Why do some Students love a particular course; and others hate the same course?

This issue is often more about the students "mindset", than the course.
Not all students are suited to all courses. The way in which a course is developed and delivered will usually suit some individuals, but not others. If the course is cjhanged to suit the unsuited; it may well be that doing that is also making it unsuitable for the suited.

What is the answer?

You should choose a course that suits you; not just the topics being studied; but also carefully choose the way you are studying and the style of learning being practiced by the teachers.

Some students are geared to expect, and perhaps be, more suited to a learning experience that is less about experience and more about collecting information. Psychologists have identified different learning styles. Styles vary in the relative emphasis that is given to seeking and discovering information, processing information, and collecting information. Different people are inclined toward different learning styles. Their inclination may be affected by past experiences, and also by their own personality/genetics.

Our courses at ACS Distance Education  tend to be developed for "experiential learning". We often prompt a student to extend themselves; and part of doing that is to give open ended challenges. Some students however, either come from an educational background, or have an inherent personality/attitude; which expects and is used to working within well structured boundaries, and not being asked to push beyond boundaries.

We achieve more with our courses by pushing students into unknown territory, but some students are simply not going to accept being pushed into unknown territory -particularly if that was not their previous experience with learning.


There is another factor that can be at play here too.

Some students are natural perfectionists, tending to always see black and white and never see grey. Others usually see grey, and rarely see black and white. These two different approaches can result in two different reactions to the experiential style of learning that we follow. The grey person will see varying ways to approach the tasks we give them; and understanding the confines of 10 or 12 hours for a lesson, will fit an interpretation with the time constraint given. The black and white person who is a perfectionist, will see the time constraint, and the tasks given, and deduce that they cannot fit a perfect response to the question, with the time constraint.
In today's world, people need to think outside the box; being more grey than black & white; and these questions are forcing the development of that approach.  

At the end of the day our approach works for most; but not for some; but the same can be said of any approach to education.

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