This is why the first day of every semester I ask my students "why are you here, in this room with all these other people, spending $$$, instead of sitting at home at YouTubeU watching this content better produced in 4K resolution with graphics and animations?"
You always get the typical "because I was told to" or "I need it for my degree" answers, but ultimately students will bring up:
- they tried that already and they couldn't pay attention past a few lectures
- they didn't have anyone they could ask questions to. This is less true with the advent of AI but still, many students are very skeptical of AI (as they should be).
- they appreciate having a local community of peers to study with
- they are motivated when competing against other students for a top grade
- they are motivated by showing off their abilities to their peers
- they are looking for mentorship and guidance from someone in the field, whether that be in research directions or professional career advice.
- they are looking to build a network with peers and researchers which they can leverage in the future
My takeaway is that the students attend university for their education differ from those who would be fine just watching YouTube videos in that they view their education as a sort of team sport or collective activity; rather than an individualized goal they are achieving for themselves, they approach their education as a journey they are on with their friends.
You always get the typical "because I was told to" or "I need it for my degree" answers, but ultimately students will bring up:
- they tried that already and they couldn't pay attention past a few lectures
- they didn't have anyone they could ask questions to. This is less true with the advent of AI but still, many students are very skeptical of AI (as they should be).
- they appreciate having a local community of peers to study with
- they are motivated when competing against other students for a top grade
- they are motivated by showing off their abilities to their peers
- they are looking for mentorship and guidance from someone in the field, whether that be in research directions or professional career advice.
- they are looking to build a network with peers and researchers which they can leverage in the future
My takeaway is that the students attend university for their education differ from those who would be fine just watching YouTube videos in that they view their education as a sort of team sport or collective activity; rather than an individualized goal they are achieving for themselves, they approach their education as a journey they are on with their friends.