By: Kevin Rogers
Managing Editor
There are few things more disappointing than selling back textbooks at the end of the semester and getting a few bucks back for a book that cost $100.
The financial sting is much deeper if, after 15 weeks of class, the book was hardly ever needed.
In my experience, Moodle has resulted in the extreme devaluing and under-utilization of textbooks. In an effort to help as many students as possible succeed, some professors have turned Moodle into something of a SparkNotes: SBU Edition by posting extensive notes that make opening the textbook redundant.
Now there’s nothing inherently wrong about wanting to see student succeed, but the academic process depends on the students having to do a bit of working beyond reading through a PowerPoint.
To use an example from my experience, a shipping snafu last year left me without a “necessary” $125 textbook for the first seven weeks of last semester. As the first test approached and my textbook sat unopened in Minnesota, I started to panic.
But then I turned to Moodle, read an extensive study guide and PowerPoint set and pulled a high mark. The book, for all its cost, was just about as useful in Minnesota as it was when it eventually arrived.
In good faith, I kept up with the book readings for the remaining semester, but as the year progressed, the book seemed less and less useful. It simply became a very expensive, very heavy thing to put in my backpack.
Unfortunately, this hasn’t been an isolated incident. Too many classes have followed the same trend.
It’s harmful on a number of levels.
For one, despite the extensive study material online, textbooks remain on the “required texts” list. Students are throwing hundreds down the drain for materials that are hardly useful. Textbooks aren’t getting any cheaper; if they’re going to be required, there should be some logical or beneficial reason for students to open them.
Making classes more driven by textbooks not only boosts their financial output. It also expands learning. Instead of focusing specifically on what’s needed to pass a test, students can pick up new knowledge–the very purpose of a college education.
Another issue is that the growing Moodle is serving as a crutch for students. In a perfect world, a college education is designed to prepare students for a role in the professional world. That doesn’t happen if we’re encouraged to read a summary and get rewarded for doing so.
Imagine an employer giving a graduate a business report to read. Would it make sense for the employer to do the work beforehand? Why are some professors effectively doing the same thing by babying students with Moodle?
Additionally, such abuse of the system actively encourages laziness. If notes are going to be on Moodle in full, why bother taking them in class? Why read the corresponding sections in the book? Hell, why even go to class? Sometimes it’s actually encouraged: “Don’t worry about getting everything down. I’ll post these notes after class.”
Of course, I’ve fallen prey to some of these temptations. If I can get the same academic result with a smaller effort, it’s only logical to do it. But it’s no way to go about teaching, and it’s really not the best way to learn.
Some professor’s I’ve had have spurned Moodle altogether. It was a bit less convenient, but it made me put the work in for the reward.
This isn’t a knock against Moodle. It’s a fine resource for class discussion, additional material and easy communication. Some professors I’ve had have used the tool to great effect, offering extra resources without doing the work for me.
But Moodle needs to be used to enhance education, not dumb it down to get inflated results.
If St. Bonaventure is going to keep using this service, it needs to be done in a way that doesn’t simply pander to an instant-gratification mindset. As it stands, there’s simply too much room for misuse, and it’s simply frustrating.
Such change needs to start with professors. It’s far better to present a product that attempts to expand intelligence rather by encouraging hard work than to offer shortcuts.
It also falls on the shoulders of students.
Make me use my textbooks. I’m not sure if I can handle another shoddy return on the investment.
rogerskd10@bonaventure.edu
