Do you find yourself loaded down with a multitude of tests and papers all from different classes? Do you find yourself getting loads of work and not having time to get it done? Do you think professors should coordinate syllabi more often? Students often complain that the workload can get overbearing at times, sometimes to the point where students lose confidence in the work they submit. So the question is: Do you think professors should coordinate their syllabi so students don’t have papers and tests all due at once?
From a student’s perspective, the workload can get overwhelming at times. Having papers and tests all at once can be extremely stressful and some students have extracurricular activities on top of that.
Junior economics major and resident assistant Robert Utzinger feels the coordination of syllabi would be beneficial. “I feel that it would be beneficial for students if professors would coordinate exams so that students aren’t overwhelmed with multiple exams at one time,” Utzinger said. “Recently I had three exams within two days and felt I was overwhelmed with how much material I needed to know and how much time I had to study for it all,” he added.
On the side of the professors, should it be necessary for professors to go out of their way to figure out every student’s schedule? No, that would be asking way too much.
Communications professor Dr. Colin Helb stated, “Time management is an important skill. Possibly more important and applicable than other skills learned in college.” You cannot expect a professor to know every single student’s schedule and work out a way to relieve everyone’s stress. That is not necessary, but maybe when it comes to each department, professors could coordinate syllabi among other professors in the same department to keep things spaced out.
However, Helb says, “Students are able to see when tests and due dates occur and can plan accordingly for busy times.”
When it comes to higher level classes the number of papers and tests can be exhausting. Junior accounting major and member of the Elizabethtown College men’s basketball team Joseph Renzi admitted that the workload can get overwhelming.
“I spend my time either in the gym or in the library,” Renzi said. “Playing a sport and being a full-time student leaves you with little time to get done what needs to be done.And having multiple papers and test due as well as having practice or a game can get stressful. Having tests and papers due in multiple classes in your major is tough and gets really stressful. I feel most professors try and keep it as stress-free as possible, but sometimes it is inevitable.”
So clearly students feel that the workload can be overwhelming and believe coordination of syllabi would be beneficial to prevent multiple assignments due at once and give students enough time to learn the information. Departments could coordinate when papers and tests are due so that students would not have two papers due on one day and three tests the next. Also it could end up being beneficial to professors in the long run too; if assignments were spaced out a little better, grading them and getting everything taught in time would be easier.
This has been an ongoing subject of discussion for quite a while. Students are obviously going to feel troubled by the amount of work, and professors don’t always feel the need to coordinate syllabi with other professors, but in the long run students are stuck with the stress of too much work in too little time.
Professors should coordinate syllabi with each other, especially within departments. It is a student’s job to get work done and learn what is being presented, but that can be a little challenging when professors throw information and assignments without much time to prepare.
The coordination of syllabi would cut back on cramming for tests and papers. We as students and professors should work together to reduce stress and coordinate syllabi so everything works smoothly.
