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Last semester I gave my students a take home final exam. I told them they could use AI. I just asked that they document their usage of external sources. This

Last semester I gave my students a take home final exam. I told them they could use AI. I just asked that they document their usage of external sources. This was precalculus class. The first problem was a graph x(t) and y(t). The component functions of a parametric curve. The question was: Estimate the times the particle is at the origin. I got an email from a student: I put problem 1 into ChatGPT and it couldn’t answer it. What are we supposed to do then? My response: Think! Students have mostly been trained that anything that can’t immediately be solved is too hard. They have no academic grit. It’s bad.

chneu 1y ago
This will sound boomer, but I've noticed this with a lot of people: absolutely no determination to figure things out. It isn't just young people. It really seems like people's determination has just gone to shit. I'm an engineer and teach people a lot. The first thing I have to do is determine what kind of learner people are, and my gosh, it's frustrating. People give up so fast.
- km144 1y ago
  Well as a member of gen-z, I'll happily agree with you if that makes you feel like less of a boomer. And I think it mostly has to do with attention. The capacity for focused attention has been deteriorating at a societal level for quite a long time. It's not a generational thing either—we are all facing similar pressures with the sheer amount of information we've been forced to process on a daily basis. That loss of attentional capacity seems to be affecting really important faculties like learning, creativity, and deep work. I see this in myself all the time but I find a lot of people my age are quite aware of what is happening to us while many older people are stuck blaming the kids—hell, there are times in public when I see older folks more glued to their screen than your average teenager. It's not just young people. The path forward isn't very clear.
  - chneu 1y ago
    Oh yeah don't think I was saying "I've only noticed this in young people" I know a lot of older folks who are horrible about this. It's a problem across the board. Thanks for being civil about it. This is a topic that many people get very upset about when you mention it.
Balgair 1y ago
Unfortunately, I'd say this is a reflection on the other teachers that the students have had. Kids aren't going to email profs like this out of the blue (mostly). This tactic has worked for them in the past. Still, good on you! Hold the line. The students will thank you in the future.

chneu 1y ago

This will sound boomer, but I've noticed this with a lot of people: absolutely no determination to figure things out. It isn't just young people. It really seems like people's determination has just gone to shit. I'm an engineer and teach people a lot. The first thing I have to do is determine what kind of learner people are, and my gosh, it's frustrating. People give up so fast.

km144 1y ago
Well as a member of gen-z, I'll happily agree with you if that makes you feel like less of a boomer. And I think it mostly has to do with attention. The capacity for focused attention has been deteriorating at a societal level for quite a long time. It's not a generational thing either—we are all facing similar pressures with the sheer amount of information we've been forced to process on a daily basis. That loss of attentional capacity seems to be affecting really important faculties like learning, creativity, and deep work. I see this in myself all the time but I find a lot of people my age are quite aware of what is happening to us while many older people are stuck blaming the kids—hell, there are times in public when I see older folks more glued to their screen than your average teenager. It's not just young people. The path forward isn't very clear.
- chneu 1y ago
  Oh yeah don't think I was saying "I've only noticed this in young people" I know a lot of older folks who are horrible about this. It's a problem across the board. Thanks for being civil about it. This is a topic that many people get very upset about when you mention it.

Balgair 1y ago

Unfortunately, I'd say this is a reflection on the other teachers that the students have had. Kids aren't going to email profs like this out of the blue (mostly). This tactic has worked for them in the past. Still, good on you! Hold the line. The students will thank you in the future.