. “The dorms that we do have, many of them have things such as mold. I personally have a friend who had a dryer fire in her dorm,” said Marcellus Kirkland, a Morehouse student and protest organizer.”(Valencia para.2)  As Black African American students who had to deal with these hostile environments that not just affect them physically but mentally. Not knowing if they would be allowed to have anywhere permit to stay while still attending school, when it felt as if these students who worked so hard to get accepted into these schools.

HBCU Protesting Movement

Picture taken by ABC News story by Briana Stewart (students protesting by sleeping in tents outside buildings on campus about housing issues) 

 The only way that these Howard University students could get their Universities attention was to have a mass protest that started at Howard for a month where students would camp outside of the  buildings. In the article “Black leaders rally around Howard University students protesting poor living conditions on campus” Nicquel Terry Ellis and Jennifer Henderson claim” Students at the historically Black college in Washington, DC, have been assembling for sit-ins at the school’s Blackburn University Center with tents, air mattresses and sleeping bags, demanding that Howard leadership address their concerns. The sit-in, which has been dubbed #BlackburnTakeover on social media, started on October 12.”( Ellis and Henderson para 1). This protest turned into a movement from different parts of the country that affected other HBCUS that are experiencing the same problems as Howard University, where they also participated in the protest. In the article “ Howard University Students Stage Sit-In Over Issues With Mold And COVID Safety” Domonique Mari Bonessi and Dee Dwyer claim “Students with the group Live Movement a coalition of students from historically Black colleges and universities who advocate for education reform, began their sit-in at the Blackburn University Center” (Bonessi and Dwyer para 1). The entire issue was that every HBCU had almost similar issues to other HBCUS when it came to the Colleges and Universities housing situations.

HBCU Funding 

HBCUS are private schools where the majority of the student body applies for scholarships or that they either receive to go toward funding of these schools and then to have a prolonged education. Students tend to pay more than a regular university by at least 20 thousand more. Especially if not in state it’s much cheaper but going to a private university requires a lot more money. In the article “Atlanta HBCU Students Demand Better Housing Conditions, More Funding” Valencia Jones states “Students are also protesting high student loan debt and blaming the Biden Administration for cutting proposed federal education funding from $45 billion to $2 billion, which is a major blow to HBCUs.” ( Valencia para.3). Majority of these students are paying immaculate amounts of money to attend these schools where they can’t keep up with housing and maintenance issues for students to stay and fulfill these poor environments . This is clear that African Americans are not taken care of properly especially financially. Even though there have been large donations that have been given to these colleges and universities by alumni who all attended Howard University like Taraji Henson, Kamala Harris, and Chadwick Boseman who have had a great impact on this school from holding speeches to their greatly impacted donations that went toward these maintenance issues.

 As some who don’t know, you can donate to HBCUS across America. That would make a difference of the 75% of  African American students who attend these Colleges and Universities that need financial assistance. This foundation is called “The HBCU Foundation Giving to the Historically Black Colleges and Universities” anything could help that can go toward students’ books, other important school supplies, clubs, any part of these HBCUS  students’ lives that need assistance.

Conclusion

HBCUS are still one of the most proud landmarks of African American history that make up who Black Africans Americans are today. It’s disappointing to see what our ancestors worked so hard for, that as a community we have not taken care to progress in education; for students to have a healthy work environment. Just to do what we were doing years prior, protesting for our voices to be heard.

Works Cited

Jonthan Franklin “ Howard University students reach an agreement with officials after a month of protest” ( paragraph 10-11) 

https://www.npr.org/2021/11/15/1055929172/howard-university-students-end-protest-housing-agreement

Valencia Jones  “Atlanta HBCU Students Demand Better Housing Conditions, More Funding”    ( paragraph 2-3)

https://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2021/10/22/atlanta-hbcu-students-demand-better-housing-conditions-more-funding/

 Nicquel Terry Ellis and Jennifer Henderson, CNN  “Black leaders rally around Howard University students protesting poor living conditions on campus”

(  paragraph 1)

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/29/us/howard-university-living-conditions/index.html

Domonique Mari Bonessi and Dee Dwyer “ Howard University Students Stage Sit-In Over Issues With Mold And COVID Safety” ( paragraph 1)

https://dcist.com/story/21/10/13/howard-university-sit-in-blackburn/

Soufian Carson

Dr. Weaver

ENG 1102

26 April 2022

How Residency Requirements Only Hinder Students

Introduction

When students reach adulthood, they need assistance to transition into college life. They are sort of immature and in need of supervision. They could also use the assistance in finding connections with similar majors and interests and gain some academic benefits while they are staying in their dorms, as universities claim. Universities are so firm in this belief that they require first-year students under a certain age to live on campus. However, colleges have become very permissive, allowing students to act in any manner they please, contradicting the statement that students need supervision (Vedder). In the 21st century, the high costs of room and board, along with the American universities’ societal norms becoming increasingly conflicting with the diverse student population America has, universities have this requirement to inflate their costs artificially rather than supporting students. 

Discussion

A university’s room and board expenses can be the most expensive cost a student must pay. UNC-Charlotte lists that room and board costs average at about $12,432, while off-campus housing options are more minor, at $10,433. Essentially, the insignificant academic benefits that one can gain from living on campus come at two thousand dollars. Additionally, “one 2014 study showed that from 1976 to 2013, the inflation-adjusted rate of increase in public four-year college housing prices was about 72%, compared with less than five percent for housing in the broader economy” (Vedder). If someone had saved up 10,000$ for college room and board, they would only have $2,800 after the end of the inflation period. Coupled with the price tag of receiving small academic benefits, it is apparent that it would be better for the student to choose if they wanted to pay the price for staying in their favorable proximity to the university. However, many universities require their students to stay on campus. 

Richard Vedder, an economist and professor of economics at Ohio State University, compares universities to monopolists. They artificially inflate their costs for those wanting to purchase their primary service or product. If one wanted to get an education- they needed to get the room and board too and add thousands of dollars to their cost of receiving an education for an insignificant, small benefit only meant for those looking for the college experience. In fact, a large portion of students are not so accepting of dorm life (Batdorf, Vedder). In these times, student populations are becoming increasingly more diverse, with students coming from a wide range of different cultures, backgrounds, and religions. Some students may have cultural differences or religions that conflict with the cultural norms of dorms, such as partying, casual relationships with others, and practices that the students would rather not indulge themselves in. By forcing students to live on campus, it shows that universities communicate to applicants that they must place themselves in an environment that can conflict with their beliefs. For example, in Islam, Muslims are instructed not to take intoxicants (i.e., alcohol), have relationships outside of marriage, and consume food that is not lawful to them, such as pork, and with some Muslims, any meat that is not slaughtered correctly (Qur’an, Domun). The prevalent sexual norms of the college experience and the dominance of food in the meal plans that universities offer are not catered toward Muslims can discourage Muslims from applying. And not only Islam, other cultures conflict with the idea of the “Western” mindset. 

As a result of some students having religious or cultural objections to the college experience, students may look elsewhere. However, a problem is presented, as some states may not have enough options for an ambitious student. A smaller state often has only a few types of schools, such as having only one or two higher-level universities, a university meant for the college experience and a handful of general universities open to any student. In states where there are only one or two higher-level universities that correspond with a student’s intended major, an ambitious student will often be limited to those options. Those universities often have the status that a student may be looking for, so they can progress further in their career. However, suppose those universities have an on-campus living requirement. In that case, it forces students to either sacrifice a portion of their chances for their desired success or sacrifice their chances of staying true to their beliefs. Such is the case with a student living in the State of Georgia, as the Georgia Institute of Technology is the only prestigious university in Georgia that specializes in technical education. There are other universities, such as Kennesaw State University and Georgia State University, from which one can receive technical education. However, those universities do not have the high level of education a driven student may look for (U.S. News & World Report, Georgia Tech). Georgia Tech requires first-year students to live on campus (Georgia Tech). An aspiring engineer with religious or cultural objections has to decide between getting their technical education at a lower-level university, such as Georgia State, and hindering their chances of graduating university with a degree from a higher-level university that would improve their chances of getting a career they desire or placing themselves in an environment where they can risk bending their beliefs to fit into the college experience. It severely limits some students’ options, but in fact, “state universities ignore their obligation to accommodate religious objections under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (Oliver). Overall, flexibility is necessary for American higher-level education, as diversity in the student population only gradually increases.

Academical research shows the growing diversity of student populations and the increasing trend of students to opt-out of living on campus when possible. More students prefer flexibility rather than being restricted to a set of rules. In a study done by Shazia Jan and Panos Vlachopoulos, they researched the preferences of students whether they wished to learn in a face-to-face course, an online, live-streamed course, or a set of recorded lectures. The surveyed students showed a strong preference for recorded lectures, indicating that the freedom and flexibility to learn at one’s own pace and environment took prevalence. The general idea of being flexible with everything in a student’s career and taking measures that cater to the student, rather than the student catering to the university, such as coaching, tutoring, and mental health counseling, are more effective in leading students towards academic success (Mills). In general, requiring a student to live in the college experience only negatively impacts their finances and does not contribute to their academic success.

Works Cited

Aleem Domun, http://www.quran.mu. “70 Major Sins in Islam.” Qur’an, 

“Colleges Should Stop Forcing Students to Live on-Campus.” The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, 6 Feb. 2019, 

lachopoulos, Panos, and Shazia Jan. “Exploring Modes of Lecturing as a Teaching Method in Higher Education: Student Attendance, Preference and Motivation.” Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, vol. 17, no. 5, Nov. 2020, pp. 1–18.

Mills, Lindsey. “Understanding the Experiences of College Students Who Work Full-Time: Juggling Competing Responsibilities and Defining Academic Success.” Journal of Continuing Higher Education, vol. 68, no. 3, Sept. 2020, pp. 181–89. 

“Rankings.” Rankings – Georgia Tech

“Residency Rule (‘36-Hour Rule’).” Georgia Institute of Technology, 27 Apr. 2022, 

Vedder, Richard. “Why Are Universities in the Housing Business?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 14 June 2018, 

Moving out of their parents’ house and leaving on campus is without a doubt one of the most exciting things about starting college. Students enroll in a 4-year college or community college after high school or while still in high school to pursue their further education and obtain a degree in order to enter their desired field of work. However, nowadays the prospect of having a great college experience and saving money has students keen on applying to community colleges, according to Parminder Jassal, an immigrant from India who earned her bachelor’s degree from a community college and her Ph.D. from a four-year university. Even though most community colleges were established to serve local students with affordable higher education, many community colleges are now increasingly providing on-campus housing to provide students with additional academic, social, and networking opportunities. Jassal described in her article “Community Colleges Dorms & Housing Accommodations: A Complete Guide” how Community colleges have evolved dramatically over the years, tailoring their college experience and offerings to the areas they serve, including how they now provide athletics, honor programs, student-centered activities, and, most crucially, dormitories!

Many people who enter college become preoccupied with having an authentic college experience. They imagine late nights spent poring over textbooks, engaging in classroom discussions, and even wild parties on the weekend. But the truth of the matter is that there is no one true college experience. Each college and each student is unique. But there are certain things about going to college that can enhance or detract student’s experience. One of them is on-campus housing. (Barrington)

On-campus housing is clearly crucial, not only for 4-year college campuses but also for community institutions. On-campus housing, in particular, is vital for America’s 553 rural-serving community college districts. Rural community college campuses that offer houses can provide convenience and possible savings to students whose circumstances enable them to reside on campus. In this day and age of high gasoline expenses, many rural-serving community college students may benefit from cost reductions by living on-campus. Furthermore, as the authors state in their research, institutions may possibly generate funds that may be used to expand the quantity and quality of services available to on-campus and commuting students(The Availability, Prospects, and Fiscal Potential of Rural Community College On-Campus Housing).

According to the study “Campus Accommodation in the Community College Setting: Benefits and Challenges for Residential Living,” demand for on-campus housing continues to rise at both two- and four-year colleges. Based on this article, the rising expense of higher education at a four-year university has prompted many students to pursue a less expensive path to a post-secondary degree through community college. Increased community college enrolment offers up the possibility of on-campus housing choices. On-campus housing alternatives are a means to both accommodate and advocate for community college students.

But over the last couple of years, having living accommodations at community college is slowly becoming more of the norm than the exception. This is in part due to the acknowledgment, at various levels of government, that at community colleges across the nation, the challenge for the students is not tuition, as it is already subsidized, but in fact, it is accommodation. An increasing number of students, unfortunately, have had to resort to couch surfing or living in their cars in the college parking lot. This situation has brought up heated debates among state lawmakers on whether community colleges should urgently provide provisional solutions such as free on-campus parking. As of right now, to circumnavigate draconian laws prohibiting community colleges from providing affordable housing, colleges are following a process administered through a local housing authority or a non-profit organization. (Jassal).

According to a recent poll conducted by the American Association of Community Colleges, about 25% of community colleges in the United States offer their students on-campus housing. This number has risen dramatically since 2000 and it continues to rise(Barrington).

Data shows that 64.2% of community college students are part-time students, 14% of students are enrolled exclusively online, and over 2 million community college students in the United States are parents of children under 18. This data suggests that a lot of students already have some sort of non-dorm housing figured out. And that makes sense since community colleges are built to be at the center of each community, usually at a reasonable commuting distance. With increasing income inequality, young students are struggling to find affordable housing.  “Our students are struggling; they need housing,” says Compton College president, Keith Curry. He believes that providing housing removes the obstacles that can prevent students from graduating(Jassal).

Additionally, the colleges may be able to maintain revenue that will allow them to expand the quantity and quality of services available to on-campus and commuting students. Beyond enhanced access and convenience, further research is needed to discover how particular community college students may benefit from housing choices. Research, particularly the studies reported by Pascarella and Terenzini (1991, 2005), has shown that living on a 4-year college or university campus has a positive impact on student learning and persistence. It intuitively follows that the same benefits would accrue to community college students who live on campus as well. However, at present, this is merely conjecture, because virtually no research has been conducted on the impact of on-campus housing on community college students.

Ultimately, whether attending a community college or a four-year institution, there are certain pros and cons to on-campus housing that students should consider. Some of them are as Barrington mention in her article are 

prons

• Living on-campus is something of a safety net for many first-year students, helping them make the transition from living at home to living on their own.
• On-campus housing options are usually available for double rooms which means that students get to form a bond with a roommate- some of these friendships can last a lifetime.
• On-campus housing means that students are in the middle of the action at all times – they have easy access to campus activities, amenities, and services.

Cons

• Campus housing can be more expensive than renting an apartment – according to College Data, the average annual cost of room and board at a four-year school was $10k in 2015. Room and board for community college range from $2.5k to $8k per year, in most cases.
• Most on-campus housing solutions are limited in terms of space and students will probably have to share a room with someone else, not to mention a floor with many people.
• Many residence halls have shared bathrooms – they might share with a few suite-mates or with an entire hall of students. Bathrooms are also sometimes shared between both sexes.

Work cited 

Barrington, Kate. “The Pros and Cons of On-Campus Housing for Community College | CommunityCollegeReview.Com.” Community College Review, www.communitycollegereview.com, 22 May 2020, https://www.communitycollegereview.com/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-on-campus-housing-for-community-college.

“Community Colleges Dorms & Housing Accommodations: A Complete Guide – Unmuddle the Skills-to-Jobs Marketplace.” Community Colleges Dorms & Housing Accommodations: A Complete Guide – Unmudl the Skills-to-Jobs Marketplace, unmudl.com, 6 Oct. 2021, https://unmudl.com/blog/community-college-with-dorms.

“The Availability, Prospects, and Fiscal Potential of On-Campus Housing at R…: EBSCOhost.” The Availability, Prospects, and Fiscal Potential of On-Campus Housing at R…: EBSCOhost, web.a.ebscohost.com, https://web.s.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=8&sid=72ba5abf-f793-46e6-b2b1-bb7960ccca5e%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLHNoaWImc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=eric&AN=EJ781134. Accessed 12 Apr. 2022.

Taylor, F., EdD., Buck, K., M.S.Ed, & Kane, T., M.S.Ed. (2019). Campus housing in the community college setting: Benefits and challenges for residential living. The Community College Enterprise, 25(2), 77-93.  https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/campus-housing-community-college-setting-benefits/docview/2343014491/se-2?accountid=11226

Angel Sabino

Engl-1102

Professor: Rebecca Weaver

April 13, 2022

There are a great number of practices that students can do to get over a bad grade. The evidence provided in this project is to help students overcome a bad grade on an assignment. Much of the evidence is supported by professionals in the field of education, books about bad practices students can have, and a survey that was given to college students. The amount of students that let themselves get put down by a grade increases, and the number of unprepared students for this situation is hurtful to the education field. A student’s standpoint on what is believed to be a good or bad grade is important in order to overcome a bad grade, as well as what methods to overcome an assignment, also demonstrating an understanding of the assignment is crucial. 

In the article “ Schools Are Facing a surge of failing Grades During the Pandemic — and Traditional Approaches Like Credit Recovery Will Not Be Enough to Manage It” Betheny Goss claims that “ In New Mexico, more than 40 percent of middle and high school students were failing at least one class as of late October” ( Bethany par. 2). This data taken in 2021 underline the clear amount of student unprepared for classes. Bethany also states that “Nearly 40 percent of grades for high school students in St. Paul, Minnesota were Fs,” and how this number has doubled in the recent school year( Betheny par. 2). The amount of failing students goes way beyond a state. Betheny also states that “ In Fairfax County, Virginia, the biggest drop in grades came for students whose primary language is not English: 47 percent are underperforming in math, 53 percent in English.” (Betheny par. 11). The first step in overcoming a bad grade is understanding what a good grade is to a student.

 Most often students do not know where to start when receiving a bad grade. One of the best places to start is understanding what a good grade looks like. The article “College students’ categorical perceptions of grades: it’s simply ‘good’ vs. ‘bad,” was written by Boatright-Horowitz and Chris Arrudaon. Is a survey that was taken by 561 undergraduate college students(Boatright and Chris sec. participants), and its aim was to show what a good “numeric grade, alphabetic grades, numeric non-grades, and alphabetic non-grades” is to a college student. Boatright and Chris want students to understand what a good grade means, this is proven to be true by the statement that“ratings for letter grades were significantly lower than those for non-grade letters for most low grades,”(Chris and Boatright sec. Ratings of grades) and “ratings for numeric grades were significantly greater than non-grade numbers for high grades” (Chris and Boatright sec. Ratings of grades.) The section on Rating of Grades suggests that students prefer a higher grade. Boatright and Chris also suggest that students categorize grades in two tears, which is either good or bad grade. Understanding what is considered a good grade is the first step in overcoming a bad grade. It helps students understand what they did to recvice that grade. 

When the student has understood the reason for receiving a bad grade. They can ask for feedback, but the feedback should be constructive. Zenobia Chan states in “Good and bad practices in rubrics: the perspectives of students and educators.” that a constudtive feedback has “ several levels of quality is a more visible approach for students  “ ( Chan sect. Implications par. 2). This quality of feedback is very benifical to the students becasuse it allows them too  “achieve a desirable level of performance and establish learning goals” (Chan sect. introduction). With this feedback and startagies student can overcome a bad grade. Kathleen talks about developing skills and awareness as a student in college. Kathleen states that the method “ Supplementary Materials, “  is a very practical method because it “can be assigned for working on out of class and therefore do not take class time away from content” (Kathleen page 57). All this is beneficial to the student but it would not work if the student does not understand their learning style. 

In the book Teaching Unprepared Students: Strategies for Promoting Success and Retention in Higher Education the author Kathleen states that for a student to successfully get the grade they desire, the student must figure out their learning style. Learning styles can be categorized in four ways, “active or reflective,  sensing or intuitive, visual or verbal, and sequential or global.”Kathleen states that active learning works “by trying things out and working with others [but ]reflective learners learn by thinking things through, and working alone”( Kathleen page 60).  Kathleen also states that Intuitive learners want information that is conceptual, innovative, and oriented toward theo-ries and meanings(Kathleen page 61). While “Sensing learners prefer information that is concrete, practical, and ori-ented toward facts and procedures” (Kathleen page 61). Visual learners remember best from pictures, diagrams, flowcharts, timelines, films, and demonstrations. While Verbal learners are the opposite and prefer written and spoken explanations. Sequential learners are linear, orderly, and learn in small incremental steps. Whereas “global learners are holistic, systems thinkers and learn in large leaps.” By understanding what the students’ learning style is they can get closer to success. 

The large amount of students failing classes or assignments in recent years has increased. To decrease this large increase, students can use strategies to help them receive a better grades. What is a good grade also matters and it is important for them to understand that. All this is useless if the student does not know what their learning style is. Overall there are options for decreasing the students failing classes or assignments.

Work sited: 

Acadicllu journal:

Boatright-Horowitz, SuL. College students’ categorical perceptions of grades: it’s simply ‘good’ vs. ‘bad’.“ Wiley Blackwell, Medical Education (MED EDUC), Mar2015; 49(3): 307-320. (14p). CINAHL, 10.1111/medu.12659.

Chan, Zenobia. “Good and bad practices in rubrics: the perspectives of students and educators.” Taylor & Francies, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. Jun2019, Vol. 44 Issue 4, p533-545. 13p.Sociological Collection, 10.1080/02602938.2018.1522528.

Ebook:

Gabriel, Kathleen F.  “Teaching Unprepared Students: Strategies for Promoting Success and Retention in Higher Education.” Bloomfield: Stylus Publishing. 2017. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), 9781579222307. 9781579222291. 9781579229412. 9781620367957.

Popular website: 

Betheny Gross. “Schools Are Facing a surge of failing Grades During the Pandemic — and Traditional Approaches Like Credit Recovery Will Not Be Enough to Manage It” The74million. www.the74million.org/article/analysis-schools-are-facing-a-surge-of-failing-grades-during-the-pandemic-and-traditional-approaches-like-credit-recovery-will-not-be-enough-to-manage-it/. 

Have you ever wondered why some people consistently do well in school and others don’t at the higher-ed level? And no it doesn’t have anything to do with some people just being naturally smarter than others. The underlining denominator that puts other people over the edge is their ability to use metacognition effectively in their everyday life rather they realize it or not. In this essay I’m going to tell you all about metacognition and how to properly utilize this next level way of learning. 

First and foremost, let’s completely cover what metacognition actually is. Metacognition precisely is one’s ability to think about thinking. The ability to be consciously aware of oneself as a problem-solver. The capability to monitor and control one’s mental processing. And finally, the aptness to be aware of the type of learning that you are doing. Before you even begin to start applying the things that I have just mentioned, you must first get rid of these beliefs about learning that will get you absolutely no where. First, generally you want to get rid of the idea that learning is some kind of race. Truly understanding material takes careful reading and review. Always plan for assignments to take longer than you think. The next idea that you must rewire out of your brain is that “knowledge is composed of isolated facts”. Meaning that you shouldn’t study by trying to remember random separate facts, good teachers more than likely will test for comprehension and application of knowledge, and you would inevitably fail by picking and choosing bits and pieces of the information to remember. You also must not forget metacognition includes being able to be constantly aware of the type of learning you are doing, suggesting that sometimes you need to know when you need a break because learning while being mentally fatigued will have you going nowhere. 

Next, let’s go ahead and way out the most notable flaw about metacognition. According to author Elisabeth Norman of the Artic University of Norway, she suggests an idea that metacognition is not always helpful. Her argument stance includes going in to detail on how metacognition may actively interfere with task performance. Her claim is based around research that has been done on “mindlessness”. Simply put, mindlessness is the lack of attention or presence resulting in automatic application of existing knowledge. Given her outlook comes from a different angle about metacognition, it is really subjective and could easily vary based on an individual’s study technique. Like for instance, complex decisions that largely involve implicit/unconscious knowledge may best be made mindlessly given you have the proper preparation to make that judgment. Coming from personal experience, that’s why I think mastering metacognition to apply not only in school but in everyday life prevails so well. If you haven’t took the necessary steps to develop your mind for a specific task you will never be ready. 

Why does metacognition matter? Well according to psychology professor Stephen Chew of Samford University, metacognition has been linked to improved learning outcomes. This kind of thinking gets students beyond the base level surface and makes them explore deeper for max proficiency. In return this inadvertently builds other skills, like a person’s ability to self-regulate. Self-regulation in education depends on 5 things. Assessing the task’s demands, evaluating one’s strengths & weaknesses, planning an approach, applying strategies, and reflection. As a response, you should notice that your ability to problem solve would get better and more meticulous. I personally think metacognition techniques need to be coached all throughout higher education. It took me up until my second semester of college before I even heard of the word metacognition. In addition to my GPA being tremendously higher since I’ve started applying it, my confidence for taking exams and tests has soared. 

In conclusion, the aim of this essay was to effectively point out some of the benefits and to positively reinforce the ramifications of applying this concept to your life. To say that using metacognition would absolutely guarantee boosted scores for everyone is not being realistic because its up to the individual, but I genuinely feel like it’s worth a glance by any person trying to become a more disciplined learner. 

Sources Cited 

Neal D. T., Wood W., Wu M., Kurlander D. (2011). The pull of the past: when do habits persist despite conflict with motives? Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 37 1428–1437. 10.1177/0146167211419863 [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar] 

Dr. Stephen Chew’s “How to Get the Most Out of Studying: Part 1 of 5, “Beliefs That Make You Fail Or Succeed” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH95h36NChI&t=14s 

“Study Better Slides ppd to Week 4”: Slides 1-29 https://gastate.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/2488499/viewContent/48692300/View 

Vanderbilt University : “Metacognition” https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/metacognition/ 

Abass Salat
Engl 1102 + Section 312 – Weaver
Major Project 4
Date Due: Apr 25
asalat2@student.gsu.edu

How College Students Should Approach a New Project

            Getting assigned a major project in college can feel very overwhelming. The increased difficulty of projects in the transition from highschool to higher education makes college students feel like they can never get it done. What can really get rid of this anxiety of college level projects and boost productivity is for students to approach projects like this strategically. Thinking ahead is critical to the completion and quality of this sort of project. Students should approach the project by opening up time in their schedule, breaking the project into smaller tasks, effectively combating against burnout, and having a support system.

            At the start of the project, students need to plan how they are going to get it done. Students should identify exactly what time they have available and allocate time to the project. They should also identify at what location they will work on the project. According to the study done by Sean Humpherys and Ibrahim Lazrig in the article “Effects of Teaching and Practice of Time Management Skills on Academic Performance in Computer Information Systems Courses” in the journal Information Systems Education Journal, when students identify the how, when, and where of a plan, they are considerably more productive in executing it (Humpherys and Lazrig). The authors mention this planning benefits students in many ways. They say doing this will lessen the chance of distraction killing the student’s working hours which helps against procrastination. Additionally, Humpherys and Lazrig say that when students preplan the how, when, and where of their plan, their grading results for their goal is likely to be positive. Also, students should make the plan as specific as possible according to Alain Samson, an economist with an expertise and PhD in social psychology, in his article “10 Ways to Get a Big Project Done” (Samson). What Dr. Samson means is instead of a student planning they will complete a specific task the project calls for on Monday, they should plan that they will complete that task on Monday from 10 a.m. to noon in a specific spot at the library. This will lessen the chance of a student having the intention to complete the task throughout the day but not being able to do it because they didn’t allocate a specific time of day for it, or a distraction came up.

            When given a project, students are never expected to get it all done in one day. College level projects are simply too complex. What students should do is approach it strategically and break down the project into pieces. Doing this has many benefits and will facilitate the process. According to Dr. Samson, breaking projects into smaller pieces will lay out the specific things one would need to get done (Samson). Dr. Samson adds that the person will also be able to analyze the difficultly levels of each piece of the project which is an advantage. This is because now the student has smaller workloads to complete rather than trying to tackle the project as a whole. Additionally, now the student can avoid unproductively pausing progress on the project due to a freighting challenge up ahead. Dr. Samson says ending a work session because of a demanding piece of the project up ahead is the opposite of what one should do when working on a project. This is because the student might avoid the next work session because of such a demanding piece of the project waiting for them as soon as they get started. Students should start with the less demanding pieces of the project and end with the slightly more demanding ones. This will help the students against unproductively pausing and will give them the fulfilling feeling of ending a session with hard work.

            Although some pauses on projects are unproductive, there are pauses that are highly encouraged if not necessary. When a student is feeling overwhelmed or just feels stuck, its best for them to take a break. According to Dr. Samson, students in this situation should do a completely different activity from what their project is about (Samson). For example, if a student’s project is about the French Revolution, they should go for a walk or knit a hat. Students can highly benefit from this because when they return to working on the project, they get rid of all their brain fog and their ability to work at their best is not compromised. This will help students avoid burning out and will help them get satisfactory results on the assignment.

            Also, when students are so deep in the project and they deprived themselves of taking breaks, they can’t notice the mistakes that they make. According to Jennifer Oliver, a writer, a speaker, and a creative project consultant, taking a break from working on a project can help students detect the faults in their work (Oliver). She says that sometimes someone is so deep into their project that they do not see the things they are doing wrong. Oliver says that when a student is in this situation, they should take some distance away from the project. Stepping away from working on the project might take away from a student’s work time but it will boost productivity in the long run.

            A student being overworked on a project is not the only thing that can lead to burnout. Lack of encouragement can be a major drag on a student’s ability to complete a project. Also, students are susceptible to procrastinating on doing what they planned to complete. The way students can combat both of these issues is by involving someone or multiple people to act as a support system. According to Philip Oreopoulos, Richard W. Patterson, Uros Petronijevic, and Nolan G. Pope in their article “Low-Touch Attempts to Improve Time Management among Traditional and Online College Students” in the journal Journal of Human Resources, having a system like this in place has been shown to help students achieve the goals they set out (Oreopoulos et. al.). The authors say that the support group should act as reminders for the student. This is because having a person or group of people that care about the student reminding him or her to not fall short of their goals reinforces the student’s commitment. Also, the students should share their progress on the project with their support system. According to Dr. Samson, just sharing their progress can help them achieve their final goal (Samson). He says that a student might also benefit from the positive reaction of their support group.

            Approaching a new project strategically is the best way for students to approach completing it. Instead of students simply starting the project and hoping all goes well, they should think things through. Students just jumping right in can lead to negative results due to lack of planning. The common occurrences like students saying they did not have enough time when they did, or the project was so mentally draining they just gave up are born from lack of planning. Applying these techniques can lead to satisfying results for students and are highly recommended to implement next time a student has a major project.

Work Cited

Humpherys, Sean L., and Ibrahim Lazrig. “Effects of Teaching and Practice of Time Management Skills              on Academic Performance in Computer Information Systems Courses.” Information Systems                      Education Journal, Information Systems and Computing Academic Professionals. Box 488,                         Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480. e-Mail: Publisher@Isedj.org; Web Site: Http://Isedj.org, 31 Mar.               2021, eric.ed.gov/?q=time%2Bmanagement&id=EJ1297703.

Oliver, Jen. “5 Reasons to Take a Break from Creative Projects.” J Oliver Designs, 16 June 2020,                     www.joliverdesigns.co.uk/5-reasons-to-take-a-break-from-creative-projects/.

Oreopoulos, Philip, et al. “Low-Touch Attempts to Improve Time Management among Traditional and                Online College Students.” Journal of Human Resources, vol. 57, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1–43.,                                 doi:10.3368/jhr.57.1.0919-10426r1.

Samson, Alain. “10 Ways to Get a Big Project Done.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 23 June                     2021, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/consumed/202106/10-ways-get-big-project-done.

              What Can Be Done About Students Plagiarizing?

A very big issue in higher education, which must be talked about more on ways to prevent it is plagiarism. While some things are being put into place to prevent it, technology is continuing to advance, which means there will be more ways to bypass those regulations. Plagiarism hinders students from forming original thoughts and views on a subject. Students can’t expect to get away with cheating and plagiarizing indefinitely since it’ll be detected, and the repercussions will be severe. So, before all of that happens, more strategies to prevent plagiarism should be talked about and implemented

Now first let’s define plagiarism, and the different types of plagiarism. In his article “The 5 Types of Plagiarism | Explanations & Examples” Streefkerk mentions how Plagiarism may take numerous forms, some of which are more serious than others, ranging from rephrasing someone’s ideas without acknowledgment to taking a whole piece of someone’s work. The five most prevalent kinds of plagiarism are as follows: global plagiarism, in its broadest sense refers to the act of misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own. Directly replicating someone else’s words is known as verbatim plagiarism. To avoid verbatim plagiarism, just quote the original source by enclosing the copied material in quotation marks and providing an in-text citation. (Streefkerk 1)

Paraphrasing plagiarism is defined as the act of rephrasing someone else’s ideas and portraying them as your own. When paraphrasing, mention your sources just like you would when quoting to avoid plagiarism. Patchwork plagiarism refers to combining elements from many sources to produce a new writing. To avoid patchwriting, ensure to credit your sources anytime you quote or paraphrase. Self-plagiarism is when you recycle your own previous work. Except for global plagiarism, these sorts of plagiarism are frequently unintentional, stemming from a lack of understanding on how to quote, paraphrase, and reference your sources appropriately. When you reuse ideas, words, or facts from earlier assignments, you are committing self-plagiarism. It is not plagiarism to rework existing ideas and paragraphs as long as you get permission and credit your earlier work to make their sources obvious. (Streefkerk 1)  

In their article “Strategy for writing Plagiarism free Research Paper” Dhusia D. K and Kesharwani Subodh, state that “Many students simply do not know what plagiarism is. Their awareness, if any, often derives from urban legends and myths that Internet contents are free to copy.” (Dhusia and Kesharwani 91), which describes how some plagiarism might not be intentional due to students not being aware of what it is and/or being improperly informed about it. They also mention that “Many other students know what plagiarism is, but don’t consider it wrong. The belief that “information wants to be free,” and the idea that copying from sources with a few words of one’s own is merely “patch writing,” a normal way to write, support these students in their beliefs.” (Dhusia and Kesharwani 91). This shows another reason why students might plagiarize while knowing what it is because they don’t think its something wrong and have the belief that “information wants to be free”.  

In order for teachers to make students more aware Dhusia and Kesharwani explain how these students require assistance, thus informing them of the resources available to them, such as personal attention from instructors, open debate with student ideas, the environment, teaching assistants, online writing lab sites, and so on, may inspire them to persevere. Presenting the assignment and correct citation of sources in a positive light is one strategy that might work. (Dhusia and Kesharwani 91)

In her article “Preventing Plagiarism (and Other Forms of Cheating): Advice From Students and Faculty” Stephanie Bluestein mentions some advice students had about plagiarism and academic dishonesty in general and what faculty and staff could do about it. Those students described how if a teacher is sitting in front of the class checking over their work, the student in the back has pretty much free reign to cheat. Professors may not be able to catch every instance of plagiarism, but students are aware when they are not. Faculty and administrators would benefit from learning more about incentive theories from the standpoint of educational psychology. By altering your presentation manner and enhancing student interaction with the subject, you may make learning more exciting. (Bluestein 8)

What teachers can do to prevent plagiarism has been mentioned but that about students? In her article “10 Tips for Students: How to Avoid Plagiarism in Your Writing” Zoe Nixon explains that students should allow enough time to write a paper is a simple strategy to avoid plagiarism. Citing sources is one thing, but it won’t help much if it’s not done right. Students should ensure that they understand the standards for the paper they are working on and that they apply them correctly. Scanning through a paper to verify that it has cited all of the sources used does not take long. There is a means to avoid using someone else’s work while yet giving credit where credit is due. When explicitly quoting someone, another approach to give credit is to utilize quotations. (Nixon 1)

To sum it up, in her article “Preventing Plagiarism (and Other Forms of Cheating): Advice From Students and Faculty” Stephanie Bluestein elaborates that academic dishonesty has no redeeming qualities other than potentially giving an instructive moment. Educators must undoubtedly ask themselves, “How do we avoid this tragic situation?” Students, as we all know, are free-thinking individuals with a lot on their minds—and plates. While professors and administrators cannot control their students’ actions, they can regulate their actions by taking preventative measures. (Bluestein 7)

Works Cited:

Streefkerk, Raimo. ” The 5 Types of Plagiarism | Explanations & Examples.” Scribbr, 10 Jan. 2022, https://www.scribbr.com/plagiarism/types-of-plagiarism/

Dhusia, D. K and Kesharwani, Subodh. “Strategy for writing Plagiarism free Research Paper” Global Journal of Enterprise Information System vol. 11, issue. 2, Spring 2019, pp 90-96. EBSCO, DOI: 10.18311/gjeis/2019

Bluestein, Stephanie. “Preventing Plagiarism (and Other Forms of Cheating): Advice From Students and Faculty” New Directions for Community Colleges vol. 2018, issue. 183, Fall 2018, pp 7-14. EBSCO,  DOI: 10.1002/cc.20312

Nixon, Zoe. “10 Tips for Students: How to Avoid Plagiarism in Your Writing ” The Writing Cooperative, 4 Jul. 2018, https://writingcooperative.com/10-tips-for-students-how-to-avoid-plagiarism-in-your-writing-11892264deb4