Staying Engaged In A "Boring" Class

By Julia Dunn on September 10, 2016

College students know well that they won’t always be into every single one of their classes. Even a physics major may find themselves staring at the ceiling during an applied mathematics course from time to time.

And if theater is your thing, it can be painfully difficult to stay interested in a global microeconomics course you need for that pesky general education requirement (although there definitely are people who enjoy drastically different subjects!)

As stated in a press release, “A recent study from the University of Central Lancashire reports that almost 60 percent of students find at least half their lectures boring, with 75 percent resorting to daydreaming, 66 percent to doodling, and 45 percent to texting to pass the time.”

It’s understandable that students may lose interest for multiple reasons; not every class has perfectly compelling subject matter and not every professor has mastered the best way to both engage students (teaching is constant performing) and present material clearly. However, “learning science shows that obtuse subjects, poor teachers, and even your own boredom don’t have to be roadblocks to your learning experience.”

Image via Pixabay.com

Kaplan’s Chief Learning Officer Dr. Bror Saxberg has devoted much time to understanding the field of learning science, which “applies scientific principles to the design and improvement of instructional methods to promote better learning outcomes.”

Thankfully, Dr. Saxberg suggests a few useful ideas for students looking to find meaning in classes they don’t exactly love. Taking control of your own learning experience often involves having to navigate less-enjoyable classes at times.

First, Saxberg suggests students connect their class subject material to something they are interested in. This is the best way to force yourself to care about any of your classes: what do you care about, and how does it relate to what you’re supposed to be learning?

Furthermore, forcing yourself to take handwritten notes versus typed ones can make quite a difference in your learning experience; you’ll exercise your brain’s capacity for information synthesis and take a more active role in your note-taking. Along similar lines, you should strive for just as active reading comprehension by summarizing what you have just read after you finish a chapter or passage. This will check that you understand what you read.

Finally, Saxberg recommends refraining from procrastination. The earlier you finish your assignments before they’re due, the less stressed you’ll be.

A “boring” class doesn’t mean you can’t turn the situation into a positive one — college courses are all about whether you can find ways to engage with subjects that might fall outside your primary field of study.

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