University Academics

How are university academics different in the U.K. compared to the U.S.? Are classes really harder in the U.K. than they are in the States? Here are my honest thoughts and opinions on my experience with school at UEA. 

I am going into my seventh week here at UEA. I came to the U.K. under the impression that the classes would be significantly more difficult. I assumed that because I am only taking three classes here at UEA, with each being worth five credits at NAU. This scared me. Why were the classes worth so much more? Would I be stressed out? Will I have any time to travel around? Now that I am over halfway done with the semester, I am less worried about my academic situation. 

Firstly, the classes are significantly easier than university classes in the U.S., at least the ones I am taking. I am taking Media Representation, Documentary, and Big Questions for People and Planet. In addition to these classes, I am taking HON491C, an honors study abroad capstone class through NAU. The Documentary course is about an upper-level course, and the other two are freshman-level courses. Despite the other two being first-year courses, they are still ridiculously easy. My Media Representation class is all about how different people are represented in the news, advertisements, and movies. Documentary studies the various types of documentaries, techniques, filming, and editing. Big Questions for People and Planet is a global development course with three big questions to delve into throughout the term. The questions are: 1) How can we ensure peace and security? 2) Can Industrial Development be

sustainable? 3) Why do global living standards vary so wildly?

UEA's  Earlham Hall 

For many classes, there are only two assignments in a term that determine your final grade: a formative and a summative. The summative is typically for feedback only and is a short essay due in the middle of the term, similar to a midterm. But it is for feedback only, not for a grade. Meaning it is not technically required unless you would like feedback to do well on the formative. The formative is an end-of-the-year assessment, typically a 2000-word essay. For my documentary class, the formative is a 10-minute documentary.

There is hardly any homework either. Students are expected to take the initiative to do readings outside of class and be prepared for class discussions during seminar sessions. Each class is typically two times a week, one lecture and one seminar. My documentary class is structured differently with a workshop, it just depends on the nature of the class. Students are expected to listen and take notes during lectures and then discuss and deliberate with peers during seminar sessions. I personally enjoy this format because it reserves time to sit back and listen and digest the material. Then, later, we come together as a class to discuss our thoughts about it after some time. 

As for attendance, it is taken, but absences do not count against a grade. I was told UEA implemented a new system this school year by taking attendance via QR code at the beginning of each session. Students can report their absences online if they have a personal or family matter or are ill. All sessions are recorded, and slide shows are posted online, so if you miss a session, it is not the end of the world. I had one of my professors ask me about attendance in the U.S., and he said that is how it should be in the U.K. too. He was hinting he was frustrated at the lack of attendance for the day. This was shocking to me because I have always had attendance count as 10 percent of my grade in the U.S. 

When it comes to degrees, course progressions are a bit different, too. Electives are less common and certainly not required like in the U.S. At NAU, I had to take classes to fulfill different diversity requirements. Course progression plans here seem more rigid to me and less flexible compared to the States. I could have technically figured out a way to graduate early at NAU if I did not study abroad because the progression plans are flexible. 

Students here had already taken their base-level courses like math and literature-type courses during college when they were 16-18 before coming to university. This is smart because I feel like I have wasted my time taking language courses and math courses at university. I do not need them for my degree. In fact, all of the math concepts I learned during my first couple of years at NAU have already been forgotten. It was a total waste of my time as a journalism major and it was not a formative experience I would have chosen. The U.K. is doing things right by not requiring courses that do not relate to a degree. 

While I could take whatever classes I wanted to in a study abroad program, many students getting the same degree are all in the same classes together. It is similar at NAU, but because of the flexibility, you could have a mix of different years in the same classes. Mixing years still happens but I believe it is less common at UEA. 

UEA Student Union (left) and food hall (right)

Professors in the U.K. are treated with the same respect as they are in the States. People feel comfortable disagreeing with them and asking for help, but they are still meant to be respected. Conversations with professors can be casual and they generally prefer to just be referred by their first names, even if they have a Ph.D. 

One final note is as of 2024, UEA uses the BlackBoard Learn learning management system. When I started NAU, we used BBLearn too, and it was atrocious. The setup is dated and it is overall not the best. I prefer Canvas all day!

Overall, I do not think the U.K. university academic system is better or worse than the U.S., just different. I enjoy not having a lot of homework and having more control over my academics. I do not like that my entire grade is based on two assignments. I think there are more ways to show understanding of topics, such as participation in class discussions. I am enjoying taking classes here at UEA because they are unlike anything I have taken before. It is refreshing to take courses that will expand my skills and knowledge as a journalist but are not journalism classes. 

This blog post was written for HON491C