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The Benefits of Assigning Homework in College Many of us don’t like having to do homework for our classes. Some students think homework is a waste of time. Others may understand its value and take responsibility for doing it correctly and turning it in on time. It may be time consuming and also not fun. We much rather spend that time doing something else, but having homework assigned in your college courses is beneficial for both the student and the professor.
After reading an assignment for class, I find that having a set of questions based on the reading assignment helps ensure my understanding of that which I’ve just read. The questions assigned allow me to have an opportunity to review the material and give extra thought to the topic which is being talked about. This tends to help me understand the information better. It also helps me remember the important words and their definitions as opposed to only reading the material assigned and hoping that I remember what was read without any further thought process.
Homework also helps professors determine how well their lessons are being understood by their students. When a professor assigns homework and later on receives the assignment back from their students they can get an idea of how much of the lecture the students were able to comprehend by themselves. Using this feedback they can get an idea of which topics they need to focus on or review before a midterm. Homework actually forces us to think, because we have to get the homework done in a certain time frame.
Sometimes we don’t have time to think, or our brains don’t even want to think but with homework we have to find a way to do it or we can just give up. I think that giving up is okay sometimes. For example, if someone is running a marathon, then there are situations where it may be wise to give up and run another day, than to collapse with massive heart failure. The benefit to the added pressure of homework time frames is that we have a time structure that disciplines us and gives us a measure of our progress.
Another benefit of assigning homework is the fact that we don’t have to do it all at once like in a class setting. For example, I had to eat a sandwich halfway through this essay to re-charge my brain. There is enough flexibility in homework to adapt to individual learning barriers and needs. So after much thinking, I would certainly rather write about the cons of homework assignments, but the benefits seem to be rock solid. Homework assignments provide a method of disciplined learning, it provides time to think, and it may also provide the benefits of measured progress and feedback. In hindsight, it can be fun!