University costs

studentphil

But whilst you could have a hugely interesting debate on lectures.

The issue is more one of cost, given that you have to buy many books, is it not unfair to expect students to pay the cost of printing these documents aswell when they seem the most basic teaching materials of the course?

It is strange why handouts have never been a problem until this year. There was never issues of photocopies of them before. It just makes you wonder if some accountant has had a really good idea somewhere.

Oldernotwiser

studentphil wrote:

Again the usefulness and need for lecture handouts is probably high given the ineffective nature of lectures.


http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/archive/cl1/cl/doingcl/advlec.htm

So maybe after thinking about that you could make a case for having paper lecture handouts during the lecture than online afterwards is possible.

If you do this then people read the lecture notes rather than listen to the lecturer!

Oldernotwiser

studentphil wrote:

Again the usefulness and need for lecture handouts is probably high given the ineffective nature of lectures.


http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/archive/cl1/cl/doingcl/advlec.htm

So maybe after thinking about that you could make a case for having paper lecture handouts during the lecture than online afterwards is possible.

You've been very selective in the material you've quoted; there's a long list of reasons given why lectures can be a good teaching method. They were a particularly good method of teaching when you could assume that most students were motivated, intelligent and interested in the course for which they had enrolled! So perhaps you're right that they're less suitable these days.

studentphil

Oldernotwiser wrote:

If you do this then people read the lecture notes rather than listen to the lecturer!

Depends what the notes consist of.

I find something that gives you an overall structure of the lecture in only bullet point form helps me to understand as I can see the content and where it is going. A handout need not be 5 sides of prose.

I am a traditionalist, I like all my notes on paper in my folder. I could never revise from a word document on a screen say.

Oldernotwiser

Then why not write your own notes during the lecture?

studentphil

Oldernotwiser wrote:

You've been very selective in the material you've quoted; there's a long list of reasons given why lectures can be a good teaching method. They were a particularly good method of teaching when you could assume that most students were motivated, intelligent and interested in the course for which they had enrolled! So perhaps you're right that they're less suitable these days.

Even for the most interested person it does seem hard to say that a person could listen very well for 1-2 hours.

studentphil

Oldernotwiser wrote:

Then why not write your own notes during the lecture?

I do make my own notes. But I find the sheet on overview points and structure of the lecture very useful to structure my thoughts as I listen,

Chai_2

I hate it when i have lecturers who do not use the online facility for distributing handouts. One of the main and in my eyes most important aspects of having handouts online is that you get to prepare properly for the lectures. People may think it is all about money but i have a lecturer who always has spare handouts for those who cannot or do not want to print the handout. I get to read around the topic and gain a basic understanding of what the lecture will be about which gives me a headstart.

greyskittles

I haven't read the other replies on this thread, but my ex-uni put them online (apparentely) to be 'eco friendly'... but then they made us PAY for hard copies in the lecture... often up to £2.50 for a booklet, which is why I just print them off at home for nowt.

as if i wasn't paying enough for fees/transport/other crap. it took the biscuit big-time.

Sigur_2

Stop whining, your fees barely cover what you cost to a university.

As for the topic, some lectures don't even provide handouts. If you miss a lecture, or don't listen. Tough luck.

Others give handouts in class, and if you miss the class you can print it off so as you're not really unduly punished. But then you only get a brief outline of the topic, and not all the notes and remarks the lecture has said during the course of the lecture.

To me, you're moaning the the sake of it. As usual.