Attention deficit has been on the rise in university colleges due to the widespread penetration of electronics or learning devices. Professors and lecturers are complaining much, students don’t pay needed attention as they used to, despite the fact they try to gather as much information to present to their students, every time they are in class, only about a tenth is paying attention while the others are in the worlds of their own, their eyes stuck onto gawky screens, this serious issue occurs over and over again such that some professors are threatening to quit their teaching practice. Though absent mindedness during class is not a new thing, the emergence of electronics seem to have worsened the situation.
I heard this remarkable statement from a professor who was speaking to some of his students at a school council, an exchange program meeting between Browburgg UNIS, and Clowtagg UNIS., He said, “you see most of you students of course let’s say all of you come here to gain knowledge, isn’t that right? Yes of course”, they said.
“Are you aware of the fact that some students have made dozens of excuses for missing class or not paying enough attention out of this? If one read a lot of medical journals available at the library and fails to attend class, does that make him/her a doctor? If students study flight aerodynamics on their own and finish the entire course, does that automatically qualify them as pilots?” “No of course not,” they mumbled back.
“then you should know this, frankly you remind me of a lady who once came to see me, she asked me if I could find a trustworthy tutor, I asked what for, she said that her firstborn son is growing up quickly and as soon as he is able to walk or talk, she wants a teacher at her home to start the teaching right away. Her child is going to be home-schooled.
We stood right there at the entry of the mall for about an hour, discussing the matter. I was trying my best to advise her to take her child to school, but on the other hand she was giving lots of enough reasons why she thinks public schools are dangerous for her child.
I understand the mother’s concerns for her child. She fears that her child may get involved in some risky behavior or get influenced by some bad company. I understand all that, but if you are saying so, those are some of the things all of us here go through growing up, how can they know what is right when they don’t know what is wrong?
Going to school does not only provide academic qualifications, there is a whole range of things children learn, they get to interact with their friends, play all sorts of sports, games both physical and mental, learn ethics, and much more, the competitive nature acquired after taking rigorous academic tests prepares them for the hardships and competition they are going to experience later in life.
And for these reasons a lot of students here think they can just collect all the required notes, read them and simply miss all classes, then when their tests comes they all pass with flying colors, and walk away with first class honors. And claim they are better off than those who have been in class all the time yet got only an average grade.
If it were so, why don’t you go and read all about aerodynamics, when finished with all volumes, take a plane and fly it, see if you reach the sky safely, as folks think academic learning is a large compound made up of many small fragments which can be extracted to be used separately, there is a lesser known holistic approach.
Electronics have become a real problem in the recent years, a few decades ago, students would go to sleep when they feel a lecturer is too boring, or switch off, now you don’t have to endure the long hours of boring lecture to the end. If there is anything a student doesn’t like he simply stoops over, turns on his device, plugs earphones into their ears, and gets busy down the knees. “
“Why should you watch another video & listen to an audio on your device instead of listening to my voice”. Says the lecturer.