UWEC field research study

1. The first student I spoke with, Jennifer, said that she prefers to study in her dorm room or in the Towers study lounge. She studies best when she rewrites her notes into a more condensed form. The second student I spoke with, Austin, also said he studies best in his dorm room. He studies best by sitting down and doing the work, either alone or with another person, and is not easily sidetracked. The third person I asked, Jake, had the same answer as the previous two. He studies best in his quiet dorm room, although sometimes he gets easily distracted and will turn on his Xbox 360 for a quick game of Halo. Samantha, the fourth person I interviewed, said that she studies best in other people’s rooms. She needs others to help her, and she learns the most when having fun. The last person I spoke with was Nate. He studies best in the basement of Murray Hall. His iPod helps him keep focused and helps him complete his homework much faster.

2. For this task, I decided to find an international student in Katherine Thomas hall to interview. My only problem was that I did not know anyone who lived there. I walked up to the second floor and paced up and down the hallway looking for any possible matches. Luckily for me, I was able to find a room that was housing two international students from Hong Kong. They were willing to take a break from their video games to answer a few questions. The first student said that school here in the United States is more casual than school in Hong Kong. American students can show up to class wearing whatever outfit they choose, whereas students in Hong Kong have stricter dress code guidelines. The second student said that homework was the biggest difference between the two school systems. Schools in Hong Kong gave out little to no homework, while American schools tend to focus more on busywork. The two students also agreed that students here at UWEC participate greatly in their classes; everyone is eager to answer questions. Students in Hong Kong sit through class without saying much of anything to the teacher or other students. The two students said that they cope with the lack of involvement in Hong Kong by bringing their video games to class, which is not unlike the text messaging that goes on in some American classrooms.

3. According to the UWEC’s grading policy, an “XF” is an unofficial withdrawal from any course and is computed as an F. If this mark shows up on someone’s transcript, it has a serious affect on the student’s GPA and raises suspicion as to why the student did not show up to class.

4. Dr. Benning, a Psychology professor, has been teaching at UWEC for decades and has seen a drastic change in students over the years. He believes that students now have more of an egocentric view than ever before. Students are detached from their schoolwork; they fail to connect. Benning believes the University is to blame as well. He says that education has become a business, and its job is the train students to make money. Scott Gaulke of the math department agrees with Benning. He says that over the years students have become fixated on life after college, when really they should be focusing on learning as much as they can right now. Gaulke stressed that the job you receive after college is important, but you can’t get to tomorrow without going through today.

5. UWEC has many sculptures around campus. One the most interesting sculptures is just outside of the HAAS fine arts center. A metal wheelbarrow is carrying a huge rock. Carved into the rock are names of cities. My first interpretation of the sculpture was a symbol of the massive amount of work college is. It would be very hard to move that rock by oneself, but the wheelbarrow makes it easier. The wheelbarrow represents college and the rock is a successful future. College helps students succeed. However, this interpretation goes up in flames when one considers the names carved into the rock. Maybe the locations represent places your future will take you. The message is comforting to think about, which is maybe why the artist put the piece on campus. I could not find a title anywhere on the piece, but I will check back when the snow melts.

6. Volume One is a media magazine at UWEC. It tells of local movies, music, and other media events. For example, there is a guest flutist, Jessica Dunnavant, playing at the Haas Fine Arts Center. The show starts at 5 pm tomorrow, and admission is free. There is also a show on Wednesday at the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center called Four Bitchin’ Babes. The event is a mixture of songcraft and therapy. It starts at 7:30 pm and costs $20-$30.