‘  are?" _ ' if v " k  The UPEI SUN, September» 27, 1979. page 5, 
     
    
   
   
    
     "human  AND -: LEARNED , 
     
    
   
   
    
     By Ann Higdon 
     
    
   
   
    
     IT’S EARLY IN TflE MORNING, AND THE SUN DANCES ‘L Of course, there are several arguments against 
     
     AROUND TALL, LANKY YOUTES OPENING THE DOOR To THE the case that the need for marks is overshadowing 
     
     WAREHOUSE.. THERE, SITTING 0N WOODEN BENCHES FOR ‘ the quest for knowledge in today’s university student. 
     
     HOURsioN END, THEY INDULGE IN THE, THEN pRECIOUS,‘ \ One of these defences is the idea that marks and 
     
     HOBBY OF LEARNING AND PQNDERING FOR THE SHEER FEELING knowledge go hand in hand. Well, the school system 
     
    
   
   
    
     did start with the good intentions of measuring 
     
     knowledge in students by assigned points (or marks) 
     
     for each bit of imformation learned.. However, there 
     
     is a loophole in it, in such a way that students 
     
    

    
     need only submit a certain amount of what is to be 
     
     .graded to memory although marks measure, to a 
     
     certain extent, the capacity of learning in a student, 
     
     they should not dominate the priority of knowledge. 
     
    
   
   
    
     OF ENLIGHTENMENT . . . 
     
    
   
   
    
     The above paragraph describes the values of 
     
     knowledge and university life in the Greek and \ 
     
     Roman Era at Athens under the guidance of such 
     
     great ones as Plato, Aristotle , and Socrates. . 
     
    

    
     Back then, students could go to university as long 
     
    

    
     as their reasons were of an intellectual and 
     
     inquisitive nature. Now, however, the idea of 
     
    

    
     learning for learning’s sake is slowly becoming 
     
    

    
     lost behind the scenes as the glamour of important, 
     
     rewarding, high. paying jobs puts the campus into 'study the re uisite courses in a ro am, let alone 
     
     Canada 5 economic SPOtllght' ‘The pressure is being other interegting subjects not neiesSZrily connected 
     
     Put on Students to aPPear at convocation With high ‘ with the student’s goal. This is a fairly valid 
     
     mark? and a 500d worklng knowledge 0f their reason except for the instance that learning 
     
     Spe°1a}ty‘ Uhf0r?“93t31Y:markS and a thoaough should never be considered a waste of time or money 
     
     educatlon do not 'walk down the same road as regardless of the importance of theematerial. 
     
    
   
   
    
     sometimes one can be achieved with only a little Although. students may (excuse me, change that to, 
     
    
   
   
    
     Another controversy arises over the fact that 
     
     it is expersive enough (tuition fees and texts) 
     
    
   
   
    
     assistance from the other. Thus leaving several will probably. . . ) graduate and have no success 
     
     factors'responsible for'the disturbed equilibrium in obtaining the right employment, they shouldn’t 
     
     0f tOdays univerSity grading SYStem° ; . , Y ' consider their time or money thrown away. If, . 
     
     . . however, they do, then those people most likely didn’t 
     
     One of these factors maintains that students‘can enter university with the idea of "enlightenment" 
     
     no longer afford either the time or money to dabble . and might probably have been more suited to a 
     
     in the "unrequired" hpmew°rk 0f their chosen-?rea 0f vocationally inclined job even if it is at the expense 
     
     Study and this does ppt even ineluée SDCh culture' , of broadening their mental scope on the environment. 
     
     inclined subjects as classics, languages, philosophy ' Finally, the last (hopefully) and probably least 
     
    
   
   
    
     and7or religiOn, all of which serve to put the 
     
     student*s view of the world.as a whole in better 
     
     perspective. "When a professor outlines the required 
     
     work for his course (and the marks;), studentsxare 
     
     hard put to satisfy their curiosity outside of the 
     
     requisites.~ Those requirements are followed to the 
     
     line because they pertain to future courses, 
     
     graduate school or, again, rewarding employment. 
     
    
   
   
    
     excuse for valuing marks overea stable basis for , 
     
     knowledge is the face value of the marks themselves. 
     
     Students feel much happier with themselves if their 
     
     ‘"report cards" reflect 80’s and 90’s. Of course, 
     
     this is understandable, as long as the desire for 
     
     high marks does not overwhelm and crush the number 
     
     'one Priority of university education; the valuabie 
     
     experience of knowledge and possibly wisdom. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     It seems that the unemployment issue is ‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     . . . . . To back up this article, I conducted a little 
     
     affecting univer31t1es 1n such.a way that most ‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     VI . o 'l - o . 
     
     r . ' . mlnl-poll which cons1sted of repllesfrom seventeen 
     
     Students enter and graduate Vlth dreams Of hlgh- Students in either Arts, Business, or Science who 
     
    
   
   
    
     £231;§a::rgad gzzgenteiza£20£252ngivig Egielgigh were asked two questions. The first question was 
     
     ‘ th ht that there was too 
     
     school students encouragementto go to university. . 'Zfliihzi gzsggténtEZst,Zzgcompared to the old_ 
     
     This is eaSily nOticed by the ObVious faCt thatthere are fashionzd idea of learning for learning’s sake. 
     
     Sigy SindeDFS'gradPatlpg ind ngt ilgdlgg e:?:l3kenc Out of 17 students, 16 of the answers were affirmative, 
     
     c .ye an,lncre881n§ num 6? o s ute: S S 1 eep while one was negative (pertaining to the argument 
     
     uzgtzfgityltzoggghzs:ioggnzmgigzzig fotrgogd marks that marks are in direct proportion to knowledge). 
     
    

    
     ~ ‘ ’ . 7 . ’ Then I dropped the big one. I asked these stu ents 
     
     ; 5:22? em£%oyers tind to :1:; thimdgstEVIdence :f if they personally paid more attention to the grades 
     
     infersS¥°faégfnkggzfigg§ihg fauitso: tie :c:::: 0 rather than the degree of value of their knowledge. 
     
    

    
     ‘ ' ' , Well out 0t 17 students, 10 replies were 
     
     :ystem and €mP1°¥ment,trends)- rhe SPudent Shoufid affirmative and seven were negative (these students 
     
               
     
    

    
     . . r ‘ sake of knowledge. Although e a ove res .3 
     
     whether 1t.;nCludes employment or graduate courses' “ reflects the opinions of a very tiny portion of the 
     
     2:: em£h381ihsh9uid Z: takentOf: Ege 3°: market univerSity population, the evidence supports itself. 
     
    

    
     Pu on e va ua e asse o ow e ge. - , 
     
    
   
   
    
     So, in summary, one could likely say that students 
     
    
   
   
    
     mérksn and Spend more time becoming very familiar 
     
     wlth Course work and thus, putting . light on their 
     
     und¢rstanding. "iybe understanding +hen, could lead 
     
     to curiosity and a more urgent hunger for knowledge” ‘ I r 
     
     .I "I . \ / 1 I .- .0 ‘. y» ’ I3 ‘ - é.:.,' a“ . ‘, 
     
    
   
   
    
     AlthouéH'IuniVérSity education does nOt’ in 2' do tend to place more emphasis on grading than 
     
     HDSt cases’ replace "Praetical’experiencen’ the idea learning. However, after analysing the causes for this 
     
     that it is imPortant as a baSis for employment mMSt , trend, the fault is found to lay evenly on both, the 
     
     30? be neglected‘ Students tend to fall into the sides of the students and the university systems. 
     
    

    
     hlgh school syndrome" when going through university- ' But putting the blame on each other will not serve 
     
     Many students find themselves "cramming" fbr teSts’ any Purpose. Therefore, knowing how slow government 
     
     and term Pafiérs and afterVreceiVing their grades’ "systems" tend to be, students should personally try 
     
     gorge? the material they‘Studied (Studying is 3 to improve their flexibility between the pressures of 
     
    

    
     ecomlng a more general word to inelude memoriZing employment, mark status and "the good ’ode fashion 
     
     .ior course work.) Almost needlessly, students are ‘vaiues of ejumacashunu.‘ 
     
    

    
     Snoring the-implications, that if they follow the . “guns”! ‘7me Iggagood ! 
     
     ' igh SChOOl syndrome" method, they will lose much '    ‘ 
     
     emphasis on understandingécagility in the course.  Bng v v , m 
     
     It would be‘ wise for students to tone dOwn "rush for ,' buns-nine! ' ?" Lice?” / ‘  2 ___ ? 
     
    

    
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