Light (ch 1-3)

Chapter 1: Introduction

This chapter seeks to outline the upcoming findings based on self reporting and recommendations by Harvard students. Light asserts that his findings are reflective of broader trends in education due to his experiences interviewing at other universities. From this it is good to keep into account that these recommendations may not be particularly applicable to non-residential institutions or to non-traditional students. There are still many institutions that fit this model and much can be learned.

This book also takes advantage of the fact that Harvard has set a standard for higher education that other institutions try to emulate. It may be difficult to replicate a Harvard model if your institution is not priviliged with a generous history of funding and credibility.

The introduction also outlined the ways in which Light describes her findings, mostly as related to academic achievment and curricular aspects. There is not as much talk about developmental outcomes. Perhaps she has this focus becuase she is a professor.


Chapter 2: Powerful Connections

Light begins to look at out of class connections to academia. She finds that students who relate out of class experiences to in class learning in fact learn more and are able to find a concentration. The importance of finding something specific to to delve into as an undergrad is evident. Specialization is key (a reminder of the development of the elective principle as discussed in Rudolph's book). Not much is said about negative out of class experiences. If a student has a bad experience at one internship, does that mean the student does not like the subject matter, or did they just have one bad experience? One really good experience can change a student's life and focus, and the same can be said with a negative experience.

Light suggests that administators help students create the connections between out of class experiences and in-class learning. The challenge here, I believe, lies in being able to keep out of the way just enough for the student to make these realizations on their own.


Chapter 3: Suggestions from Students

Many of the problems that arise relate to a disjunction between high school habits to college demands. Time management is a key factor to student success in this transition. This is not to say that it is all the high school's fault. Perhaps, colleges must be more blatant in their demands. A smoker will keep the habit if he/she doesn't know that cigarettes cause cancer. Maybe some smokers would quit after noticing changes in their health or voice, but the majority would default to habit. The same is true for time management as well as critical thinking skills.

Also, students find that there is less time to do much more. As a college education becomes more and more expensive, the student is forced to try to make the most of their time there. Students may try to do more without knowing how to organize and prioritize their activities first. That may be when grades become more important than deeper learning.

Engagement in the arts is also a positive. Again, Light finds students who correlate their art experiences to the benefit of in-class learning. Making a deeper connection to help retain and analyze information. Light seems surprised that so many students participate in the arts, but in some societies the arts may be the highest form of achievment. Art may be the closest way to be god-like... to be a creator of something magical. Light does not consider art for the sake of art. Instead it is in relation to academic achievment.

Diversity seems to be important to students (especally in first year living). College is the first place for many students to meet people who are different than themselves. Stepping out of one's comfort zone may be the greatest feat in personal development. So in commuter campuses, how do we keep this ideal of diversity going? It would be more difficult to mandate diverse study groups in one classroom. If there was an extremely diverse student body overall, would students work with people unlike themselves or would they have to be forced to work together? I would think that because students would see eachother every day and by sheer probability, students would inevitably work in diverse groups, unless they made a concerted effort to segregate. That is not to say that it doesn't happen. That is also not to say that segregation happens without prejudice.