Throughout any College education, students will go through many courses. Some they end up benefing from and impacting their lives in a way that was unexpected, and some being forgotten the minute the final exam is turned in. My education here at Oregon State has been no different.
While there are many ways to make a course beneficial and enjoyhable to learn, including using accurate teaching methods, setting applical goals, and adapting information to accurate students.
To me, the most important factor in a course has been whether or not I found it beneficial, or something I could use in my future career to give me an advantage over my colleagues. Let’s look at two courses I have taken in my last 4 years, both mandatory in my Degree.
Construction Contracts and Specifications –
As I decided what I wanted to do in my career and which pathway to take in the Construction industry, I found myself interested in the Business development side, and pre-construction aspect. Knowing that one of the most important parts of this career are reading contracts, being able to instantly recall what you are liable for, and what you are owed. I loved going through this course and using that knowledge to have successful summer internships, leading to full time job offers.
Hydraulics –
Man, what a whirlwind that class was. I found myself lost in every aspect, trying to learn hydraulic mechanisms, characteristics of fluids. That being said, I found it very difficult to apply myself to this very difficult class while knowing I never planned on using this information.
To summarize, a beneficial course was one that I thought would benefit me in my career, and had very little to do with the teaching style, or anything the professor could control – which is slightly selfish as all professors are incredibly passionate about what they teach, but with internships, courses I chose, and a social life, not everything could be done with 100% effort.
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