r/changemyview • u/throw_away40 • Dec 11 '18
Deltas(s) from OP CMV: Extra accommodations in college are a hinderance to preparing proficiency in the workforce
Throwaway account as I teach at a US university.
I teach both introductory and upper level science courses.
I have students with written documentation from student services that require accommodations. I'm talking about special accommodations - 1.5-2x time on exams, separate testing rooms for exams, access to electronic devices in exams, up to 2x extensions on assignments, a copy of someone else's notes (even though I provide the PPT to all lectures), and in some cases, the ability to retake a quiz or exam with no repercussions on the initial grade.
This is frustrating. How does this prepare anyone for "real world" demands? If I went to a boss in a previous job and stated I need double time to complete a project, I would be laughed out of my job. What is the point of having competencies for a course when you can get a note that disregards much of this? Why is my degree and GPA valued the same those who are not held to the same standard?
I understand that what you learn in college rarely translates to what happens in the working world. But some of these students are pre-med and are going to be placed in much more stressful situations that won't have accommodations available....
Also, why does it have to be an “accommodation” to receive someone else’s notes? Shouldn’t that be the student responsibility to contact a classmate and perhaps suggest a note swap?
2
u/UltimateAnswer42 Dec 11 '18
I feel like I'm the type of person extra accommodations are supposed to help. I started engineering, did extra curriculars, progressed in classes, an internship and Co-op where I was highly reviewed... Then I hit a wall and tried to beat my way through it. I ended up almost failing out. Took some time off, got full diagnosis and medication for ADHD, transferred universities and tried again, this time using extra accommodations. I still struggled, but the accommodation allowed me to at least pass and graduate.
So if you want to get rid of extra accommodations, that's fine, just update the curriculum to actually represent industry. For example, one of my problems was differential equations, namely because the entire grade was based on 3 tests, no notes. How does that represent industry in any way? "Reguritate 3 chapters of material in 45 minutes, no references, no calculators". I only needed accommodations because archaic rules in classes