Lessons in learning

It is never enough to win a place on your dream course. Once you are there, you also need to know how to learn, writes Dr Ronald K Chung

So, you have decided to commit two years or more of your own time to upgrading yourself through a learning process. Do you know how this process is going to work - in other words, how will you learn? What skills are you supposed to have after you have completed the process - and how are you going to get a return on your investment?

Let's first deal with the issue of how you will learn. Learning in an imperfect world (the one we are in right now) occurs in a controlled setting which we call the classroom. In this setting, one of the following typically happens as part of the learning process:

1. Lecturing - this is tertiary education, remember! We can't possibly call university professors "teachers".
2. Tutorials - which are widely used by British universities and their derivatives, such as Hong Kong's universities.
3. Case studies - an even nicer label, started by Harvard professors.
4. Seminars - these are focused, for deep thinking.
5. Distance learning - while you were out ...

Here's what two of them really are, in detail:

Lecturing

In plain English, we call this "teaching". However, university professors like to think that they have a higher social status than ordinary teachers. If this is the case, they must have a different label: "lecturers". In my humble opinion, lectures are good. They are where you pick up the most important concepts.

In an ideal world, this is how the process should work:
Step 1. Student reads materials in advance.
Step 2. Student attends lectures to get the key concepts explained.
Step 3. After class, student says, "Ahhh ... (light intonation), I see!"

Unfortunately, the reality is like this:
Step 1. Student enters lecture room unprepared.
Step 2. Student attends lecture trying to find out from classmates which chapter is being covered.
Step 3. After class, student says, "Ahhh ... (in desperation), I'm lost!"

If the above describes one's learning experience in a full-time university setting, imagine joining an MBA programme with minimal lectures ...

Of course, universities realise that the pure lecture model does not work. Thus, to make sure that lost souls have a chance, they hold tutorials.

Tutorials

Tutorials are there to break up a large group of lost souls and work with them on problems after lectures. Again, in an ideal world, this is how they should work:
Step 1. Student prepares assigned problems in advance.
Step 2. Student attends tutorials to discuss these problems.
Step 3. Student says, "Ahh ... (light intonation), I see!" after tutorial.

Unfortunately, the reality is:
Step 1. Student enters tutorial unprepared.
Step 2. Clueless students ask clueless questions.
Step 3. Tutor goes through the whole lecture again.
Step 4. Some students say, "Ahh ... (light intonation), I see!" after tutorial.
Step 5. Tutor distributes answer key and yells, "Aaaaahh ... (in desperation), I quit!" after tutorial (but don't worry, they never do).

Seriously, you now know how lectures and tutorials are supposed to work in an ideal world. Next week, we will cover the second part of this topic.

Remember ... be prepared for tomorrow. Until next time, work hard, play hard.

Acknowledgement Dr Ronald K Chung is academic development director of the ET Business College, a member of the Hong Kong Economic Times Group. He has worked for a number of private companies and universities in the United States, as well as Hong Kong's Consumer Council. To contact Dr Chung, please write to DrChung@etbc.com.hk.

Taken from Career Times 2003/12/12