To ask if you work in a university have you noticed a recent change in student behaviour?

[0987ghj]

I graduated from university in 2019, and have now returned to study a different course. I've noticed a big difference in student behaviour and I wondered if it's something that university staff have also noticed or if it's just my course.

I'm hoping that this thread doesn't seem like I'm trying to slate current university students/gen Z. A few of the examples I've seen are from mature students, so I don't think it's generational/an age thing.

There's a lot of talking now during lectures, people just talking loudly whilst the lecturer is talking (not even whispering). It's pretty brazen and full on conversations, not just a quick question or comment, and really distracting. People are often late quite a lot, there's routinely a few students who are 40+ minutes late to a 2-hour lecture. I know there are some reasons people may be late such as childcare issues, or traffic or illnesses like IBS that make it hard to leave the house in the mornings so that might just be why, but it's a lot more lateness than I ever saw in my degree before. There would be the occasional person 5-10 minutes late, but not 40+ minutes.

People also start packing up and starting to leave before the lecturer has even finished talking. Our lectures always finish slightly early to allow time to walk to other lectures so there's not really any need for it. I don't remember this happening before, unless it was because the lecture had ran over and even then people would quietly/subtly pack up.

It referred to 'bums on seats' universities with lower admissions requirements which we all know means academic grades the vast majority of the time.

I think the reason I find it snobbish is because it over simplifies the situation, and doesn't take into account other reasons for the attainment gap, including socioeconomic conditions and factors such as caring responsibilities, students who come from broken homes etc.. There are a great many reasons affecting academic performance, not just how well behaved you are in classes.

Yes, there are many reasons. However, as a lecturer, I can tell you that in my experience there is a correlation between academic achievement required for entry and behaviour in class.

There are obviously individual differences within classes but a cohort that have had to achieve well for entry tends to result in a better work ethic and more attention and engagement in class.

Absolutely! It's just that some other PP have been making the connection "drive to succeed" = "high grades" and I was giving a gentle reminder that it ain't necessarily so.

Actually across a whole undergraduate cohort I suspect it is. Again we're not talking about individuals here, we're talking majority of cases.

IME more specialised courses tend to have more motivated students as well, because those students have been driven to apply for that course by a real interest in the subject. Whereas more generalist courses tend to have more people who applied because they had to apply for something and this seemed the least worst option.

The reality is that drive to succeed, hard work, good behaviour etc is correlated with high entry requirements. The requirements may not be strictly academic (e.g. Art portfolio) but still require hard work and effort. Courses with low entry requirements, regardless of the university, have the opposite.

Exactly.

I'm not a lecturer but when I went to uni 2005-2009, no one behaved in that way on my course (I read Physics) 😳

Talking over someone/texting etc is just plain bad manners. I'm surprised the lecturer doesn't ask them to leave!

I have just completed an MA part time, online and alongside a family and full time job. Most of the course was in the same position and it is far from easy. However, the number who would never complete the discussion post activities/left assignments to the very last minute and then were pleading for help on the forum at the 11th hour or wanting extensions was unreal.
Obviously, occasionally things happen but it was the same people over and over.

Ooh @Autumnvibes23 Are we too posh to wash ??? 😏😉.

I joined the NHS in 1994 as an auxiliary nurse on a 120 bedded acute elderly block . It was hard graft which I loved . I certainly wasn’t academic then . 2 years later I started my nurse training purely because I had NVQ level 3 and I had an insight into actual nursing . These days I’m an advanced practitioner with a masters etc , how? I really do not know because I’m not brainy by any means but I have common sense and I’m not afraid of hard graft . The practical skills I had attained during my time as an auxiliary helped me during my training as I was unfazed by death, nudity and bodily fluids which incidentally caused a lot my intake to leave the course I after the first ward placement . Yes there is a lot more to nursing nowadays , some good some not so good . Actually caring about other humans , wanting to make a difference is nowhere near as apparent among the majority of the student nurse population that I interact with which saddens me greatly . A lot of excellent colleagues have not gone on to do their nurse training because of the academic aspect and the attitude towards them from people who profess to be “very academic” who are probably in a post where they don’t wear a uniform and walk round with a clipboard all day 🙄