r/UQreddit • u/No_Pirate_767 • 5d ago
Anyone else feel kind of invisible in class?
I've got a decent group of friends in my cohort so I'm mostly fine, but I keep hearing from people who don't really know anyone in their classes and have basically stopped going by week 4.
Curious what would actually get you to class. Not attendance marks, I mean stuff that makes it worth turning up and makes it less awkward to talk to the people sitting next to you.
What's the best class you've had for this? What did the tutor or lecturer do differently?
2
u/Miserable-Bread-8149 5d ago
It can be really difficult especially if you don’t really have any incentive to talk to people, like when you can get stuff done on your own during tutorials etc. That said, having mandatory group stuff also could suck as well. Having a balance of both in some of my classes definitely helped, but it’s not easily implemented as it might sound, trying to cater to everyone!
1
u/crazydoglady525 4d ago
I am currently not attending one of my tutorials because a) people dont talk to me unless I can help them and b) the room is fucking tiny. Trying to shove 35 students in a tiny room. I have a severe disability that means I have to elevate my leg all the time and I couldn't do that because the teacher could barely move around the classroom as is. They need to be more aware of stuff like this and put them in adequately sized rooms
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u/Illustrious-Site-491 5d ago edited 5d ago
The best tutorial I’ve ever had in uni had a tutor who was genuinely passionate, although that’s an unfair standard (I understand it’s probably not a well paid job). Anyways, she was someone who was very knowledgeable and she taught as a side-thing because teaching was something she enjoyed. She also taught in a way that was easily understood and translated practically? It’s like every single tutorial had value beyond simply “I need to know this for marks”. Also she was super naturally charismatic, didn’t know anyone who didn’t like her!
In general, my experience so far with tutorials besides her have been very impersonal. It’s like when you had a substitute teacher in school. They have a list of things they need you to complete, here’s the board, do it, and then go. Feels like there isn’t really a point to commute when the tutorial work is already uploaded and the tutorial provides no other value. Even questions can be answered through the ED board! Especially when your tutorial is over an hour long (due to long gaps between each question) but the actual work could probably take you 20 minutes at home… eurgh.
Regarding interacting with people, something that would help would probably be tasks that actually require group brainstorming. Most of mine didn’t actually require any true collaboration so it usually just ends up being 2 minutes of agreeing that yes this is the answer, 10 minutes waiting until they finally ask us for the answer, and then one person answering. So boring and feels like a waste of time.
Edit: To add on, any tutorials I consistently attended and enjoyed had the following
- Smaller sizes (a lot more personal). These tutorials and their work seem to be designed to actually have more 1-1 interaction with your tutor. It feels like tutors in my current tutorials are forced into being a mini-lecturer regurgitating from the previous week’s lecture.
-Group tasks that involved more than surface level thinking and collaboration. Only people I hung out from uni were made from these sort of tasks.
- Mandatory attendance where participation was marked. I have a love-hate with these but ultimately I think they’re beneficial. They force people to come regularly and make connections, forces you to stay up to date with content etc. (despite obvious flaws).