Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the concept of "weed out" courses in academic settings, particularly in physics and other STEM fields. Participants share their experiences and opinions regarding the intentional difficulty of these courses, their impact on student retention, and the justification for their existence.
Discussion Character
- Debate/contested
- Exploratory
- Conceptual clarification
Main Points Raised
- Some participants express concern about the intentional difficulty of weed out courses, questioning whether it is justified to design courses that aim to reduce student numbers.
- Others argue that weed out courses are necessary to ensure that only students who are adequately prepared can progress in their studies, suggesting that it helps identify students who may need to switch majors.
- A participant mentions that the term "weed out course" is often applied by students rather than faculty, indicating that courses are designed to meet the necessary academic standards rather than to fail students.
- Some participants share personal experiences of struggling with demanding courses, noting high dropout rates and the emotional toll of such experiences.
- There is a viewpoint that poor planning and scheduling of courses can contribute to the perception of weed out courses, rather than a deliberate intention by departments to create them.
- One participant notes that they perform better in challenging courses compared to easier ones, suggesting a differing perspective on the value of weed out courses.
- Concerns are raised about the impact of scheduling conflicts between demanding courses and how that may affect student performance and retention.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants do not reach a consensus on whether weed out courses are justified or necessary. There are multiple competing views regarding their impact on student success and the reasons behind their design.
Contextual Notes
Some participants highlight limitations in course design, such as the lack of prerequisites or appropriate filtering of students before entering challenging courses, which may contribute to high failure rates.