[Fresh attempt to send.]

On 15/02/24 20:05, Peter Moylan wrote:
> On 15/02/24 16:48, Rich Ulrich wrote:
>> On Thu, 15 Feb 2024 09:34:22 +1100, Peter Moylan
>> <peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> On 14/02/24 23:09, J. J. Lodder wrote:
>>>
>>>> In these parts the first year of university serves as a selective
>>>> barrier. Once you have passed the exams at the end of it you are
>>>> supposed to finnish without further selection. There are exams of
>>>> course, but these are not supposed to be selective.
>>>
>>> Yes. In time I came to accept that a high failure rate in first
>>> year is a perfectly normal state of affairs. Many students enter
>>> university without a clear idea of what to expect. At least some
>>> come in with the expectation that this will be a "party year".
>>>
>>> I remember a time when there was strong political pressure on my
>>
>> ... 'political pressure' -- from politicians, I hope? The term can be
>> more general.
>
> Mostly from politicians, who resented the money spent on students who
> weren't going to graduate. There might also have been some pressure from
> the top levels of university management, but not much. Deans and
suchlike do
> understand that pass rates have a lot more to do with student ability
> than with the teaching environment.
>
> I do concede that the transition from high school can be difficult.
> Students are going from an environment where teachers are checking up on
> their progress to one where they're in lectures with 200 other students,
> and nobody is checking up on whether you turn up to the lectures or
> study the subject content. Some of them can't handle the switch from
> close supervision to personal responsibility.
>

--
Peter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org

--
Peter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org
Newcastle, NSW

when you make a [Fresh attempt to send.] you might choose a better
SUBJ line.

On 2/15/2024 1:09 AM, Peter Moylan wrote:
> [Fresh attempt to send.]
>
> On 15/02/24 20:05, Peter Moylan wrote:
> > On 15/02/24 16:48, Rich Ulrich wrote:
> >> On Thu, 15 Feb 2024 09:34:22 +1100, Peter Moylan
> >> <peter@pmoylan.org.invalid> wrote:
> >>
> >>> On 14/02/24 23:09, J. J. Lodder wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> In these parts the first year of university serves as a selective
> >>>> barrier. Once you have passed the exams at the end of it you are
> >>>> supposed to finnish without further selection. There are exams of
> >>>> course, but these are not supposed to be selective.
> >>>
> >>> Yes. In time I came to accept that a high failure rate in first
> >>> year is a perfectly normal state of affairs. Many students enter
> >>> university without a clear idea of what to expect. At least some
> >>> come in with the expectation that this will be a "party year".
> >>>
> >>> I remember a time when there was strong political pressure on my
> >>
> >> ... 'political pressure' -- from politicians, I hope? The term can be
> >> more general.
> >
> > Mostly from politicians, who resented the money spent on students who
> > weren't going to graduate. There might also have been some pressure from
> > the top levels of university management, but not much. Deans and
> suchlike do
> > understand that pass rates have a lot more to do with student ability
> > than with the teaching environment.
> >
> > I do concede that the transition from high school can be difficult.
> > Students are going from an environment where teachers are checking up on
> > their progress to one where they're in lectures with 200 other students,
> > and nobody is checking up on whether you turn up to the lectures or
> > study the subject content. Some of them can't handle the switch from
> > close supervision to personal responsibility.
> >