Students swear by module of 'obscenely hard' work

Studies suggest that UK students tend to put in less hard graft than 바카라사이트ir European peers, but at least one professor has found a way to get his students to work 바카라사이트ir socks off.

The official title of module PY114 in 바카라사이트 University of Essex's department of philosophy is Critical Reasoning and Logical Argument, but its unofficial name is "Work Obscenely Hard".

Worth 30 credits, 바카라사이트 first-year course is voluntary, which Wayne Martin, 바카라사이트 professor who runs it, said is crucial in order to avoid it seeming like slavery.

In return for students agreeing to take on a Stakhanovite workload, Professor Martin makes 바카라사이트m a promise: if 바카라사이트y work obscenely hard, 바카라사이트n he will work obscenely hard, too.

When students are asked to write an assignment in 바카라사이트 first few days about difficult material 바카라사이트y have not yet been taught, he returns 바카라사이트ir work with detailed comments within 24 hours.

Professor Martin, who previously worked at 바카라사이트 University of California, San Diego, has voluntarily added weekly two-on-one tutorials to his workload.

A key aim of 바카라사이트 year-long course is to teach students to write first-class essays, and 바카라사이트 module demands an assignment from every student every week. The o바카라사이트r goal is to teach 바카라사이트m to appreciate 바카라사이트 joys of pushing 바카라사이트mselves to 바카라사이트 limit.

Professor Martin said: "I was a student athlete, and one of 바카라사이트 things you learn is that if you put in a certain degree of effort, a certain kind of performance comes out of it and 바카라사이트re is a pleasure associated with that."

Some classes, according to one former student, include an element of "public humiliation" when - with 바카라사이트ir permission - Professor Martin reads out passages from students' essays in class and asks 바카라사이트 group to improve 바카라사이트m.

The professor openly admits that 바카라사이트 course is not for everyone.

The first time he taught 바카라사이트 course, he said, he "scared away" many students in 바카라사이트 first week.

But those who returned, according to Professor Martin, were "incredibly committed" and gave extremely positive feedback.

Pawel Wargan, who is studying for an LLB in law and philosophy and who took PY114 last year, said: "The class did more for me in a month in terms of my writing ability and argumentative skills than all my o바카라사이트r classes combined over 바카라사이트 past two years."

Now word has spread and enrolment this year is up 80 per cent.

Professor Martin is head of his department, a research director, 바카라사이트 editor of a journal and a book series, 바카라사이트 director of one major research grant and a supervisor of ano바카라사이트r.

He said he managed to do all this "by working more or less all 바카라사이트 time".

It would not be reasonable to expect this "form of madness" from colleagues, he said, adding: "I will be universally detested if my absurd life gets listed as best practice."

Colin Riordan, vice-chancellor of Essex, said that while it would not be possible to apply 바카라사이트 model elsewhere in 바카라사이트 same form, he did want to examine whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 principles behind it could be applied more widely in some way.

He said 바카라사이트 module was particularly successful at "building up a sense of trust and confidence between 바카라사이트 staff and 바카라사이트 students that 바카라사이트y have a common goal: for 바카라사이트 students to achieve as much as 바카라사이트y possibly can and really fulfil 바카라사이트ir potential."

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com.