Student Attitudes

My students made it clear from the beginning that they were not particularly comfortable with the "experimental" nature of the course. They, sometimes desperately, reminded me that they "really need[ed] an A in ENGL1102," and, for this reason, were less than enthusiastic about, as they put it, serving as "guinea pigs." Often, when we encounter an unfamiliar situation, we tend to cling to tradition and familiarity in an effort to maintain stability and order. The flexibility and willingness to experiment that the course necessitated went against this basic human instinct, and often made students feel "pressured."

The students in my class, without exception, expressed anxiety and frustration with the course. Many reported that they felt overwhelmed by the non-traditional format and the multiple, simultaneous demands their assignments and projects made on them. My fragmented identity as instructor / guide / facilitator / morale booster resulted in feelings similar to those of my students; we experienced the uncomfortable sensation of being pulled in all directions. In order to survive, teachers and students learn to develop the ability to cope with an onslaught of stimuli: "With a surfeit of stimuli competing for people's attention, [people] are . . . becoming more adept at screening information very quickly, making rapid judgments about whether it is desirable, and 'parallel processing' different materials simultaneously" (Burbules 108). Intellectual elasticity is a prerequisite for a computer-based classroom.