Advice to Students.
Coursely asked 1,400+ students, teachers & recruiters across France their experience in higher education. Here are their most thought-provoking reflections.
- Recruit the best teachers in higher education. Recruit the best students for internships and work-study programs 73
“Teachers, keep the whole class on an equal footing of understanding, don’t to cover the content too quickly and which discriminates against students.
Encourage us students to take notes on paper because it improves concentration.
Invite real guest speakers into classes rather than just making us watch videos.
Don’t embed YouTube videos into your slides, just give us the link to the video.
Give us a bibliography of books, podcasts, videos and articles.
Modern-day digital is important, but go back to the basic fundamentals.”– Student
- Recruit the best teachers in higher education. Recruit the best students for internships and work-study programs 72
“It is often the ‘zapping’ mentality of today’s generation of students that causes learning difficulty and prevents teachers from pushing their course subjects to the end.
You explain a concept, ask the class if there are any questions and get no response or a simple “No”. So you select a student or a team to ask a follow-up question and none of them are capable of explaining, or are willing to explain, what was just covered.It’s extremely frustrating.”
– Teacher
- Recruit the best teachers in higher education. Recruit the best students for internships and work-study programs 70
“Teachers must teach through example and through concrete situations. Base course content on projects and case studies with real, modern-day companies and real contact with companies.
We students learn more during our internships and apprenticeships than we do in class because we are put into real situations.”
– Student
- Recruit the best teachers in higher education. Recruit the best students for internships and work-study programs 69
“Enforce academic standards. Teachers are not automatically respected by students. Beginning from their first semester, universities must require students attend workshops that set professional expectations, rules and expected behavior along with consequences.
Students are no longer in high school and their transformation into the professional world may not be obvious to them. Students need to understand, feel and respect this difference, otherwise the student and their teachers are set up for failure.
Give students a sense of responsibility and professionalism, hold them accountable and empower teachers to enforce consequences.”– Teacher
- Recruit the best teachers in higher education. Recruit the best students for internships and work-study programs 53
“During every class there are always students who don’t pay attention.
But then there are those students who chat with other students instead of following the content, who watch television series or shop online, who work on other course projects, even students who order their lunch on their phone to be delivered to the classroom.”
– Teacher
- Recruit the best teachers in higher education. Recruit the best students for internships and work-study programs 36
“It can be demotivating for teachers knowing that at the end of the semester students can insult their teachers and complain anonymously and without impunity.
I am shocked by the level of hatred and insults some students have felt comfortable leaving anonymously, but won’t participate or speak in class.”
– Teacher
- Recruit the best teachers in higher education. Recruit the best students for internships and work-study programs 22
“Companies train students for positions and real-life missions. Universities prepare students to flourish in a professional career, in line with their environment, their ambition, and their potential.
The alliance of schools and companies is essential to student professionalization.
Too many students make the mistake of underestimating the role of university courses, and have to resume studies a few years later.“
– Program Director
- Recruit the best teachers in higher education. Recruit the best students for internships and work-study programs 18
Student entrance exams and milestones should be required to take certain courses.
It isn’t fair to the qualified students that have to follow a slowed-down or dumbed-down version of a course so all students can participate.
In group projects qualified students have complained they must also do the work of the unqualified students in order for their grades not to suffer.
– Teacher
- Recruit the best teachers in higher education. Recruit the best students for internships and work-study programs 13
“Get rid of dead weight students. We all pay to have our diploma and in the end we will all have the same diploma.
So let the hard-working students work together and flourish among themselves, and leave those who do not want to work on the side.
We are no longer in high school.”
– Student
