Advocate Online

Customized education has been an integral part of education for the past several years. Because of the continued increase in the diversity of our students, it has proven to be beneficial to both the student and the institution that he or she attends.

Working students have fast become one of the largest populations attending our institutions due to their urgent need to “keep up” with the latest technological advances.

These students are seeking degrees or certificates in many different areas in order to compete for their present jobs or for advancement in their companies, as well as for career changes. Customizing assignments gives working students the opportunity to work when they are able, as their schedules permit, to complete assignments.

Now customized assignments for working students can be made more readily available because of computers and other technologies for online courses. Instructors have the resources and time to challenge students and to produce quality assignments that permit students to get the most out of various customized instruction.

Working students can produce quality writing assignments, do individual research projects, and communicate with the instructor, as well as other classmates, without being held to rigid requirements. Instructors have the ability to offer motivation, encouragement, corrections, answers to questions and feedback, online, when students need it.

The increased demand for flexibility and the easy access and availability of technology make customized assignments more imortant than ever.

* Sharon C. Kimble is a history instructor at the Hinds Community College-Utica Campus in Mississippi and a member of MississippiAssociation of Educators/NEA and the National Council for Social Studies/Mississippi Council of Social Studies.

No, simple flexibility is equally effective without sacrificing ethics or equality.
Jeff Dorman Jr *

I don’t believe customizing assignments is good for students or the institution. Many students work, and making changes for one would open the door for many others. In the end, educators may be running the equivalent of two or three different lesson plans with varied assignments, requirements, and deadlines, an unnecessary increase in their workload.

I would also question the ethicality of giving different assignments. If there was a perception that the assignments given to the working students were easier than those given to the traditional students, then a traditional student may make a case that the grading was unfair.

Finally, a little accommodation goes a long way as opposed to changing the requirements of the class. I’ve received my undergraduate degree and will be receiving my MBA through part-time classes with a full-time job. In signing up for the class I understand that I have made a time commitment. If there is a conflict, I let my professors know ahead of time. I’ve taken tests with other sections, turned in a paper a day late, or been excused from class with a valid work excuse. None of these are accommodations that wouldn’t be made for a student with a doctor’s note, or an emergency.

It’s not necessary to change the actual assignments that a working student receives. I believe that it’s the student’s responsibility to manage his or her time appropriately. I also believe that it’s dangerous for the educator to be judging students by different criteria. A little time management on the part of the student and a little leniency on the part of the educator will maintain equality in the classroom and prevent having to change the structure of the course.

* Jeff Dorman Jr. has worked in crop management with potato farmers at the University of Maine since 1995. He is vice president of the Universities of Maine Professional Staff Association, an NEA affiliate, and a member of the union’s negotiating team.