Are students lazy, industrious or both? #eng111 #345tw

The academy at-large is also divided over this generation’s profile. We tend to classify today’s students as either lazy (putting our country’s future in peril) or industrious and creative (offering national hope). It appears that we have a “Janus Generation;” researchers continually picture its students with contrasting faces, like the two-headed Roman god, Janus.
via insidehighered.com

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It's hard to call this one. I think that in relation to previous generations of students; today's students are lack creativity and industriousness. I think that technology is the reason that we lack these two major identifiable qualities of students. I also wouldn't call students lazy. Many people feel that students are lazy because of how easy things are for us today. My mentor got his doctorate degree in 1972. At the time, all of his research was confined to notebooks. His dissertation was done on a type writer. He feels that the quality of the Professional/Doctoral degree doesn't mean the same thing as it did in the 1960's and 1970's because of the innovative technology that is available today. I

I feel that the term "lazy" is relative to who is speaking. When my mentor watches me type a paper on my Windows Mobile Device, he calls me lazy. In twenty years, when people are dictating their papers to a machine, I will probably call them lazy as well. So are students lazy? No. we may lack the same type of creativity and industriousness, but all is not lost. as educational systems and technology advances, the outlook of student creativity will also evolve.

— Ja'Nel Jamerson
I feel that students are both lazy and industrious. For me I tend to be lazy on subjects that are boring to me such as math and I get really motivated and industrious when it comes to subjects I feel important. I agree with Ja'Nel (comment above) that it all depends on each person and what they defined as being lazy. For example I have had math professors who have said that we (the students) are lucky because we don't have to do all the work they had to do when they went to school such as writing out long proofs and considering the fact that they didn't have access to the scientific calculators that we have now.
— nicolemorearty
I believe that some students nowadays are lazy, but I also think that it depends on what your definition of lazy is. I think some students tend to be lazy when it comes to classes or subjects that do not really interest them, and that is what the professors see. But, if you get a student who is really interested in what a professor is teaching, that student is going to want to succeed in that class because the material is of interest to them.
— Kristen
I believe some students think that they can breeze by through college without much hard work. Though in a community college it may be easier than in a university I believe. I have much more homework since coming to University of MI, and I truly don't believe you can be lazy if you want to pass. I am constantly studying and doing homework and I think a teacher can easily see those that do not do this.
I do believe many students are lazy and are just going to college to get away from being an adult for as long as possible. But that will come to bite them in the butt when they either fail or barely pass and have to find a job and do hard work. I think everything consists of hard work and those who are being lazy now will regret that one day.
— Amber Smith
I agree that we are both faces. I think we are coming up with creative ways of being able to be lazy. This is not something that is only relatable to students. Whoever invented the TV remote control was right along these same lines. Getting up from the couch was just too hard, so someone created a way to be lazy. In some cases, I totally agree that students are lazy. Cheating, copying homework, cramming for exams; all ways of being lazy. But don't tell me that these researchers didn't do the exact same thing while they were in school. I think that if there were a comparitive study done about the student generations, it would show that we students of today are simply more efficient at being lazy.
— Ayla
Wow only 5 responses off that question... I guess you got your answer. Unless of course, all of your students were being to industrious to respond?? I truly think that it may be work and expectation overload. I am an a returning learner and remeber back in 93' when I was at Eastern Michigan going to business school, it seemed like I was hardly ever in class, had very little homework and everything just seemed easier and less stressful. Maybe it just comes with age?
— John Cochran
Hey! I can't open my email to see our syllabus...are our blogs supposed to be just the templates or 400 words min?
— Erin McKay
I don't believe that students are necessarily lazy, I think that students just aren't pointed in the right direction when it comes to careers. What percentage of graduates actually get careers when they get out of a college or university? Without networking and knowing the right people and places to go for a career, some students are lost in a sea of classes. If there students don't see a definite outcome from school, then it may be difficult to stay focused. Also, at a commuter school such as UM-Flint, a lot of students have jobs that they have to keep up with as well as school and home lives. It isn't an excuse for being "lazy" if that be the case, just a fact that students have to adjust to to be successful in all areas.
— Dominique Brown
I agree with Dominique. When I started college I really didn't know exactly what I wanted to do when I was done. It took two years to figure out what would be a good fit for me career wise and after I that I actually got excited about the classes I was taking. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel and you can defiantly see the positive impact it had on my grades. Before I was in college because that's what they tell you to do after high school. Now I'm in my last semester and last three years have actually gone by fast because if wasn't just another task i had to do. I'm not going to say that I have never been lazy at some point, but I will say that I haven't been lazy since I figured out what I was here for.
— Zach Goodheart
Many of my friends would call me lazy but I like to think of it more as being creative. I usually try think of ways to make life easier for myself. I also like to make life easier for other people to if I can think of an easier way to do something that I see them strugling with.
— miblacks
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