Are Our Students Different from Us?

In a world filled with conversations regarding recognizing and appreciating differences yet aiming for equality, it may be tricky to determine where we should put our focus when striving to reach diverse audiences in our classrooms. 

Increasingly, educational philosophers and theorists are pondering the differences between professors and students, not only in what is expected but also in life experience and goals. Some of the ideas that have been discussed regarding expectations are as follows:

• We expect students to be intrinsically motivated and interested in the topics and subjects we teach.
• We expect students to come to college with the overarching goal of increased learning and understanding of the complex world in which we live.
• We expect students to purchase materials as part of college requirements.
• We expect students to take our word as experts in the field.
• We refer students elsewhere when they have personal problems or issues that do not pertain to our class.

Students, on the other hand, may have different expectations:

• They may be motivated by outside factors and immediate results. They may be interested only in topics that pertain directly to their career goal.
• They may come to college with the overarching goal to provide for their family. Learning may only be important as it pertains to making money.
• Many students are products of a bargaining, negotiating society in which costly goods and services are questioned and must be justified.
• Many students expect a customer service model of education in which the professor must prove his or her worth in a variety of ways. Titles, degrees, and social status are unimportant and often suspicious.
• Students often want to know that we care about them as people; therefore, they want us to listen to them, invest time in them, and know them personally. 

More information on what students expect from instructors can be found in this Faculty Focus article.

Life experience has often been vastly different between professors and college students, as well. Other than obvious contrasts, such as age differences, those of us in higher education have often led a life enriched by academia from a very young age. We were encouraged to excel and were surrounded by intellectualism. People in our lives had high expectations of us. Consequently, we have a few underlying assumptions about the way the world works:

• Education is important for its own sake. It is also the best route to success.
• Career goals should revolve around passion, interest, and talent.
• College should be treated like a full-time job and a top priority.
• Work ethic should be applied indiscriminately to all pursuits.

Students, on the other hand, may view the these ideas and roles differently:

• Education is important for skills. It may not be the optimal path to success.
• Career goals should revolve around the potential payoff and likelihood of economic stability. 
• College is secondary to earning money or family obligations. It can and will be sacrificed if proper balance is not established.
• Work ethic should be applied to those tasks deemed worthwhile for immediate payoff, and energy should be conserved in other areas. 

Understanding the students in our classes and their perspectives on life and learning can make us more aware of ways in which to reach them. Surveying students about attitudes, ideas, goals, and expectations can help us determine how to better match our beliefs with theirs.