Photo: Ann Tong
Have you ever found yourself struggling while taking a DKU STEM course? Or invested the majority of your time studying for the class, doing the assignments and still felt worried that you will be met with disappointment or even fail the course despite your effort? No matter if you took that course just to fulfil a distribution requirement or if you decided to major in a STEM field, it is safe to say that your frustration is not unique among DKU students.
To get a better idea of students’ feelings towards the university’s STEM courses, the LilyPad surveyed the general student population. Many students expressed similarly frustrated sentiments in their responses.. Students across a wide range of different majors and class years considered the courses in STEM, namely math, physics, computer science, and statistics to be among the most difficult courses they have taken.
Students not majoring in these fields deemed the introductory level math, physics, computer science, or statistics courses to be the most difficult courses they have taken during their time at DKU. Despite taking various upper level classes in the field they are majoring in, they still believed that these intro level STEM courses were the most challenging. Most of them attributed this to the fact that it is not their primary field of interest or strength. However, several students majoring in STEM fields also felt the same way, considering the same classes to be the most demanding despite their affinity towards the subject.
There are cases of students who shared that after coming to DKU with the initial interest in natural or quantitative sciences, they got discouraged after taking the classes in these fields. While the liberal arts institutions give students the ability to engage with a variety of disciplines, students are not as willing to explore the classes in the STEM field due to their difficulty. However, students who majored in STEM reported that some of their favorite classes were arts and humanities classes. The reasons they listed were that the professors were passionate and knowledgeable, the class assignments were intellectually stimulating and entertaining, and they learned something new without getting overwhelmed with workload.
Why is it that the majority of student responses consider courses in the arts and humanities to be their favorite courses, regardless of their career aspirations or general interest? Why is it that the introductory level STEM courses drive more students away from these fields rather than spike a new interest?
Is the 7-week system the main issue?
Many students shared that they felt overwhelmed by the courses’ workload and harsh grading criteria. Some also mentioned that the 7 week time frame is too short to properly learn the material that was covered in class. Others noted that professors would squeeze the material taught throughout a semester at other universities into a 7 week course, making it too intense.
Interestingly, when asked if students enjoyed the 7-week system overall, the responses were mixed. A large portion of students prefer the 7-week system as it allows them to focus on less classes at one time. Another benefit they recognized is that they get done earlier with classes they dislike. Those who criticized the 7-week system believe that it makes some sessions overly strenuous. Responses indicated that the issue at play might not be the 7-week system itself, but rather that some courses are not adapted well to this format.
DKU and Duke comparison
When seniors were asked to compare their experience with the courses they have taken at DKU and Duke, the majority expressed they found the courses taken at Duke to be significantly easier. They attributed this to having more time to learn course concepts as well as more free time in general. For them, it was also easier to receive higher grades for Duke courses as more classes are graded on a curve. Some students noted this discrepancy could be problematic for students who wish to apply to graduate schools as the grades they receive at DKU are on average lower than the grades they could have received at Duke, despite receiving the same diploma.
What can we do?
As students, it is highly important to share these opinions with faculty as well as fill out course evaluations honestly. Faculty have expressed that many students do not complete their course evaluations, leaving many issues unrecognized. They have encouraged students to be more candid about our course experiences in order to see issues fixed in the future.
If you feel you are losing an interest that you previously had, many responses encourage exploring it outside of academics. DKU offers several ways to get involved in research or participate in STEM-related projects. Joining these activities can be essential to regain excitement for the field in a less stressful environment. In the meantime, students and faculty alike assure that facing difficulties with DKU’s STEM courses is not a unique problem on campus, and encourage other students to connect, help each other and share concerns.
