Introduction

One of the main concerns many middle and lower class people have in the US while growing up is how they will be able to afford college. There are countries around the world that offer public college and universities that are free for everybody. K-12 education in the US is free, and we have seen politicians talk about free-tuition college bills multiple times, so why does the US government not offer free higher education yet? In this paper, we discuss the reasons why free-tuition may or may not be possible.

Discussion

In the article “The Politics of Designing Tuition-Free College: How Socially Constructed Target Populations Influence Policy Support” in Journal of Higher Education, Elizabeth Bell states that over 70 percent of parents express concern about how to finance their child’s college education (888). The idea of free higher education is not a new concept for Americans. In 2015, President Obama captured headlines in the US by announcing America’s College Promise (ACP), a policy that would reverse four decades of privatisation in higher education by making community colleges ‘tuition-free (from “Americans ‘Support’ the Idea of Tuition-Free College: An Exploration of Sentiment and Political Identity Signals Otherwise” in Journal of Further & Higher Education, by Daniel Collier, pp. 347). But what about the people who want to get a degree from a place better than a community college? Over 16 states have implemented some form of tuition-free college policy (Bell, 888). Nevertheless, some states have not succeeded in this. Oregon, for example, faced considerable difficulty in establishing political feasibility and sustainability (Bell, 888).

In the article “Aiming Higher: Make College Tuition Free” by Jon Wiener, he says that college used to be free at state schools before and gives the example of the University of California. In 2014, in-state tuition and fees for undergraduates totaled $13,222 for one year and as a result, two-thirds of college seniors now graduate with an average of $29,000 in student-loan debt (Wiener, 224). The problem is that this pushes students into decades of debt (Wiener, 224), which most of the time, prevents them from moving higher up in their career and economically until their loan debt is paid off.

Michael Horn, Senior Contributor at Forbes, wrote the article “Five Reasons Why Free College Doesn’t Make The Grade,” and he claims that by making college free, it complicates students’ ability to make the right choices for themselves because it privileges these traditional higher education experiences over new private options that are designed to be faster, cheaper, and optimized for student success (Horn). He also states that although financial struggles are one of the main reasons for student dropouts, there are other factors that contribute to it, such as professional commitments, health, lack of satisfaction with one’s school, and academics (Horn). Therefore, he tries to explain that even if higher education was 100% free, there would not be a big difference in the rate of students who drop out of college. He also adds that if all colleges were free, an immense amount of debt would be added to future generations of taxpayers (Horn).

There are several pros and cons on whether public higher education should be free in the US, and it is because of this that the US government has not been able to reach an agreement whenever this subject is discussed. The opinions on this are divided between the people who think free-tuition would be a great idea, and the people who think it will hurt the economy. What Michael Horn stated in his article is true, financial struggles are not the only reason college students drop out of school. Nevertheless, Jon Wiener makes a point in saying that “education is a public good” (224). He stated “the purpose of education is not just to enable people to increase their lifetime incomes; it’s to help them understand the world, to stimulate the imagination and inspire creativity in all fields. A good society provides opportunities for everyone. We need educated people. And we should be willing to pay to educate them (224).

Conclusion

Free-tuition can be possible in the US, but because the government is divided between people who have different opinions on this subject, an agreement has not been reached. If the government were able to prioritize this and come up with ideas to counterattack the disadvantages that this would bring, the overall outcome would be positive. Future generations would consist of highly educated people, who therefore would cause a drastic change in society.

Works cited

Bell, Elizabeth. “The Politics of Designing Tuition-Free College: How Socially Constructed Target Populations Influence Policy Support.” Journal of Higher Education, vol. 91, no. 6, Sept. 2020, pp. 888–926. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2019.1706015.

Collier, Daniel A., et al. “Americans ‘Support’ the Idea of Tuition-Free College: An Exploration of Sentiment and Political Identity Signals Otherwise.” Journal of Further & Higher Education, vol. 43, no. 3, Apr. 2019, pp. 347–62. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1361516.

Horn, Michael. “Five Reasons Why Free College Doesn’t Make The Grade.” Forbes, 17 July 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/michaelhorn/2019/07/16/five-reasons-why-free-college-doesnt-make-the-grade/?sh=5839172da6c1.

Wiener, Jon. “Aiming Higher: Make College Tuition Free.” Nation, vol. 300, no. 14, Apr. 2015, pp. 224–26. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=a9h&AN=101720701&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Ayanna Cade

ENGL 1102

Major Project 4

acade7@student.gsu.edu

April 16th, 2022

Introduction

The pandemic has caused many issues for college students. Depression, anxiety, insomnia and online classes due to the pandemic has caused trouble for college students. College students must worry about their selves and their loved ones catching covid. The Topic for this research paper is how does college students’ depression, anxiety, insomnia and how has online classes due to the pandemic affect their academic performance?

The pandemic has caused depression, anxiety, insomnia, lack of motivation, etc. in college students. Covid 19 has added more reasons why college students are stressed.  According to Mindy M. Kibbey in her article “Anxiety, depression, and health anxiety in undergraduate students living in initial US outbreak hotspot during Covid-19 pandemic” college students have consistently elevated psychological distress because of the pandemic (Kibbey 1).  Kibbey started a study on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health undergraduates in a heavily populated area in the United States (Kibbey 1). Kibbey addresses that half of the students reported that they had higher levels of health anxiety, general anxiety, and depression (Kibbey 1). Kibbey claims that “college students stress about unexpected displacing due to closing of university housing, losing jobs, no social networks, uncertain academic future, and online learning” which increases their depression and anxiety (Kibbey 1). This is immensely important because some college students live in university housing and have nowhere else to go. Those students that live in university housing unexpectedly had to leave without a warning which could be hard on many students. College is expensive and students lost their jobs which caused more stress on them.  

In the article “Assessing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nontraditional Student’s Mental Health and Well – Being” Stephanie Babb stated that 30% of college students reported that their depression affected their personal lives and academic performance before the pandemic but, these rates have increased due to the pandemic (Babb 1). “71% of students indicated they had increased levels of stress, depressive thoughts, and anxiety due to the pandemic” (Babb 1). “35% of undergraduate students screened positive for major depressive disorder” (Babb 1). Babb adds that insomnia is an issue for college students that could lead to depression and affect their academic performance (Babb 1). Insomnia can negatively affect college students’ depression, academic performance and anxiety. “Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, or cause you to wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep”. According to Babb, 60% of college students have poor sleep quality and over 7% meet the criteria for insomnia (Babb 1). Babb believes that insomnia for college students leads to low GPAs and poor academic performance such as dropping classes (1).

 Many college students’ academic performance has been affected by depression, anxiety, and insomnia due to the pandemic.  Jose Ventura – Leon argues in his article “ Depression, Covid-19 Anxiety, Subjective well-being, and academic performance in University Students with Covid-19 Infected Relatives: A Network Analysis that the symptoms of anxiety and depression negatively affect college student’s academic performance.  Ventura states that many students’ concerns about their academic performance can also cause depression and anxiety in college students (Ventura 1). Students’ academic performance can be positively or negatively affected by remote teaching due to the pandemic (Ventura 1). Ventura acknowledges that University students’ academic performance could be affected by remote learning due to limitations in acquiring the necessary technology and/or having adequate digital connections (Ventura 1).

The pandemic caused in-person classes to transition to online classes. Online learning can certainly affect a student’s academic performance. This transition can be a huge adjustment for a lot of students. In the article “Higher education students experience and opinion about distance learning during the covid-19 pandemic “ Aleksandra Stevanoic emphasizes that there is a negative correlation between online classes during the pandemic (Stevanoic 1). Some of the negative things college students experienced during online learning are “academic stress, fear of failure, feelings of boredom, and depressive thoughts that distracted students from academic and creative activities” (Stevanoic 1). There are pros and cons to online learning. Some of the pros Stevanoic points out are better time management, better for students who cannot come to class due to health reasons, employment, etc,  and it’s easier for some students to attend class from a computer (Stevanoic 1). Some of the cons that Stevanoic pointed out are lack of motivation, increased anxiety, depressive thoughts, technical problems, etc (Stevanoic 1).

Melissa Ezarik added in her article “How Covid 19 Damaged Student Success “  a student voice survey that included 2,000 college students from 108 institutions which were conducted by Higher Ed and presented by Kaplan. According to Kaplan, 47% of students would rate the value of their education this year as fair or poor, 52% of students said they learned less this year, 23% of freshmen felt unprepared, 35% felt somewhat unprepared, and 47% of students said that cheating is common in online classes (Ezarik 1). Ezarik also points out that 46% of students felt like they are taking more time to complete online assignments (Ezarik 1). Donde Plowman, the chancellor of the University of Tennessee states “I heard repeatedly, I’ve had to work so much harder” from students (Ezarik 1). Ezarik implies that it’s easier to lose focus during online classes (Ezarik 1). Eight out of ten students found it difficult to concentrate during online classes but there are a few students who prefer online learning. According to Ezarik Student Watch research from the National Association of College Students found that students over the age of 35 were more satisfied with online learning (Ezarik 1). There are other worries that the pandemic added to college students. For example, Ezarik addresses that a student could not concentrate because her uncle had COVID-19. Two football players expressed the pressure they felt during the pandemic. They had worries of catching the virus and worries of having to meet academic requirements.

Students now worry more about their academic performance due to the pandemic. Students are now dealing with insomnia, longer assignments, depressive thoughts and worries about getting Covid 19. The pandemic made online classes a huge thing which caused more problems with students’ academic success. Students are learning less, unprepared and not concentrated. Students are feeling bored and having fears of failing. After doing this research there should be more programs to help college students get through this pandemic.

Works Cited

Babb, Stephanie J., et al. “Assessing the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nontraditional Students’ Mental Health and Well-Being.” Adult Education Quarterly, vol. 72, no. 2, May 2022, pp. 140–57. EBSCOhost https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/07417136211027508

Stevanović, Aleksandra, et al. “Higher Education Students’ Experiences and Opinion about Distance Learning during the Covid‐19 Pandemic.” Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, vol. 37, no. 6, Dec. 2021, pp. 1682–93. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12613.

Mindy M. Kibbey. “Anxiety, Depression, and Health Anxiety in Undergraduate Students Living in Initial US Outbreak ‘Hotspot’ during Covid-19 Pandemic.” Taylor & Francis, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16506073.2020.1853805.

Ventura-León, José, et al. “Depression, Covid-19 Anxiety, Subjective Well-Being, and Academic Performance in University Students with Covid-19-Infected Relatives: A Network Analysis.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 1 Jan. 1AD, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.837606/full

What Worked and What Didn’t for College Students Learning through COVID-19, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/06/21/what-worked-and-what-didn%E2%80%99t-college-students-learning-through-covid-19

Name: Nadiyah Alali

Professor: Rebecca Weaver

Course: ENGL1102

Date: 4/25/2022

Major project 4: People Fake

Fake people have been a big problem for workers, students, friends, and everyone. People are always not here for you. Also, fake people can be a big impact on you and everyone. Also, we have to talk about this issue because a lot of people got betrayed easily. And, that affected students which cause them to be depressed. And, this matters because people are being tricked. Being depressed as a student is a big thing. Not going to school because the depression is the worst thing. Also, being able to talk with others can affect your education environment. That can also cause to fail the classes and tests. So, fake people are the worst thing to have near you.

Having a fake friend can ruin your own self. Especially, when your fake friend is the closest friend, you have. Then, you have trust issues and you will hate yourself. Hating yourself is not good for your mental health and can affect/impacted you and your education environment. Also, you can lose more friends when your depression. Losing also can impact your life a lot more than you think.

Losing your friends can make feel that you are not good enough and you going to think that is why they left. And, that is not the reason that you are losing a friend. That reason is probably that you think that everyone is fake and that you can’t trust them anymore. But you wouldn’t think that was the reason. SO, you going to keep being depressed and you will lose more people except for the true friend and the true people who you have around you.
In conclusion, there are fake people around but you don’t know who is it until they show that they are fake. Also, people can affect your life a lot. And, you can lose your other friend except for the true friends and true people would not leave and they going to be here for you and that’s a true friend to be with. Also, fake can cause you to be depressed and lonely. So, be careful to not lose yourself and to not lose everyone.

Work Cited

How To Spot Fake People (And Ways to Deal with Them)

https://www.lifehack.org/900275/fake-people

Accessed May 4. 2021

friends quote that will give you thoughts about people you may have considered being your friend. https://www.currentschoolnews.com/articles/quote/fake-friends-quotes/

Accessed March 7.2022

. “Growing up means realizing a lot of your friends aren’t really your friends.”

https://www.quoteambition.com/fake-friends-people-quotes/

Accessed May 17.2022

Savage Fake Friends Quotes & Fake People Quotes.

https://willingtotakeactions.com/fake-friends-quotes-fake-people-quotes/

Accessed February 20.2022

That Prove Your Friendship is the Real Deal

https://hellorelish.com/articles/signs-of-real-friendship.html

Accessed Jun 30, 2021

Fake Friends Quotes and Fake People Sayings.

https://everydaypower.com/fake-friends-quotes/

Accessed Apr 7.2022

Over the last half-century, heavy alcohol consumption has become a widespread practice of campus life, and it’s grown to involve up to half of the student population. As binge drinking habits increased, so did the concerns of administrators, faculty members, and other students. The effect that’ll be of particular focus is that of heavy alcohol consumption on college students’ academic performance.

There is plenty of research that proves the correlation between binge drinking and poor academic performance to be more than existent. For example, in the article “Understanding College Alcohol Abuse and Academic Performance: Selecting Appropriate Intervention Strategies” by Michael Sullivan and Ed Risler, a study conducted by C.A. Presley, P.W. Meilman, and R. Lyera was referenced. In their study, Presley, Meilman, and Lyera found that students who consumed less alcohol performed better academically than students who drank more. A-students had 3 drinks a week on average, while D-students had 10 drinks per week on average (Sullivan and Risler 115). Naturally, it’s expected that findings like these would shift the behaviors of college students, and prompt administrators to take action. Instead, research proves quite the opposite.

Although poor academic performance has been directly linked to binge drinking, the notable lack of response from students and administrators sparked an interest in researchers. After confirming the notion that binge drinking does, in fact, constitute poor academic performance, researchers began shifting their curiosity to the more perplexing component of the issue: Why, after the numerous occasions where subpar academic performance has been linked to binge drinking, haven’t students changed their habits? Why haven’t administrators and faculty members handled the matter with a sense of urgency? These topics are ones that came to be deeply discussed in order to introduce possible solutions to the bigger issue at hand.

taken by No Revisions, Unsplash.

In another study “Problem Drinking Among College Freshmen” done by doctors Mark J. Werner and John W. Greene, two questionnaires were given to freshmen volunteers to analyze their drinking habits, and deduce which students were at high risk for alcohol dependency. It was discovered that more than half of their volunteers claimed that they’d drunk heavily in the last thirty days, forty percent of which scored as high-riskers on the questionnaires. The interesting fact, however, is that more than seventy percent of the students whose scores indicated that they were at risk for alcohol dependency soon intended on joining a fraternity or sorority house (Werner and Greene 489). According to Werner and Greene, “students intending to join the Greek system are more likely to be frequent, heavy, problem drinkers” (Werner, Greene 491). It’s important to highlight that problem drinking is different from alcoholism. While they are similar in the sense that both consume unhealthy doses of alcohol and deal with negative effects, alcoholics are physically addicted to alcohol consumption, and problem drinkers are not.

 The habit of binge drinking on campus has led to many dangerous and chaotic situations, many of which have left students injured, in legal trouble, or even dead. Although this connection isn’t unbeknownst to university administrators and faculty members, they haven’t seemed to be taking serious action to stop these casualties from happening. According to Beth Mcmurtie’s article  “Why Colleges Haven’t Stopped Binge Drinking”, there are multiple reasons to take into account when discussing binge drinking in college. Campus culture and environmental pressures are some serious contributors to the issue (McMurtrie). McMurtrie explains how environments like local bars, for example, promote college binge drinking by luring students in with happy hours and discounts. And because the local bars aren’t affiliated with any colleges, nothing can really be done about it.

taken by Yasin Arıbuğa, Unsplash.

One campus culture that constitutes the issue of college binge drinking traces back to societies known as Greek-letter organizations. Founded in the 1700s, Greek houses were created by students as a form of escape from the rigidity of their academic environments.  In her article, “The Dark Power of Fraternities”, Caitlin Flanagan discusses the phenomenon of fraternity culture in relation to their excessive drinking habits. She asserts that there’s a concerning number of injuries, physical assaults, and sexual crimes that happen in fraternity houses while the perpetrator was under the influence of alcohol. Flanagan also introduces another possible reason as to why college administrators won’t take serious action to solve the college drinking issue. She claims that as fraternity houses became a popular part of campus culture, colleges grew to become more dependent on them. According to Flanagan, Greek Houses have advanced to assist universities with their admission, student retention, and housing rates, therefore becoming a valuable asset to the school (Flanagan).     

Though these unsettling results might depict college binge drinking to be a helpless matter, researchers also began to explore possible resolutions to the issue. In the article “Understanding College Alcohol Abuse and Academic Performance: Selecting Appropriate Intervention Strategies”, Michael Sullivan and Ed Risler reinforced the findings of the previously mentioned researchers, including Werner, Greene, Presley, Meilman, and Lyera. Additionally, they present possible ways to apprehend the issue of college binge drinking. To do this, they first present three common methods of apprehension. The public health strategy suggests that reducing the availability of alcohol would lower consumption rates. The second apprehension strategy the authors present is the sociocultural strategy. This strategy suggests that rather than getting completely wasted, the use of alcohol should be promoted at legal and appropriate doses. The third strategy that Sullivan and Risler present is known as the disease approach. This strategy suggests that students who’ve been identified as having a predisposition to alcohol dependence should consider abstinence (Sullivan and Risler 116-117). While each strategy promises some level of success, Sullivan and Risler highlight that each of these strategies has its limitations. With regards to the public health strategy, the authors state that the interdiction of alcohol won’t curb heavy drinkers’ habits. Next, the authors claim that the sociocultural model will only be effective for a small percentage of students, since many of them displayed unhealthy drinking habits before they enrolled in college. Lastly, Sullivan and Risler debunked the disease approach because they argue that binge drinkers tend to be in denial of the fact that they have a drinking problem (Sullivan and Risler 117-118).

So, what are some effective apprehension strategies that don’t work only under certain conditions? This is where Sullivan and Risler’s ideas begin to align, almost identically, with the previously mentioned researchers. One common resolution strategy among the researchers is to create as much of a non-confrontational, collaborative, and social environment as possible. Indirect and empathetic approaches have proven to be the most successful apprehension strategies when aiding college students in moderating their drinking habits. By creating college communities that promote the moderation of, or even abstinence from alcohol consumption, researchers are hopeful that the issue of binge drinking in college students will someday be solved.

                                                 Works Cited

Werner, Mark J. M.D., Greene, John w. M.D. “Problem Drinking among College Freshmen.” Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 13, no. 6, 1992, pp. 487-492. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/1054-139X(92)90012-Z

Sullivan, Michael, Risler, Ed. “Understanding College Alcohol Abuse and Academic Performance: Selecting Appropriate Intervention Strategies.” Journal of College Counseling, vol. 5, no. 2, 2002, pp. 114-123. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1882.2002.tb00213.x

Flanagan, Caitlin. “The Dark Power of Fraternities.” The Atlantic, Mar. 2014, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/03/the-dark-power-of-fraternities/357580/

Mcmurtie, Beth. “Why Colleges Haven’t Stopped Binge Drinking.” The New York Times, 14 Dec. 2014, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/15/us/why-colleges-havent-stopped-binge-drinking.html

Axel Gordillo

Professor Weaver

English 1102

April 25, 2022

Inclusive teaching and its importance

It’s not uncommon to know that some students may feel excluded when it comes to school, whether it be because of their religion, sexual orientation, or even a disability. This issue is a direct result of some schools not doing enough to make students feel more included. The focus and purpose of this research are to explore the importance of inclusive learning/teaching, and the possible effects that it can have on students. Implementing inclusive teaching and its practices is important because it makes students feel as if they belong which is critical to their success, as more students with disabilities enter college it is needed even more, and because it helps students perform academically better.

First, to understand the importance of inclusive teaching one must know the definition. Viji Sathy and Kelly A. Hogan describe it perfectly in their article, “How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive: Advice Guide” as, “…embracing student diversity in all forms — race, ethnicity, gender, disability, socioeconomic background, ideology, even personality traits like introversion — as an asset (1).” Their research asks questions and answers them in a way that can help people get a broader understanding of this topic. They also give tips on how to implement these strategies in classrooms. Overall, Sathy and Hogan encourage teaching practices that are more suitable and cater to a wider range of students, those who are generally from groups that have been marginalized. Because old methods of teaching do not cater to all kinds of students, it is important to figure out creative ways to include everyone. Making every student feel like they have a sense of belonging in school is critical to their success. It is also important to note that as more students with disabilities enter higher education institutions, the need for inclusive teaching practices is needed now more than ever for them. Besides making students feel more included, inclusive teaching practices have been shown to help students academically.

To give an example of what could happen when there is an absence of an inclusive environment in the classroom, a student with a shy demeanor walks into a class and is asked a question. They give the wrong answer to the question and the instructor makes no effort to reassure the student. Next time the student is asked a question they will simply not answer and remain quiet because they will feel as if that is the best option. The absence of inclusive teaching practices such as reassurance can diminish a student’s confidence in the classroom. This issue can also affect a student’s self-esteem as well as their motivation and success. Situations like this and many others highlight the importance of inclusive teaching and its practices. Inclusive teaching helps us develop a feeling of belonging that is pivotal for success. According to Bryan Dewsbury and Cynthia J. Brame, in their article, “Inclusive Teaching” (published in CBE—Life Sciences Education) states that self-efficacy is a direct result of inclusive teaching practices like making a student feel as if they belong (1). Self-efficacy can be described as the belief in one’s ability to execute a plan in order to reach a goal. Furthermore, this value of self-efficacy improves confidence not only in the classroom but in the workplace or even at home. This outcome is important as inclusive teaching makes society more culturally diverse and productive when everyone can feel confident enough to put their talents to use (2). Maximized participation and an outgoing attitude are just some of the helpful effects that come out of putting inclusive teaching practices in place.

On a separate note, Anabel Moriña, a professor at the University of Seville who researches special education in higher education states in her article, “Inclusive education in higher education: challenges and opportunities” (published in the European Journal of Special Needs Education) that the number of students with disabilities attending higher education institutions increases every year (4). This increase is significant because the plans put in place to help students with disabilities are insufficient (5). They do not fully help make students feel accepted. Not only this, but students with disabilities are more likely to be discriminated against. Because of this, the rates at which disabled students drop out of these institutions are drastically higher than those without disabilities. For that reason, it is key that more inclusive practices are introduced to keep students in school. Introducing these practices will also provide equal opportunities for students where they can all develop their abilities and accept and understand diversity. Another reason for the importance of inclusion is that some disabled students feel as if they have to work twice as hard as able-bodied students because they have to handle both their education and disability. Implementing inclusive strategies like cooperative learning, independent practice, and getting to know students in a way where one might better understand their situation can give them some much-needed relief by taking that huge load off their backs. Some may argue that implementing these practices will only benefit students with disabilities, but in fact, non-disabled students will also benefit because these inclusive practices improve the classroom environment and thus the university itself (12). This is because students with disabilities are adaptable because they’ve had to deal with their disability their whole lives, which demonstrates their resilience. These characteristics, which are honed through inclusive teaching, teach students their worth and help them become valued members of society.

Lastly, Inclusive teaching is important because it provides all students with a more quality education that will see them perform academically better. When students are in an environment where they are all accepted and valued, it motivates them to work to their full capabilities. In their article, “Academic and Social Effects of Inclusion on Students without Disabilities: A Review of the Literature” (published in the journal, Education Sciences), Ayse Kart and Mehmet Kart, two professors from Ohio State University, demonstrate studies that students in inclusive teaching environments outperformed those in regular teaching environments (4). This research shows that there is a direct correlation between academic performance and inclusive teaching. Apart from this, students with disabilities in inclusive environments perform academically better in the sense that they develop better cognitive and motor skills. Performing academically better is an important result of inclusive teaching because it shows that students have the drive to succeed, which can help them in the future.

In the end, this research can explain why inclusive teaching practices in higher education classrooms are so important. These practices help students develop characteristics and skills, which can influence better environments for everyone as well as help them later when they graduate college. Inclusive teaching creates a better more understanding and accepting society, which is what everyone should strive for because when everyone can feel included, everyone can contribute.

Works cited

Dewsbury, Bryan, and Cynthia J. Brame. “Inclusive Teaching.” Lifescied, CBE—Life Sciences Education, 26 Apr. 2019, www.lifescied.org/doi/full/10.1187/cbe.19-01-0021.

Moriña, Anabel. “Inclusive Education in Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities.” Taylor and Francis Online, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 23 Dec. 2016, https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2016.1254964.

Moriña, Anabel. “Inclusive Education in Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities.” Taylor and Francis Online, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 23 Dec. 2016, https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2016.1254964.

Nebyou Tesfaye

Professor Weaver

English 1102

April 24, 2022

The correlation of professors and inclusive teaching and its effects on college student success.

Introduction 

     Throughout history the act of learning a new skill and ability is always followed by the act of teaching that skill for the next generation. But the way we teach and learn hasn’t changed and it’s starting to affect our youth. The goal of this research project is to show the effects that professors have on college student’s success. From this source and others, this research text is intended to provide insight on how one teacher can impact a student’s life by introducing a new method of teaching.

Discussion

     As time goes on teachers that teach in the standard way of note taking might work for a good portion for students, others experience something called the “curve”. The curve is basically when people with higher or lower IQ’s get the same work as everyone else as are expected to work at the same pace. This usually starts very early from elementary to middle school. After this the smarter ones feel as if putting the bare minimum is enough to pass and then the ones who can’t catch up need more help or they risk failing. People believe this might be one of the reasons people don’t look forward to school, they see it as unnecessary and just work to do and over time their view becomes pessimistic. This also indicates a cycle that flows over on social media. This absence of wanting to learn poses a wall on students, especially when they are adjusting to the real world and can also spread this negative view after adulthood. Now this can be noticed but a lot of adults have chalked this up to this being a phase or kids being lazy. This is why a good teacher is crucial for students who are exposed to the normal, wake up, get dressed, go to school, spend some time writing, listening and go home and finish homework kind of routine.  They have experience in this, and experience is important to draw a connection . In the article “Why Do So Many Students Hate School ” it states that some teachers don’t know what they’re doing and the information that they receive isn’t always things they like. And the impression the teachers have on students will vary,  good or bad. Now this isn’t to say they shouldn’t learn about things that doesn’t involve them, but they should at least be presented in a way that can interest them instead of the normal lecture, notes and homework deal. Aditya Shukila talks about this in her article “Why Fun, Curiosity & Engagement Improves Learning: Mood, Senses, Neurons, Arousal, Cognition” dopamine is released with an increased improvement with mood which helps students learn easier. It has also been proven that a negative mood closes your attention span, while a positive one opens it wider.

     In the article “Inclusive teaching”, Bryan Dewsbury talks about how instructors can develop self awareness about theory teaching methods with interactions. Communication also improves teaching, but is also amplified when concerning inclusive teaching as it is focused on the students specific weaknesses. This can give the student reassurance that the teacher is there to help them and not merely to look over them and also improves the relationship from teacher to student. This can be done in many ways including tutoring and comments on the students’ work. The student should not rely on the teacher per say, but should receive some aid when they make a mistake on an assignment. This communication lets the student improve upon themselves and teaches them that it is ok to reach out so they can develop communication skills themselves. This method also promotes the students to communicate with their peers and work together on projects and assignments and develop teamwork skills and also help cultivate leadership skills that will aid them in the future. This method has already been implemented in stem fields and other areas.

Work cited page

Why Do So Many Students Hate School? – Salarship

Brunner, Nathan. “Why Do So Many Students Hate School?” Salarship, 29 Nov. 2021, https://salarship.com/article/hate-school/. 

Why Fun, Curiosity & Engagement Improves Learning: Mood, Senses, Neurons, Arousal, Cognition – Cognition Today

Shukla, Aditya. “Why Fun, Curiosity & Engagement Improves Learning: Mood, Senses, Neurons, Arousal, Cognition.” Cognition Today, 23 Aug. 2020, https://cognitiontoday.com/why-fun-improves-learning-mood-senses-neurons-arousal-cognition/. 

Inclusive Teaching – PMC (nih.gov)

Dewsbury, Bryan, and Cynthia J Brame. “Inclusive Teaching.” CBE Life Sciences Education, American Society for Cell Biology, June 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7058128/. 

Keith Kearney-Pelsey

Professor Rebecca Weaver

Engl 1102

April 18, 2022

Actors: Degree or No Degree

    For those of young students who want to be actors or actresses know that acting doesn’t always come from talent but from skill. There’s more than what people might think. And that is getting a little bit educated on the art of Theatre or Film. Some actors strive to get a degree in those categories in order to get far in their career, but there is one major question that is often asked is whether or not actors really need to have a degree in their craft. The answer often varies when it comes to the actor or actress who want to have a degree. For most people, they will say that acting just comes from experience without needing an education but others take their time to go to college to increase their knowledge in their career. It matters to everyone who wants to become successful after their years in education. Actors are free to have the choice to go to college and make an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in their craft.

The college degree that everyone, including actors, strives for is a Bachelor’s degree or an Associates degree. In an anominously written article on the Best Accredited Colleges website, “Acting Career Information: Becoming an Actor or Actress”, they addressed the educational requirement for being an actor. The author of the article states that, “There are no formal education requirements to become an actor but a bachelor’s degree in theater arts, drama, acting and performing, may be helpful in learning technical skills.” Granted, they only talk about everything that an actor does and needs, the author actually talks about the different skill sets to be an actor. Those skills are memorization, creativity, and literacy. Those skills are often there as a reminder for how young actors should treat their education. Since there is no formal educational requirement, they offer classes in the college field as a bit of extracurricular for other actors. These classes show the students how to be technical in their craft and help them gain full experience. Even if those extra-curricular activities help with experience, it doesn’t truly help with getting a degree in that particular field. The general conclusion of this article lies under the fact that the necessary skill sets and extra-curricular programs in college will help students become actors. Therefore is one of the reasons that actors don’t need a degree to make it far into their careers.

Without having a degree in acting, students who are soon to become actors will find better experience when they are doing real jobs onstage or onset. This is fully explained in the article, “Actor” written by Kathyrn Quinlan. Kathryn Quinlan is a writer who writes on different career pathways that give out training tips in those particular careers. In Chapter 3: Training to Be an Actor, Quinlan states that, “Most actors train on the job, taking lots of small jobs at first, as extras in shows and helpers building sets and props.” (Quinlan)  For actors who are being extras are usually given minor parts with little dialogue. Luckily they get paid for their work and gain tons of experience doing so. Another thing that was mentioned in Chapter 3 was that actors could join unions. Quinlan added, “A union is a group that seeks fair treatment and better pay for workers. Sometimes actors must belong to unions before they can work.” (Quinlan) Say as if an actor wanted to be a lead role in a play or a movie, they would have to be part of a union such as SAG-AFTRA or Actors Unity Association. There are actually different kinds of unions that helps different types of actors ranging from being an extra to being a stunt double. Many beginning actors can gain true experience when they do real work real set or stage. They can even do without having a Bachelors or Associates degree in their craft.

It could be a few actors who actually do decide to get a college degree and use it for their career. They would use that degree for getting a job in theatre, acquire a lot of money in that field or even better they get to experience new things with the degree. This particular idea is a lot more explained in the article, “Dollars and sense’’: Professors and Other Experts Share Advice on Financing Your Theatre Degree.” written by Amy Cuomo. Amy Cuomo is a theatre professor of University of West Georgia who made this article with other theatre professors on their opinions and advice on theatre students who want to have a college degree. “For theatre practitioners, higher education training provides an opportunity to learn new skills and hone your craft, as well as to make discoveries about yourself and your abilities.” (Cuomo 11)  As she said, when most actors gain their degree, particularly in Theatre, the world is always open for multiple opportunities for everyone. With financial aid, FAFSA aid could definitely help with scholarships for college and it could really benefit college professors for their jobs. Granted, colleges will charge students for classes and living expenses, but luckily FAFSA will take care of all of it. It all adds up to how students manage grades and what they got on their test scores. With acquiring money and experience, that all goes into how the student chooses whether or not to use their degree. Experience and money is very important to a degree but the way a degree is financed should be very crucial.

As it would be seem from all of the evidence that whether or not actors should get college degrees to help further careers lies on the hands of the actors themselves. Even if there is no formal education requirement when actors need a degree for their craft, it would still be good for them to go for it. Every actor should be able to find their way into their career with or without a college degree. They could learn by experience, programs, or even by getting real jobs in the field. Others who want to get a college degree will be able to study more and learn new things along the way that they never knew even existed. It’s almost similar to the old saying of “College isn’t for everyone.” Where in this case, actors who would want to go to college to find more opportunities will be great for them, while other actors who aren’t really looking forward to college can still find those opportunities by another source. Degree or no degree, Actors will be able take the stage in their own way and set up new journey for themselves.

Works Cited
“Acting Career Information: Becoming an Actor or Actress.” Bestaccreditedcolleges.org, https://bestaccreditedcolleges.org/articles/acting-career-information-becoming-an-actor-or-actress.html. 

Cuomo, Amy. “DOLLARS AND SENSE: Professors and Other Experts Share Advice on Financing Your Theatre Degree.” Southern Theatre, vol. 62, no. 1, Winter 2021, pp. 24–36. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=ibh&AN=148423046&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Quinlan, Kathyrn. “Chapter 3: Training to Be an Actor.” Actor, Jan. 1998, p. 22. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=ndh&AN=8906123&site=eds-live&scope=site.

“Editorial, Business & Work” by Scott Graham licensed under Unsplash.

Writing challenges such as grammar, word choice, organization and flow of ideas, critical thinking, and plagiarism are the problems in international students’ academic writing. In a generation where sharing ideas is a resource, not being able to share them is a killer of a revolution. To solve the struggle in the academic struggle of international students, there are five best strategies to improve international students’ academic writing: Reading effectively, translating, practicing, being open to feedback, and knowing international students are not alone in their academic writing struggle. 

Reading habits can be a new skill to build; however, it is the backbone for improving academic writing or writing in general. Dr. Katherine Firth, a lecturer from LA TROBE’s research University, asserts the value of reading about writing. She said reading habits help international students be familiar with sentence structure, word choice, and common use of English metaphors(Firth). The more international students incorporate reading habits into their life, the more they will understand English. Understanding English is a helpful skill that improves the writing skills of international students. However, there are international students who are avid readers but find academic writing difficult, this is because they are using an ineffective reading strategy.

According to Mai-Linh Bui, a U.S. News publisher, ”[International students] will probably need to read a number of research papers and dissertations throughout the academic year.  [ They shouldn’t] skim them for information”(Bui). Glimpsing the information over does not help international students improve their writing much; However, they should read a dissertation or research paper and look at how the author structure the paper in a way that convinces the reader. These will help international students know different sentence structure forms, which they can embody in their academic writings. 

In addition to reading research papers or dissertations, Bui said if international students translate English text into their native language, it will enforce them to know the different structures of writing (Bui). When international students translate English into their native language, they will force themselves to read deeply or analyze the text. Analyzing a text will help them visualize the structure of the paper.

However, while reading and translating are helpful in writing, if international students do not practice writing regularly, they will not show much improvement. Firth asserts that taking every opportunity to increase international students’ English writing skills such as: taking notes, writing emails, and sending text messages- are better means to help international students improve their writing skills(Firth). In every writing international students write and make a mistake, they are learning. But, if the mistakes were not corrected, will they be illiterate their whole life about writing?

In their study, Carol Dweck(author of Mindset) and her team do research at the University of Hong Kong and asked students who are not fluent in English if they were willing to take courses to improve their English skills if provided. The fixed mindsets, a mindset that skills cannot be developed, were not very interested; however, the growth mindsets were happy to take the course(Dweck, 25). Those who were not interested risk their college career by hiding their deficiency in English. However, the growth mindsets open doors for improvement. They welcome feedback.

For international students to learn from their writing, they should be open to feedback. But, From whom should international students ask for feedback? Swathi Ravichandran et al., who published an article in the Journal of International Students about how to improve the academic writing of international graduate students, stated that feedback from faculty, writing center, peer mentors, or friends plays a good role in improving international students’ academic writing (Ravichandran et al., 775-777). Many academic writings were written with professors and peers as an author in mind. As a result, getting feedback from these people will increase the chance of triumph in international students’ academic writing. However, if international students do not correct the error, the feedback will be just feedback. Feedback will be effective when international students learn from it and make a change.

As much as the usefulness of applying these strategies, it can be daunting at the same time. However, what international students have to know is that they are not alone in the process of struggling with academic writing. Firth, a lecturer from LA TROBE’s research University, said, ”international students pass [their writing assignment] at the same rate as local students and often complete more swiftly”(Firth). Most international students learn through struggle. The struggles shaped their writing to be better, which helped them pass at the same rate as local students.

All the five best strategies help international students become better writers. By becoming better writers, international students can open doors for lots of career opportunities. Most employers want employees that can communicate effectively. If international students can communicate effectively through writing, they will create a better lifestyle in the future.

Becoming a better writer is also useful for the good health of international students. University can be a stressful place, so writing thoughts on paper can clear the mind, which reduces the stress of international students. If their stress is reduced, they can use that energy on productive tasks, which will broaden their knowledge.

If international students can increase their knowledge, they will become successful in their college life and become satisfied with their life. Their success is also a way to create a better society. The more literate person an environment contains, the more a better society will be built.

In conclusion, even if English Composition courses are given on college campuses,  international students must incorporate the habit of writing into their life even after completing the course. If international students form a community where writing is a culture, they will thrive even after leaving their English Composition course.

                            Works Cited

Dweck, Carol .” Mindset Changing the Way You Think to Fulfil Your Potential”. Robinson, 2017.

Ravichandran, Swathi, et al. “Strategies to Address English Language Writing Challenges Faced by International Graduate Students in the US.” Journal of International Students, vol. 7, no. 3, 2018, pp. 764–785., https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v7i3.298. 

Bui, Mai-Linh“3 Ways International Students Can Improve Academic Writing.” Yahoo! News, Yahoo!, https://news.yahoo.com/3-ways-international-students-improve-academic-writing-130000828.html. 

“6 Strategies for Better Writing When English Is Your Second Language.” Nest, 15 May 2018, https://www.latrobe.edu.au/nest/6-strategies-better-writing-english-second-language/.