2008 Woodie Awards
International Study Gives Student New Perspective of UCM
Elaine Dixon
Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Opinion
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The University of Central Missouri has been aggressive in recent years in promoting its international study exchange programs, and the campaign has paid off.
Witness the number of international students at Central and one can see how. But Europeans, for example, have their own set educational ways, and comparisons between the two educational systems will inevitably be made.
I sense that at least the British students have a double mind about their view of education here.
First the bad news: The Brits complain that at UCM, books need to be bought for every class, an idea unheard of for them.
Here, it's normal to have to buy a textbook that costs about $60, but in England, the students are told not to bother.
Instead, they are told to borrow the books needed from the library, and maybe even photocopy the specific pages, as the university holds a copyright license to do so.
But even if the students were to buy the books needed, with the average textbook costing between $25 and $40, it still wouldn't break the bank as much as it does to American students.
Also much of the time, the University buys the books in bulk, and therefore can sell the books at a much cheaper rate.
Another thing that has taken much getting used to by the British students is the concept of having homework.
Past the age of 16, homework is not assigned in Britain to students, so no wonder they feel overwhelmed with the sheer amount of work to do at UCM.
Instead of homework, coursework is given to be completed at home, or sometimes, it's even gone through in class, and the marks earned from this project goes toward the final grade.
This type of project typically has a due date about six weeks from when it is given.
Pop quizzes and midterms at UCM are also something that takes getting used to, they say.
In Britain, exams are very rare. Only end-of-year ones are given.
Also, although American students can enroll for classes on their own, even at home through the Internet, doing so without appropriate advice may mean that they could miss out on their graduation if a certain class was not taken or was not appropriate for their area of study.
Witness the number of international students at Central and one can see how. But Europeans, for example, have their own set educational ways, and comparisons between the two educational systems will inevitably be made.
I sense that at least the British students have a double mind about their view of education here.
First the bad news: The Brits complain that at UCM, books need to be bought for every class, an idea unheard of for them.
Here, it's normal to have to buy a textbook that costs about $60, but in England, the students are told not to bother.
Instead, they are told to borrow the books needed from the library, and maybe even photocopy the specific pages, as the university holds a copyright license to do so.
But even if the students were to buy the books needed, with the average textbook costing between $25 and $40, it still wouldn't break the bank as much as it does to American students.
Also much of the time, the University buys the books in bulk, and therefore can sell the books at a much cheaper rate.
Another thing that has taken much getting used to by the British students is the concept of having homework.
Past the age of 16, homework is not assigned in Britain to students, so no wonder they feel overwhelmed with the sheer amount of work to do at UCM.
Instead of homework, coursework is given to be completed at home, or sometimes, it's even gone through in class, and the marks earned from this project goes toward the final grade.
This type of project typically has a due date about six weeks from when it is given.
Pop quizzes and midterms at UCM are also something that takes getting used to, they say.
In Britain, exams are very rare. Only end-of-year ones are given.
Also, although American students can enroll for classes on their own, even at home through the Internet, doing so without appropriate advice may mean that they could miss out on their graduation if a certain class was not taken or was not appropriate for their area of study.
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