How closely are first year undergraduates matched to the course that they wanted to do when they filled out their CAO form? This year, CAO students could sign up for such career-focused and narrowly-defined programmes as early childhood studies, genetics and cell biology, theoretical physics, forestry, business information systems, finance and venture management, and computer aided engineering and design.
This is all very good if the student knows exactly what they want. But the chances of this are limited given that there is only partial information available until the student enters the college course of their choice. Another problem is that students may choose “high points” courses simply because they are “high points” courses (and not true preferences). So what can be done about all of this?
Well, in the Irish higher education system it is possible to drop out of your course before Christmas, and apply through the CAO system again without losing a free year of education. However, in doing this, one does lose a year. A recent article in Science describes how some American universities have been trying to match students to their interests in the realm of science: "Linking Student Interests to
Science Curricula".
A course called “The Chemistry and Biology of Everyday Life” (CBEL) was developed using students’interests in everyday life as the starting point for instruction.
"The course content and activities were designed to match each student’s background and interests with other courses and research group activities. The course mimics a scientific research group. Students develop skills through literature review (journal club), special topic discussions, and research assignments. Peer mentoring engages students from freshmen to seniors. Visits to laboratories and attendance at scientific meetings broaden students’ horizons".
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