Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 05:29:47 -0700
From: Doris Steckel <dcs@csuchico.edu>
Reply-To: dcs@csuchico.edu
Subject: journal interview

Hi Dr. Murphy:

Several weeks ago we talked very briefly about an interview.  Is it ok
to do it by email?
(please let me know if you would prefer that I come to your office hrs,
or use the phone)

These questions are for a Journalism class project.  Your quotes might
show up in print if the story is written well enough.  * the better the
quotes, usually the better the story. 

The reason for the topic:  Professors and students share some of their
best study tips is so that others can learn what some of the shortcuts are.  

I thought you would have some valuable insights that others would enjoy
hearing about.

Currently I am learning a  computer language (visual basic) and it is
one of the toughest subjects I have ever studied.  One of the reasons
that I thought of asking you these questions is because I thought you
might know how to make the learning easier. (several people have said to
me that you are a good instructor).

Some of the questions will relate to what you teach, and others will
relate to your learning experiences when you were a student.  			


Without further ado ...


****	How much computer knowledge does a person need for their first
programming class?
It helps to have had some training using computers such as word processing,
data base, spread sheets, etc. as in CSCI-10 but this is not really 
needed.


****	How many hours of study time should a student expect to put into a
computer class (compared to other classes:  same amount or more or much
more?)
I think two hours outside of class for every hour inside is probably
enough for most students - lab counted as part of in class.

****	Can math classes make the computer classes easier?  (is it
important to know algebra well?)
Math classes can help but then so can writing classes.  You can still
do well in programming classes without much math.

****	Do a large number of first-time programming students need a tutor?
(what %?)
I think tutors can certainly be helpful but it is also possible for
a student to learn programming on their own - without a course for that
matter.

****  	Do a lot of people audit the class (like 15a) the first time
through?  should they?
Most people do not audit 15a before taking it and this is as it should be.

****	Many people think that they can learn a subject like 15a, but they
do not complete the class.  Why do they have such a tough time?
Programming requires discipline.  Most students would have a tough time
making the cross country team if they were not willing to run long
distances everyday.

****	Do many of those students (in above question) enroll in the class
for a second try?
Of the students who fail the course the first time some try again and
some just go away - probably about an equal number of each.

**** 	How do they do the second time?
Students who fail 15a and take it again often pass the class but they
are usually not the A and B students even on the 2nd time.

****	What undergraduate classes do you think are the most important?
General studies courses.

****	What has been your favorite class of all time ( at any
university)?  
Music appreciation and Art History probably a toss up.

****	Why was the above class so good?  (What made studying for it
easier?)
They broadened my outlook and opened up areas of knowledge that have
been with me ever since.

****  	Have any classes helped you learn to think on your feet?
Not as much as having dinner with my father.

****	How do you get through all of the reading?
I love to read.  I am usually reading 10 to 20 books at time mostly
out of interest in general and in my field.

****	Have you ever taken a speed-reading course? (what do you think
about those?)
No.  Woody Allen said after taking such a course he read War and Peace
and it was about Russia.  I read mostly for the ideas I get while reading
not necessarily related to what I am reading at the time though sometimes
they are.  I do not think reading faster would help in this.

****	What kind of student do you think of yourself as?
Currious

****	How well do you retain information from your classes?  (I often
forget what I learned just two semesters ago.)  How do you remember long
term?
The easiest way for me to remember something is to make it a part of 
a larger interior mental model.  I try to fit what I am learning somehow
into what I already know.

****	Time management and sleep, how do you balance these.  
If you use all the time you have productively you will have plenty.
This includes your breaks and fooling around - every moment is important.

****	What was the toughest thing about higher education for you?  and
how did you get better at it?
Getting misinformation from required advising.  I just researched each
question separately on my own and considered what they were saying as
just another source of information which may or may not be correct.

****	Do you have any special techniques for writing notes?  (they have
study workshops on this very topic)  I notice a lot of students in my
visual basic class don't take notes at all.  Is this common?
I like to write in my books or on notes that are given to me.  when I 
try to write down my own notes from scratch during a presentation they
tend to be more in outline form and then I add details after the talk.
Of course this only works if you are following what is being said.

****	Have you ever attended any study tips workshops?  (if so what did
you learn that you use all that time and has been most helpful)
No.

****	Weekends, Spring Break .... what should students do with this time. 
Physical activity and reading those things that you are interested in
that are related to your current directions (courses etc.) but that are
not required or maybe even recommended but have caught your eye.

****	If you had one thing that you could advise students they could do
to develop their lives in a productive manner, what would that be?
Do what you love to do.  Throw yourself into it.  Be open to everything.

****	Is there anything you would like to add?
The more we learn the better world we will live in.
You are going to have to live the person you become for the 
rest of your life.  More enjoyable if that is someone interesting.
And it will be if it is someone interested.



****  THANK YOU **** THANK YOU **** THANK YOU ****