Illinibucks
Hypothetically, the University of Illinois could use "Illinibucks" to satisfy students demand to move to the head of the line for different activities. One such activity is registering for classes. Everyone wants to schedule their classes as early as possible, but many freshman and sophomore students are stuck with undesirable class times like 8 or 9 am. Also, students will want to register for classes that are already filled and their only option is to be added to the waiting list. With the introduction of Illinibucks, students could use them to move to the head of registration. This concept would be interesting and the activity of priority registration would probably be in high demand. Another instance where the University could use Illinibucks is for signing up for dorms. Similarly to registering for classes, many students don't always get their first choice when signing up for a dorm. Many freshman who would rather secure a favorable dorm than compete with the huge demand for priority registration could allocate their Illinibucks to getting a desirable dorm. Finally, the campus could use Illinibucks for entry into the spring concert they usually sponsor and hold. If they were to attract a very popular big name headliner like Drake this would also be in high demand.
Personally, I would spend most of my Illinibucks on priority registration. To me the most important aspect of which classes I take are being able to take them later in the day. I hate waking up early and like to stay up late like so many other students. This makes morning classes a pain. I also work in the afternoon so I can't take classes too late into the afternoon. So there is a Goldilocks zone of the perfect time for me to take classes. Each registration period as soon as it opens I desperately try to make my schedule fit into my Goldilocks zone while still taking the classes I want to take that semester. This is almost impossible to do without priority registration.
However, if the campus was able to book a big headliner to their spring concert who I really loved, like Drake, I would be willing to give up Illinibucks I would use on priority registration for the concert. Additionally, if I would not find out who headlines until after registration I would then put my Illinibucks into priority registration. This is because there is more risk to lose out on saving my Illinibucks for the concert, but not wanting to go after the headliner is someone I could care less for. Also, I live in an apartment so using my Illinibucks for dorms would be of no interest to me. This would apply to lots of juniors and seniors and they would most likely use the Illinibucks for priority registration.
If the administered price was too low for priority registration then the campus would run out of supply. That is everyone would spend their Illinibucks on priority registration as well as the concert and dorms. Then almost everyone would be able to secure priority registration. This scenario would be chaotic I'm sure. Students would miss class to fight for class spots that could potentially "sell out" as soon as they become available. Another problem that could arise if the administered prices were too low is the University would lose credibility on being able to back the currency of Illinibucks. For example, if everyone pays to get their first choice dorm but spaces run out even though students have paid for them students would complain to the University.
Alternately, if prices were too high the students would be upset by the system of Illinibucks and think it's unfair. If for example, I had to spend every single one of my Illinibucks on the concert to see Drake, but then I had no Illinibucks to at least not get stuck with registering last I doubt I would spend my Illinibucks on the concert. Then there would be a problem were there is too much supply. Not enough people would be spending their Illinibucks on tickets to a concert or getting their dorm choice. Then the university would have to find a different way to pick priority for these events.
Personally, I would spend most of my Illinibucks on priority registration. To me the most important aspect of which classes I take are being able to take them later in the day. I hate waking up early and like to stay up late like so many other students. This makes morning classes a pain. I also work in the afternoon so I can't take classes too late into the afternoon. So there is a Goldilocks zone of the perfect time for me to take classes. Each registration period as soon as it opens I desperately try to make my schedule fit into my Goldilocks zone while still taking the classes I want to take that semester. This is almost impossible to do without priority registration.
However, if the campus was able to book a big headliner to their spring concert who I really loved, like Drake, I would be willing to give up Illinibucks I would use on priority registration for the concert. Additionally, if I would not find out who headlines until after registration I would then put my Illinibucks into priority registration. This is because there is more risk to lose out on saving my Illinibucks for the concert, but not wanting to go after the headliner is someone I could care less for. Also, I live in an apartment so using my Illinibucks for dorms would be of no interest to me. This would apply to lots of juniors and seniors and they would most likely use the Illinibucks for priority registration.
If the administered price was too low for priority registration then the campus would run out of supply. That is everyone would spend their Illinibucks on priority registration as well as the concert and dorms. Then almost everyone would be able to secure priority registration. This scenario would be chaotic I'm sure. Students would miss class to fight for class spots that could potentially "sell out" as soon as they become available. Another problem that could arise if the administered prices were too low is the University would lose credibility on being able to back the currency of Illinibucks. For example, if everyone pays to get their first choice dorm but spaces run out even though students have paid for them students would complain to the University.
Alternately, if prices were too high the students would be upset by the system of Illinibucks and think it's unfair. If for example, I had to spend every single one of my Illinibucks on the concert to see Drake, but then I had no Illinibucks to at least not get stuck with registering last I doubt I would spend my Illinibucks on the concert. Then there would be a problem were there is too much supply. Not enough people would be spending their Illinibucks on tickets to a concert or getting their dorm choice. Then the university would have to find a different way to pick priority for these events.
Let me talk about your time of day preference for when to take classes. Do you think that preference will continue (the part about staying up late with other students) even after you graduate? By this I mean wanting to hang out with people you know who are approximately the same age. How will you reconcile such a preference with having a full time job, which I assume is a goal for after graduation? If the job requires you to punch a clock, figuratively if not literally, so you have to at work fairly early in the day, does the late night social stuff have to be pushed to weekend?
ReplyDeleteIn class last Thursday during some discussion I got the impression that many students are sleep deprived, certainly around exam times, maybe at other times as well. As a near term thing anyone can do that, but over time it really wears on you. I wonder if a more pragmatic approach is possible, even during college. And I wonder if college should help students embrace that more programmatic approach.
So, contrary to the way things happen now, maybe first year students should have the highest priority in registration and seniors the lowest. After all, it is the seniors who will soon be entering the labor force. It is said that moderation in all things is an ideal to live by. I wonder if that should be an aspiration for students, who do like to hang out with one another.
In my post on the class site about these matters, I mentioned the possibly of a course with a large online component, so reduced class meeting time, or even a totally online course. I wonder what your preference would be about the same class offered in two different versions. One version would be face to face but would meet at 9 AM. The other would be totally online and have no fixed meeting time online. All the interactions would by asynchronous, like this blog post, where you make the post when you can (but before the deadline) and I likewise respond that way. Would you prefer the online course in some instances because of the flexibility it offered? When would it be the case that you preferred the face to face offering?
I think my preferences will continue after I graduate as I find myself more productive in the afternoon rather than the morning. I will try to find a full time job that fits my schedule. Most likely I will have to hang out with friends on the weekends. However, if I have a job that starts early and ends in the afternoon I could potentially have time to hang out with friends occasionally after work. I think college can influence a persons sleep schedule heavily. Especially work demanding majors like engineering will often cause students to be sleep deprived. Although, I wouldn't agree that freshman should have priority simply because it would be too unfair for seniors who are graduating to be forced to miss out on classes that fill up too quickly. I really enjoy online courses. The amount of flexibility they provide allows me to use my time the efficiently for the online class. They only time I would prefer face to face instruction is in classes that are harder to learn without a mentor.
ReplyDeleteI find the sleeping issue very interesting. When I was in late high school and my first year of college, I had a lot of trouble getting good, regular sleep at night. I did some research and actually talked to my doctor about it briefly after a physical. What I found was that good sleep is all about routine. If you are going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time you are much more likely go have good sleep and feel well rested when you wake up and throughout the day. This pattern can be set by habit (which can take up to three months), but is best maintained by regular exercise and meals at the same time each day. As you guys know these are not things that college students usually do.
DeleteAnother interesting fact that I found was that the cycle is very fragile. Staying up more than 5 1/2 hours past when you normally go to bed can disrupt your sleep cycle for up to 6 weeks. So, again this is terrible for a college student. If they pull an all-nighter, or extremely late night before one exam, they will still be feeling the consequences during the next exam cycle. This can of course have a snowball effect and culminate in worse and worse exam experiences.
I read of that many people have unorthodox sleeping patters. For example taking 4 20 minute naps throughout the day and sleeping for 3.5 hours. This is something you might consider doing. This sort of sleep cycle is especially popular among PhD students due to the amount of work they have.
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