Academic scenarios

Scenario 1 A group of students completed a history essay together in the library and submitted it in HuskyCT. When their class next met, Professor Brown informed them that he wasn’t accepting the assignment.

Debrief While it is encouraged for students to study together, homework assignments should be completed separately, rather than by the group. If several students turn in an individual assignment that is identical in answers or content, the students may be committing academic plagiarism, which can be highly punished in US educational institutions. Especially for essays, professors want individual students to be able to critically think about a topic and then communicate their own thoughts, though there may be opportunities to work in groups on projects specifically created for multiple students. Critical thinking requires students to not just repeat information, but to analyze and evaluate various pieces of information with the intention of finding new and/or meaningful conclusions. Americans highly value the ability to critically think through a problem or topic and many professors require that students show this ability when completing assignments.

Scenario 2 Prof. Smith: What can I do for you, Chen? Chen: Excuse me. I need some help with this new machine. Prof. Smith: Of course. Let me explain it again. Chen: It’s a little bit complicated. Prof. Smith: It’s very complicated, but after I explained it to you last week and asked you if you understood, you said yes. Chen: Yes. Please excuse me.

Debrief Professor Smith is Chen’s laboratory chief and expected Chen to say something if he didn’t understand how a machine works in the lab. When he said that he understood the first time, Professor Smith expected that he did in fact understand and had started working on the project. Chen did not feel comfortable telling Professor Smith that the original explanation wasn’t good enough for him to understand, so didn’t express his confusion. It could have also been seen to be in bad manners for Professor Smith to point out his lack of understanding.

SCENARIO 3 Three friends are interested in obtaining summer internships with an engineering company. They go together to a UConn internship fair, but the company representatives don’t seem very interested in speaking to them.

Debrief Internship/employers want to learn more about individuals to see if they may be a good fit with their organization. Because the friends went around in a group, the employer did not have the chance to talk to them individually. An employer may also get the impression that the friends are not very confident or serious about finding a job if they must go together in a group.

Scenario 4 Aki is a Freshman who joined a UConn club. At one club meeting, members debated how to advertise an upcoming event. Aki supported all of the suggestions. After the discussion had gone on for half an hour, another student said to Aki, "Don't you have any ideas of your own?" Aki offered an idea that was turned down. After the meeting, she quit the club.

Debrief In the US, everyone, irrespective of their age or experience with the group, is expected to participate in the meeting by sharing their views. An individual is felt to be putting in less effort than others if they do not actively participate in the conversation. Aki is new to UConn and the club, so didn’t feel experienced enough to have good opinions to share. When she did share an opinion and it was rejected, she felt disrespected and so didn’t want to return.

Scenario 5 Anna: Are grades out yet? Tom: Yes. I bet you made Dean’s List again this semester. Did you ever leave your room or the library this year? Anna: My classes are hard and I want to get a good job when I graduate next year, so I don’t have much time for anything else. Tom: Grades are great, but what else are you doing to make yourself stand out? When I went for my internship interview, the guy asked me about my intramural basketball team. Turns out, he played college basketball too and said that’s where he learned to manage his time and be a team player.

Debrief Anna wants to get good grades, but good grades aren’t always enough to get into graduate school or get a good job. American university students are expected to do well in school while also participating in other activities. These “other activities” can include sports, volunteering, student clubs, or internships. Through these additional activities, students cultivate leadership abilities, fine-tune skills desired by employers (e.g. time management, good communication, team work), or apply a particular talent or knowledge.