Hello all,
it's great to see this response from the students! But I was hoping this would be the case (remembering how excited I myself felt about teaching at that stage of my student "career"). I DO think that there should be some additional benefit to the students apart from the teaching experience itself - first of all I'm with AP on the issue of not starting a student idealism exploitation program, but secondly I think it is important to get a proper sense of responsibility - as in "I'm getting credit/paid for this, so I must do a proper job in return". I also think it would be best if this would not be mandatory, otherwise it may just turn into another chore? I'd prefer to have the idealists as teachers!!!! Most wonderfully, there would always be fresh teachers not worn out by the constant repetition of teaching the same course over and over and over and over again.
Have a good weekend
Alex
Zitat von Lloyd Ruddock ruddock@cc.oulu.fi:
Student 1:
I'll make use of the opportunity presented and voice my support for the idea of 3rd years helping out in the 1st year labs. Most of us still remember the labs, the experiments and the problems that came with them or arose otherwise. It'd also be valuable experience for the future. I doubt any of us is expecting to get paid and even the credits may be seen as a bonus. Take me as a naïve idealist if you want to, but I'd do it just for the experience and for the chance to make the labs a bit more pleasant experience for the 1st years. But the idea presented that the assistance in labs could be done in a course-like format naturally gets my full support too.
Other than that, I've got nothing to say on the feedback day issues that hasn't already been said really, just announcing my support for some ideas and opinions presented earlier. I've got no problems with a finnish lecturer speaking english to a finnish audience and think that asking the lecturer to prepare materials and lectures in both finnish and english is an exorbitant request. However, the requirement and necessity of english during the studies and in the post-graduation era should be made clear to high schoolers and others thinking of applying to biochemistry. Going to high schools to market biochemistry could and should step in here. Losing people to other departments or fields of science just because of the language issue is unnecessary and avoidable in every way.
Student 2:
you asked if there are students interested in helping the first year students in lab - I'm. (So just telling this to help you know if there are some)
So that makes 5 students in favour (from 2nd to final year) and none against.
Alexander Kastaniotis, Ph.D. Department of Biochemistry and Biocenter Oulu P.O.Box 3000 FIN-90014 University of Oulu Finland Phone: +358-8-5531201 FAX: +358-8-5531141