| High School
| College
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High school is mandatory and public education is free.
| College is voluntary and may be expensive.
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Time is structured by others during the school day.
| The student is responsible for managing his/her own time. Classes may be available throughout the day and the student is responsible for attending and maintaining his/her schedule.
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Permission is needed to participate in extracurricular activities.
| The student decides whether or not to participate in extracurricular activities.
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Teachers often give review sessions and point out important concepts.
| Instructors rarely give review sessions. If they do offer review time, students are expected to come prepared with questions.
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Teachers approach students and offer assistance if needed.
| Instructors are usually open and helpful but expect students to initiate contact if assistance is needed.
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Teachers are often available for conversation before, during or after class.
| Instructors expect students to attend their scheduled office hours.
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Teachers check completed homework.
| Instructors may not always check completed homework, but they will assume you can perform the same tasks on tests.
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Teachers present material to help students understand the material in the textbook.
| Instructors may not follow the textbook. Instead, they may give illustrations, provide background information, or discuss research about the topic you are studying. Or, they may expect students to relate the classes to the textbook readings.
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Teachers often write information on the board to be copied in notes
| Instructors may lecture nonstop, expecting students to identify the important points in notes. When instructors write on the board, it may be to amplify the lecture, not to summarize it. Good notes are a must.
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Teachers impart knowledge and facts, sometimes drawings direct connections and leading students through the thinking process.
| Instructors expect students to think about and synthesize seemingly unrelated topics.
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Teachers often take time to remind students of assignments and due dates.
| Instructors expect students to read, save, and consult the course syllabus (outline); the syllabus spells out exactly what is expected, when it is due, and how it will be graded.
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Teachers are flexible with test dates and often move these so they will not conflict with school events.
| Instructors often schedule tests without regard to the demands of other courses or college events.
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Makeup tests are often available.
| Makeup tests are usually not an option.
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Grades are given for most assigned work
| Grades may not be provided for all assigned work
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Homework grades may help raise overall grade when test grades are low.
| Grades on tests and papers usually provide most of the course grade.
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The guiding principle is that effort counts. Courses are usually structured to reward good faith efforts.
| The guiding principle is that results count. While good faith efforts are important so that instructors are willing to assist with good results, they do not replace results in the grading process.
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Teachers may give many tests and quizzes through the quarter/semester to frequently tests student’s knowledge of the subject matter
| College instructors may give only one or two major exams during a semester that require students to learn and remember large quantities of material.
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