Student Learning Environment Analysis

Environment plays an important role in influencing student behavior and the absorption of course material. Though it can be difficult to find the optimal location for your teaching style or class size, it can make or break the success learning experience for a group of students. There are several kinds classes offered at Brock University that differ greatly in their structure and purpose. There are formal/discussion lectures which are your typical large scale university learning environments that utilize large amphitheater styled halls that seat up to 300 students. There are seminars which is a unique space to Brock and select other schools which utilize smaller class spaces for specialized courses such as grad studies or operate as components

The students can be a small group from a larger course or a class that is smaller in size such as those typically seen in graduate studies. Seminars are situated in a small class of 10-20 students lasting roughly an hour each. The students are guided and marked either by a professor or a teaching assistant working under a professor. These classes are largely discussion based with students reflecting on course material or case studies. A distinction from other learning environments is the importance of participation. Students are expected to engage with the material for these seminars, with seminar leaders delegating marks based on how well they relate their discussion the course material. This has both positive and negative effects on students. The chance to participate allows students to actively interact with the course content and engage in discussion with their peers. On the other hand, many students are too anxious to offer their input even if they know the content. Post-secondary students are interesting subjects, as they've grown into a fear of being wrong. I feel this is fueled due to the risk of looking unintelligent in front of their peers, or just simply being too shy to speak. I was once in the same position of these introverted students, especially during my first year at university. My marks suffered drastically because I had nothing to

These classes generally have 30 to 50 students with the professor leading the class with limited discussion. It is structured similar to a typical K-12 learning environment, with students answering questions by raising their hand with short worded answers. This learning environment has both the positives and negatives of seminars and lectures, usually leading to mixed results. On the plus side, it gives the opportunity for students to ask questions directly to the professor during class time. Whether it be clarification on a point they were making or a general inquiry of the course material, it allows for students to actively engage with the course content, an important component that many lectures don't include. However, it has the same downfalls of seminars as some students are too shy or anxious to actively participate. this format also allows professors to be more involved with students, creating strong meaningful relationships with students, instead of simply being a nameless face in the massive audience of lectures. However, the professor's delivery of the content is crucial even more so then in the other formats, as they have to not only be engaging and interesting but also effectively relay information of the course cleanly and efficiently. How a professor presents himself and leads the class can make all the difference within this format. If the professor is able to maximize on the positives, they