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Is the goal of the assignment to produce yet another essay, or to demonstrate you understand and can expand on the coursework?

ninetyninenine 1y ago
Usually the goal of the student is not aligned with that of the school. The student wants money from a job. The degree helps him find a job. The essay itself or understanding the coursework does not help him find a job directly. If he can bypass understanding to get a degree, he will do it. The school thinks that the student joined to learn and the school acts this way up to a certain extent. But in the end grading a failing student isn't helping him learn. The school ends up fostering competition and stress internally and uses GPA as a ranking system. Why a school does all this to a student when the student pays them? Like why give students bad grades when the student gives them money? Because of integrity. Jobs trust the school if the school has prestige and integrity. In order to maintain that prestige and integrity the school needs to pressure and rank the students. Then when the school is sufficiently prestigious companies know and students pay tuition to get the integrity and thus get the job. The more prestigious the school the more is invested into "ranking". Only at schools with lower prestige do you get more of a "learning environment". But companies prefer candidates who can make it through a ranking system over ones that have to be coddled in an environment that fosters learning. It is not an illogical concept. Students that make it into these prestigious schools generally have much higher IQ. This is a data driven fact along with the fact that entrance to many schools involves the equivalent of an IQ test. People with higher IQ perform better. So it's the most rational choice for companies to want to pick students from schools that are bad at teaching and better at ranking. Some students go to higher ed for learning. Most go to run the gauntlet of a ranking system and end up with a degree that bestows prestige and excellence. There's my ultra real take on your "why don't students want to learn" bs. But it's not like I said anything you didn't already know.

ninetyninenine 1y ago

Usually the goal of the student is not aligned with that of the school. The student wants money from a job. The degree helps him find a job. The essay itself or understanding the coursework does not help him find a job directly. If he can bypass understanding to get a degree, he will do it. The school thinks that the student joined to learn and the school acts this way up to a certain extent. But in the end grading a failing student isn't helping him learn. The school ends up fostering competition and stress internally and uses GPA as a ranking system. Why a school does all this to a student when the student pays them? Like why give students bad grades when the student gives them money? Because of integrity. Jobs trust the school if the school has prestige and integrity. In order to maintain that prestige and integrity the school needs to pressure and rank the students. Then when the school is sufficiently prestigious companies know and students pay tuition to get the integrity and thus get the job. The more prestigious the school the more is invested into "ranking". Only at schools with lower prestige do you get more of a "learning environment". But companies prefer candidates who can make it through a ranking system over ones that have to be coddled in an environment that fosters learning. It is not an illogical concept. Students that make it into these prestigious schools generally have much higher IQ. This is a data driven fact along with the fact that entrance to many schools involves the equivalent of an IQ test. People with higher IQ perform better. So it's the most rational choice for companies to want to pick students from schools that are bad at teaching and better at ranking. Some students go to higher ed for learning. Most go to run the gauntlet of a ranking system and end up with a degree that bestows prestige and excellence. There's my ultra real take on your "why don't students want to learn" bs. But it's not like I said anything you didn't already know.