Cox ’89 discusses ‘college fear factor’

Drawing on her 2009 book “The College Fear Factor: How Students and Professors Misunderstand Each Other”, she said that, especially while transitioning to college, students can limit their participation in class or redefine their standards for success or failure.

There is also often a mismatch between students’ preconceptions about college and the faculty expectations and academic norms that exist on campuses, according to Cox’s research, which was completed over five years at community colleges. To gather data, she interviewed students and conducted classroom observations.

Cox, who is an education professor at Seton Hall University, also criticized the lecture model of teaching.

“The problem for students in this model is that students are left to grapple with the content all by themselves,” she said. “There’s no direct connection between the professor and the student.”

Dominic Voge, associate director of the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, said in an interview that he often sees University students struggling in the transition from high school to college.

“Many students experience a type of culture shock as expectations, values, norms and conventions change drastically,” he explained, adding that students especially struggle when they discover that they must teach themselves significant amounts of information.

“Professors profess and deliver information, but you don’t have a lot of class time,” he noted. “In high school, you had learning activities incorporated into class time. It becomes the responsibility of the student to engage outside of class and to create his or her own cohesive program.”

To address the challenges of the transition from high school to college, the McGraw Center offers group tutoring sessions, one-on-one strategic learning consultations with McGraw staff and academic workshops, Voge said.

“It’s useful to be able to complete my problem sets on my own before collaborating with my peers,” said Peyton Knisley ’14, who attends group tutoring sessions every week. “I find it easier to understand once I’ve worked through the concept with a friend.”

Cox’s presentation was the inaugural lecture in a series to be offered by the McGraw Center along with the Mid-Career Fellowship Program, which brings faculty and administration from participating New Jersey community colleges to the University for one year to participate in courses and seminars.

In discussing the resources available to students, Voge emphasized that struggle is a natural part of the learning process.

“Princeton is incredibly demanding, we want to challenge you, and people who come here want to be challenged,” Voge said. “Any true growth is going to require struggle.”