Unfair and biased student treatment
Hello everyone,
There are times during a lecture when a professor looks at the entire class and asks: "Did everyone understand that? Ok, moving on", almost in a rhetorical manner. It is by far the most discriminating and unnerving statement during a lecture.
The problem is that a lot of people did in fact not understand everything the professor had said up to that point or about that chapter!
These students end up failing classes because - like me - they didn't understand anything the professor said in class and the extra classes didn't help. This is also apparent in the grades: courses that everyone has a hard time understanding have a percentage of failing students anywhere between 40% (Economics) and 95% (statistics). I've heard classmates scream of frustration that they don't understand the matter being taught - and I felt the same way. I don't need one iteration, I need at least 10!
The only thing that helped me get good grades was a ridiculously expensive private professor as well as digitally recording all lectures (yes, we were allowed to do that through an agreement). If it weren't for my digital voice recorder I would probably get horrendous grades like I did in freshman year: 1%, 15%, 25%,.. and I would never get past those.
With my recorder I got grades like 90% because I was able (like Youtube) to rinse and repeat every single detail, every single word the professor said. I recommend this for struggling students out there as well, even if your university doesn't allow you to do so because your education and your future are important!
I understand that professors can't spend their sweet time on each student (yes, a class of 800 students), but I don't think they should abruptly rush through classes and not give anyone the time to think about that question.
TA's don't help much either. I had gone to seek their help and they were utterly useless to me because they couldn't help me to the level I needed.
I've been in the student council to express my thoughts on this matter and I was right because people were shouting in agreement with me. I made statements like: "No! When you ask if I understand it, then don't assume I do! Assumption is the absolute worst thing to do in teaching! Do you know what you get with unfair treatment like that?! You are favoring the brilliant students who understand everything without a second iteration!! Guess what, those are a rarity!! It's unfair!! We must not sit back and let ourselves be treated like this!!" and everyone went: "Yes, I feel the same way!".
What do you think about this problem? Have you experienced it as well?
P.S.: I am a happily graduated Bachelor in Computer Science.
There are times during a lecture when a professor looks at the entire class and asks: "Did everyone understand that? Ok, moving on", almost in a rhetorical manner. It is by far the most discriminating and unnerving statement during a lecture.
The problem is that a lot of people did in fact not understand everything the professor had said up to that point or about that chapter!
These students end up failing classes because - like me - they didn't understand anything the professor said in class and the extra classes didn't help. This is also apparent in the grades: courses that everyone has a hard time understanding have a percentage of failing students anywhere between 40% (Economics) and 95% (statistics). I've heard classmates scream of frustration that they don't understand the matter being taught - and I felt the same way. I don't need one iteration, I need at least 10!
The only thing that helped me get good grades was a ridiculously expensive private professor as well as digitally recording all lectures (yes, we were allowed to do that through an agreement). If it weren't for my digital voice recorder I would probably get horrendous grades like I did in freshman year: 1%, 15%, 25%,.. and I would never get past those.
With my recorder I got grades like 90% because I was able (like Youtube) to rinse and repeat every single detail, every single word the professor said. I recommend this for struggling students out there as well, even if your university doesn't allow you to do so because your education and your future are important!
I understand that professors can't spend their sweet time on each student (yes, a class of 800 students), but I don't think they should abruptly rush through classes and not give anyone the time to think about that question.
TA's don't help much either. I had gone to seek their help and they were utterly useless to me because they couldn't help me to the level I needed.
I've been in the student council to express my thoughts on this matter and I was right because people were shouting in agreement with me. I made statements like: "No! When you ask if I understand it, then don't assume I do! Assumption is the absolute worst thing to do in teaching! Do you know what you get with unfair treatment like that?! You are favoring the brilliant students who understand everything without a second iteration!! Guess what, those are a rarity!! It's unfair!! We must not sit back and let ourselves be treated like this!!" and everyone went: "Yes, I feel the same way!".
What do you think about this problem? Have you experienced it as well?
P.S.: I am a happily graduated Bachelor in Computer Science.
Feedback to the faculty might have varying levels of success depending on the university. It's going to mean that students end up giving back feedback and the university won't do well.
Well done for graduating despite a bad experience.
Well done for graduating despite a bad experience.
Original post by Neostigmine
Feedback to the faculty might have varying levels of success depending on the university. It's going to mean that students end up giving back feedback and the university won't do well.
Well done for graduating despite a bad experience.
Well done for graduating despite a bad experience.
Yes, thanks.
I don't see the link here: why would a university not do well due to students giving back feedback?
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by 571122
Yes, thanks.
I don't see the link here: why would a university not do well due to students giving back feedback?
I don't see the link here: why would a university not do well due to students giving back feedback?
Sorry, I meant that at the end of the course, students are asked to answer the national student satisfaction survey and the results are published. If this is seen to be dropping off then universities suffer through declining applications. It's in their interest to have a good student experience. #
Original post by Neostigmine
Sorry, I meant that at the end of the course, students are asked to answer the national student satisfaction survey and the results are published. If this is seen to be dropping off then universities suffer through declining applications. It's in their interest to have a good student experience. #
Yes, we fill in such surveys, but universities should then take the effort to maximize the student experience.
It seems they don't care at all, for example: I had written a letter to the student body complaining about how all the rich kids unfairly group together during group assignments and all the random poor kids get left out.
The result of this is that the rich kids get along well in their select group and get good results, while the poor kids get together, don't know each other, don't trust each other and in turn produce bad results.
This is unfair. Groups should be chosen at random by the professor. Students should never be granted power of any kind. They are allowing rich kids to graduate and poor kids to suffer. Being a poor kid I can't stress enough how hard I had to suffer through university, while the rich kids had it easy. I had to study and digest everything on my own, while the rich kids had fraternities and what not to powerfully study in groups.
This is just one example of unfair politics going on in universities. Here's another one: one of my professors sat at the dean's meeting with all the other professors and they all voted 'against' to make sure that female students would not graduate from nursery school because in the professional world the statistics point out that females are not good with clients. This is corruption and beyond!
This whole image of 'free education for everyone' and 'fair chance of success' is a facade in front of disgusting politics.
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