Like what is the definition of hand holding in education?
Nobody is going to check up on you. Your professors aren’t going to follow up with you if you miss assignments or do poorly on an exam or don’t go to class. If you mess up, it’s on you to get help or fix your study habits.
The level of handholding varies greatly depending on the size of the institution and the policies of the individual divisions/departments/Profs within those institutions.
For instance, at my LAC…it wasn’t unheard of for Profs to phone, email, or even ask known roommates/dormmates of students who failed to show up for classes for several days to check up on them. Some will even come and knock on such students’ dormrooms in person to ask for an explanation and request a meeting in their office.
Some LAC like Us like UChicago and Princeton also have some Profs who have been known by HS alum friends and colleagues who attended to have done the same.
No one will remind you over & over about deadlines to sign up for classes, to drop classes, to enroll in summer programs, to file for your diploma, etc. etc. You miss the deadline… too bad for you. Deal with it.
Based on personal experience, there’s a huge difference in how much hand holding goes on in different institutions.
Right now I have one class at a public university where the teacher takes attendance (annoying) and you have to constantly meet with the registrar to make sure you’re on track to graduate. You also have to take intrusive online social re-education classes regarding sex, drugs, and alcohol or you can’t register.
I am bombarded daily with reminders to sign up for classes, drop classes, pay for classes, file for whatever.
This is in stark contrast to some other uni’s where it was up to me to make sure I had my stuff together. I loathe hand holding (feels like high school).
Some students seem to think that all courses should be accompanied by professor-produced study guides to help the student get ready for the exams. I think the assignments and the class notes combined with the students’ notes on the readings are the study guide.
To me, hand holding is when teachers give a lot of “crutches” to the students through study guides, reading guides, and explicitly saying what will be and what won’t be on the test. Hand holding is when the teacher takes the initiative to reach out to you when you’re having trouble, and reminds you constantly of due dates and homework.
In college, you having to take complete control over study habits, deadlines, taking notes, etc with basically minimal oversight from the professor. You have to make your own study guides, figure out how to best study for the class and what the most important concepts are, and read assigned/recommended readings under your own power without the aid of guiding questions provided by a teacher. Many professors will not outright tell you what they will emphasize on the exams; you really have to pay attention in lecture to figure out what they think is important. Seeking help in office hours, meeting with advisors, and figuring out deadlines are also your responsibilities, not the school’s or the teacher’s.
In HS, if you miss too much, they inform your parents so you know you are going to miss too much class.
You might get the chance to take a test again if you don’t do well to make up some of the points.
Some of the assignments will be “make a poster” “create a song”
In college there won’t be help unless you ask for it. If you miss class, they take attendance but mostly to check for financial aid fraud. If you are failing…usually nobody seeks you out to help you…you have to get help or get put on academic probation.
Taking notes is on you…no outlines to fill in.If you miss class, it is up to you to get the notes.
If you are late with an assignment, it is less likely that you get to hand it in with no penalty.
It means you’re an adult. If you miss class, you’re responsible for making up the work, contacting someone else in the class to find out what you missed.
It means no “study guides” for the test. It means not asking “is this on the test?”
It means that some profs might not remind you when work is due; it is expected that you read the course outline and put the due dates for the entire semester into some sort of planner that works for you.
Just like when you get a professional job. Your boss is not going to keep reminding you to finish the project; s/he will simply expect that you’ll be ready for the presentation when the big client shows up.
Seriously - read the syllabus. Those are the rules that each class has, and they will differ greatly. Some profs allow “3 unexcused absences,” others want documentation for every missed class, others don’t care but class participation counts towards your grade, some drop the lowest grade, others do not.
That they aren’t going to give you the info that you need to pass the test. You need to read his mind to find out what you’ll need cause hell test you on shit he hasn’t taught you
… so using study guides in university classes is high-school-ish? @stradmom
I don’t know what you all’s high school experience was like but no one gives out study guides or note taking outlines at my school? My teachers don’t have the time or energy to remind students constantly about deadlines and make up work either. They do call your parents when you miss class but that’s state law.
@cobrat, UChicago is about as “non-handholding” as they get.
It means that you will be expelled IMMEDIATELY if you are caught holding your boyfriend’s hand.
Basically, you need to have the drive and initiative to navigate your academic career - if you find yourself crashing and burning, you need to take measures to resolve the situation by reaching out to various resources. Those resources will not reach out to you. Typically, professors will not go out of their way to help a student if there are no immediately obvious extenuating circumstances at hand.
This is not universal, though. It is probably going to be far more evident in huge lectures than small seminars, for instance.
No one is going to:
- wake you up every morning
- call your parents if u skip class
- hound u if u turn in an assignment late
- nag u if u don’t eat your vegetables
- nag u to pick up your clothes from the floor
You’re accountable for your actions or lack thereof…
@CharlotteLetter The main thing is that there won’t be study guides in college, period. You are of course free to make your own study guides/plans (and I would highly recommend that!). Professors may also provide past exams for practice, but that all depends on the individual instructor.
@CharlotteLetter not sure what you are asking. Of course, some professors give out study guides and some of those are quite detailed. Others merely mention the topics or chapters being covered on the test. Some professors allow students to bring a one-page study guide or card with equations into an exam. Some professors offer take home open book exams. Some professors don’t even give exams, preferring alternate assessments.
And I’d bet that there’s a fair amount of similar variation among high school teachers as well. YMMV. Do what works best for you. 
The level of hand-holding really does depend on the professor and class. I go to a small, local college, and the level of hand-holding is greater than that of larger colleges/classes. I have had professors give me study guides, tell me what is on the test, etc. It just depends on where you go. I am transferring to a larger school away from home, and I can guarantee there is not as much hand-holding.
@silmaril “… there won’t be study guides in college, period.” I daresay it depends as @NewBeginnings3 says. The community college I attend has a good deal of hand-holding/practice exams. The state university (albeit not a particularly good one) varies by professor - my differential equations professor provides plenty of information regarding what the test will be on (detailed practice problems), and my linear algebra professor provides none 
@stradmom I get what you mean, sorry. Somehow I read your last post to mean that students are willingly being immature by using any study guides a professor might provide (whereas I would think that’s being rather sensible) 8-| Apologies for misunderstanding!
That rule exists only at Bob Jones University