It is only the second day back from Spring Break, and my vision is already clouded again with the glaring dots of an unwavering Scantron sheet.
As a senior, I thought this semester would be like any other - few official "midterms" would be given, and professors would instead opt for administering exams covering a large chunk of the semester's material before that wonderful week off from classes. But Sunday night, I hunched over a textbook for 15 hours, trying my best to cram every last bit of information into my brain before Monday's midterm.
I know many of my exams would be less about last-minute memorization and more about actual education if classes were taught with a larger focus on - and in - the interests of students.
Exams begin with the anxiety of wondering how we will do, followed by the tension of learning the material in a time crunch, then relief after the exam has been taken. To me, the time following the exam is just as conflicting as the time during which I studied - while I'm happy it's over, I sometimes feel guilty if I am unable to remember a lot of the material I was just tested over.
I would love to be able to sit down two weeks before an upcoming exam and peruse my notes and textbook, absorbing every sentence into my memory like a sponge. And it would be a dream come true to skim over the course material one last time before an exam without having to fight myself to stay awake the night before as I read chapters over and over again. But when I am faced with a class that provides little interest to me or does not capture my full attention, I just cannot retain the exam material throughout a long period of time. Instead, I attempt to memorize the endless pages of information and hope I can transfer those mental images of my notes directly from my mind onto the Scantron sheets. Most of you have probably retained enough information to get you through 50 long minutes of filling in bubbles or circling multiple-choice questions, but afterwards find that the knowledge disappears.
This leads me to ponder what makes us, the students, actually learn course material as opposed to just memorizing it.
Besides allowing students to take their midterms before Spring Break - when they are focused on studying rather than memories of lying on the beach and relaxing - learning is most likely to take place when they have interest in the material. Instead of endlessly lecturing from a textbook we have to read anyway, my professor for a criminal justice course showed us biographical videos and shared his own experiences of working in the criminal justice field. The majority of each exam covered such class material, and therefore led to better grades and improved retention of the information.
Besides learning through interest, it's easier to acquire and maintain knowledge when it is presented enthusiastically. The psychology professor in my current human development course is passionate about the material she teaches, and her excitement lets us know that this information will be helpful to us both now and later. I take a greater interest in learning because she takes a great interest in teaching, and that's what makes the difference.
So while we still face the inevitable midterms and exams that lie ahead of us for the semester, recognizing and choosing classes in which we have interest could prove useful to our studying habits in future semesters. While there will undoubtedly be a class or two that requires your blood, sweat, tears and strongest memorization skills, there will also be classes that help you capture the experience of actual learning - these are the classes to appreciate, to enjoy ... and to remember fondly while you're memorizing the infinite chapters and notes for your next class when the midterm is only hours away.
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