Blogs vs. Term Papers: The Case for Term Papers

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 3:34 pm by Mark D. Roberts

Blogs vs. Term Papers: The Case for Term Papers 2015-03-13T15:34:34-05:00 Mark D. Roberts

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Recently, I have offering some thoughts on the relative value of blogs vs. term papers in higher education. I was inspired by an article in the New York Times: “Blogs vs. Term Papers.” This article describes the convictions of an English professor at Duke to abolish term papers in favor of blogs. As you might imagine, this has stirred up plenty of controversy among professors.

In my last post, I put up the case for blogs in higher education. It’s a compelling case, I think. But I also acknowledged some of the limitations of blogging. Today, I want to make the case for term papers.

My sophomore-year dorm, where I spent many almost sleepless nights in order to write my term papers.

I admit that term papers are a drag for students. In the second semester of my sophomore year of college, I took five classes, each of which required a term paper. I had to write 110 pages in 20 days. To do this, I slept four hours a night for three weeks . . . not my favorite time of life.

But term papers can also be a drag for teachers. When I was teaching seminary, for example, I usually required my students to write a final term paper of 12-15 pages. If I had 30 students, that meant about 400 pages of reading. And I’m not talking about adventure novels here. I had to read carefully, adding comments and corrections along the way, not to mention grades. In the middle of a grading cycle, I was less than enthusiastic about term papers.

Yet, I continued to require them – and still would – because I believe they helped my students learn to think more deeply and clearly. The research required for term papers helped my students learn new things and hone their academic skills. In a blog post, one is free to assert one’s opinion or share one’s feelings without offering much in the way of rational support. But a term paper requires more depth of thought as well as the persuasive presentation of evidence.

Blogging helps students think freely and creatively. It encourages them to be bold, to take a public stand, to say what they think succinctly. All of this is fine, but it’s not enough. Term papering helps students think deeply and carefully. It encourages them to be cautious and reflective, to defend what they think with reasons and research. I believe that students need to develop the strengths associated both with blogging and with term papering.

My son’s film professor at NYU appears to agree with me. Students in his “American Cinema: 1960-present” class are expected to put up two blog posts on the class blog (15% of grade) and to write a short midterm paper (25%) and a longer final essay (40%). The professor comes down on the term paper side of the blogs vs. term papers argument in that 65% of the final grade depends on papers while only 15% is based on blog entries. But the professor does not fall into an either/or mode. It’s both/and.

If I were teaching today, I’d line up with this prof, though perhaps with a little more emphasis on blogging because it facilitates online conversation. I would require students to comment on the blog posts of other students, and count this as perhaps 5% of their final grade. I do believe that students need to develop expertise in the shorter modes of writing that are popular today (blogging, commenting, etc.). Yes, I could even imagine requiring Twitter posts of 140 characters. Yet, I am almost convinced that students need to learn the disciplines associated with the writing of longer papers, most of all the discipline of thinking deeply and carefully. The inability of people to think well today constitutes a great threat to our society. It seems like a good college eduction should help to remedy this growing and widespread problem. (Of course, I am assuming some things about the ability of college professors to think clearly and help their students to do this same. This is often, but not always the case, I’m sad to say. My son’s experience at NYU has been very positive in this regard.)

So, blogs vs. term papers? Why does it have to be “vs”? Why not blogs and term papers? That makes the most sense to me.

Cultural Commentary

Technology and Culture

blogs

college

term papers

Previous Post

January 31, 2012

Blogs vs. Term Papers: What I Think About Educational Blogging

Next Post

February 3, 2012 Cultivating Contentment: A Response to Enough by Adam Hamilton

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent Advent Calendar Alissa Wilkinson Archeology Art and Faith Ash Wednesday Bible Books Business Business and Faith Christian Year (Liturgical or Church Year) Christmas Christmas according to Dickens Christmas, Culture, and Christ Christmas: Keeping Christmas Well Church and Culture Church and Ministry Church and Technology Church Life Church: What is a Church? Cities Code of Ethics for Pastors Contentment Creativity Cultural Commentary Culture Daily Reflections Dallas Willard Deliberating on Digital Dignity Easter Education Ephesus and the New Testament Ethics Eugene Peterson Evangelical Existential Questions Faith Faith and Work Family Food Friendship Fun Good Reads Gospel Centered Christianity Grace Handel's Messiah Harvard University Health High Calling History Holidays Holy Spirit Holy Week Hospitality How Does God Guide Us? Hunger Games Insights for Leaders - De Pree Center Inspiration from the High Calling Jesus Jesus: Following Him as a Disciple Jesus: Seven Last Words Jesus: Was Jesus Married? Jesus: What Was His Message? Jesus: Why Did He Have to Die? Laity Lodge Leadership Leadership Conversation Lent Les Miserables Life for Leaders Linda's Advent Doodles Linda's Lenten Doodles Living Well Loving Neighbors Max De Pree Center for Leadership Mental Health Mission of God and Missional Church Money Moral Dilemmas Mormonism Movies Nature New York City Pastors and Churches Pentecost Photos to Share Poetry Police Blotter Politics Prayer Preachers Portal Preaching Presbyterian Church Quotations Reading the Times Recommendations Reflecting on Technology Religion and Culture Ruminations Sabbath Science Seven Last Words Sexual Harassment Social Media Something to Think About Spiritual Warfare Sports Stations of the Cross Stephen Hawking: Heaven and Faith Stories Technology and Culture Technology and Education Technology and Mental Health Technology Bits Texas Thanksgiving The High Calling Thin Places Uncategorized Vocation Women Words Work Worship

Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 April 2015 March 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 November 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

To whom did God give the commandments, engraved on stone tablets?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Adam Peter Moses Noah