Outrageous University fees.

[espadrille]

I find it incredulous that some subjects take up only a few hours a week. If that is the case why cant those subjects be condensed so that there are more study and lecture hours in a week and then the degree could be completed over say 2 years instead of 3.This would save on accomodation costs for the student/parent aswell.

[llamatron]

I find it incredulous that some subjects take up only a few hours a week. If that is the case why cant those subjects be condensed so that there are more study and lecture hours in a week and then the degree could be completed over say 2 years instead of 3.This would save on accomodation costs for the student/parent aswell.

 

because they do a hell of a lot of work between those hours (or they should).

 

Arrghhhh degrees are not school you do most of your learning outside of lectures and tutorials.

[alchresearch]

I can certainly agree with that. I could have done my degree in half the time if there had been modules more than once a day. Some days I could be in at 9 and out for half ten and that would be it for the day.

[espadrille]

I can certainly agree with that. I could have done my degree in half the time if there had been modules more than once a day. Some days I could be in at 9 and out for half ten and that would be it for the day.

 

Are you agreeing with condensing it , or are you saying it needs to be a 3 year course?

[espadrille]

because they do a hell of a lot of work between those hours (or they should).

 

Arrghhhh degrees are not school you do most of your learning outside of lectures and tutorials.

 

So are you saying then that students spend a total equivalent to a full time working week studying/learning or at lectures?

Not criticising, just interested as I didnt go to Uni.

[Chris_Sleeps]

Why should today's binmen, pay for tomorrow's accountants?

The question should be why should the children of binmen be destined to become tomorrow's binmen? Education is not just for other people, it is for our own families and our own children.

[llamatron]

So are you saying then that students spend a total equivalent to a full time working week studying/learning or at lectures?

Not criticising, just interested as I didnt go to Uni.

 

no some will spend a lot more if they are less able or aiming for the best they can do.

 

Some will spend a lot less if they are just aiming at a pass or are more naturally able.

 

But the contact time is irrelevant, science undergraduates need babysitting during lab time as they could kill themselves if they do something stupid. This is a large percentage of their degree. The subject is factual so a large portion is easy to teach in a lectures format, although they still have to do a lot of reading around the subject and research.

 

A history student spends most of their working time reading from different sources in the library, their facts are often not obtained from the lecturer but from books. They cant do most of their degree in a lecture/tutorial format.

[espadrille]

no some will spend a lot more if they are less able or aiming for the best they can do.

 

Some will spend a lot less if they are just aiming at a pass or are more naturally able.

 

But the contact time is irrelevant, science undergraduates need babysitting during lab time as they could kill themselves if they do something stupid. This is a large percentage of their degree. The subject is factual so a large portion is easy to teach in a lectures format, although they still have to do a lot of reading around the subject and research.

 

A history student spends most of their working time reading from different sources in the library, their facts are often not obtained from the lecturer but from books. They cant do most of their degree in a lecture/tutorial format.

 

So I guess for a student doing a history degree it is rather cheaper for the Univeristy in terms of costs than a science degree. Does this mean that the costs to the applicant are less/ will it mean they still will be when the changes come about?

[espadrille]

The question should be why should the children of binmen be destined to become tomorrow's binmen? Education is not just for other people, it is for our own families and our own children.

 

Of course it still can be. It means that unless they earn more than 21k in a job they wont have to pay the fees back.

[muddycoffee]

thats not true they are entirely different subjects which require different skills. A history student needs to be able to read an analyse text from many different sources, they will not necessarily need to be taught anything other than the technique of collating the information.

 

A science student will need to know and apply facts, therefore science can be taught in a lecture format whereas history cannot.

 

Without meaning any disrespect to yourself. Do you think that a history degree is of the same value as a scientific or engineering degree ?

I personally do not. The sheer workload of a technical applied subject is a real trial for even the brightest student. Essentially it is already a course which is crushed into 3 years and could easily be taken over 5, there is so much to fit in.

Whereas many of the more bookish subjects from my time, included "reading weeks" where the task was essentially to read a certain amount of books. I go back to the days of student grants and some of my friends who were doing English basically spent all day in the pub and still got a good pass. While we were doing 35 hours a week plus 10 to 15 hours of homework, especially at the end of the academic year.