Teachers from different cultures have their own way of doing things, and this is no exception if you are in the US or Spain. BW has many teachers from different countries – Puerto Rico, France, Usually someone from the Arabic world in the language department, China, and those are just the ones on the top of my head. In the US, the student goes to class, takes notes, usually there are some papers involved and the midterm/final exams, but the grade is not based on a large quantity of work (although this might change depending on the topic of the class). I don’t think I’ve had a BW class yet where attendance wasn’t watched though and counted as part of the grade – just a forewarning, as many college students think they can show up when they want, but check with your syllabus or professor before doing so.
At the moment I am in the middle of the intensive Spanish language month before semester classes start here in Spain, but I can already tell you some big differences I’ve noticed. One: according to all the teachers here, unlike in the US where you can build up a rapport with your favorite professors (especially at BW where the class sizes are small), in Spain the teachers show up, teach, and that’s it. They have office hours to help, but usually they do not go out of their way to see students unless it is during those hours. Two: Today in class one of the girls suggested that every Friday we should go to tapas during class. The teacher’s response? “Si, vamonos.” Everyone gathered their things and we went down the street to a tapas bar, where with our sodas (I think one guy ordered beer) we got a free pizza that we split between everyone. When was the last time I remember a professor in the US permitting the class to be done outside, let alone a bar? I can’t. Just an observation 