I was a MIU philosophy student from '74 to '78. I really liked the block system too. It allowed you to really focus on the subject matter 24/7. -Peter
--- at_man_and_brahman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I was an MIU physics student and have > studied at three other universities, > including recently finishing an MBA. > > I really liked the block system and > missed it at other schools. I don't > like having my attention broken > up by a mixture of classes and > competing finals and midterms. > > I also liked the long weekends > between them. > > Note that other schools use > similar systems, including Johns > Hopkins. > > --- In [email protected], "Patrick > Gillam" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > We would have overlapped at MIU, Shemp. I was > > there from fall '77 to late 1980. > > > > The faults you cite are valid, but I didn't come > > away from the block system feeling it was a > > total failure. I liked it. I went to the > University > > of Iowa before MIU, and the University of > > Missouri after, and nothing about the experience > > of a conventional scheduling system changed > > my affection for the block system. > > > > The block system was definitely incompatible > > with quantitative learning. The math and organic > > chemistry students were at a disadvantage. > > There's a school of thought that the mind > > processes knowledge when we sleep; I wonder > > if some subjects are more readily learned by > > taking in manageable bites of information and > > sleeping on it before getting the next helping. > > > > - Patrick Gillam > > > > --- In [email protected], > "shempmcgurk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > I went to MIU from '75 to '79. Graduated with a > BIDS degree. > > > > > > How do others feel about the block system? > > > > > > I don't much care for it. For example, a > course's reading list: > > > because an entire semester's course is packed > into one month, one > > > must read a book(s) required for a course within > that single month, > > > which I always felt was hard to do and rushed. > Whereas if I had a > > > whole semester to do it, it wouldn't be such a > burden. Sure, I would > > > have had other books for my other courses to > read as well but at > > > least I could switch from one to the other as I > saw fit. > > > > > > Another negative about the block system: > professors' time outside > > > the class. With a semester system, there is > time between classes to > > > informally meet and greet the professor at his > office and talk about > > > he subject matter and go off on tangents about > whatever. Under the > > > block system there simply isn't time to do that > because all > > > classroom hours are taken up with attending the > classes for the > > > course. > > > > > > And what do you do if you get a class and/or > professor that you > > > simply don't click with? It may take 3 or 4 > days before you realize > > > it...well, under the semester system, it may not > be too late at that > > > point to switch classes; not so under the block > system because > > > you're almost 25% through the course at that > point. And under the > > > semester system, even if it is too late to > change classes after you > > > realize you're unhappy with the class/professor, > at least you have 3 > > > or 4 other classes that you may be happy with... > > > > > > To subscribe, send a message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Or go to: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ > and click 'Join This Group!' > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site! http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/ To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
