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I have started to wonder about this. Why? My brother returned to school a few years ago after a very long hiatus. When he was younger, he was not a good student. He was intelligent, but hated school and didn't care about studying. He managed to get an associate's degree by the skin of his teeth, but failed intermediate algebra twice. He claimed the professors were bad. I didn't believe him.
He returned to school a few years ago, with a new focus and attitude. He's planning to eventually get a bachelor's degree in a semi-technical field, but he's completing a second associate's in the field first. Since returning to school, he has maintained a 4.0 average. But, since he failed intermediate algebra all those years ago, he has to retake it in order to complete the bachelor's degree.
He started the class a few weeks ago, and he's struggling. He claims the professor reads right from the textbook and doesn't explain how to solve the problems properly. I've basically been getting together with him every few days to teach him what he should have learned in class. He understands the concepts after I teach them to him. He has his first test coming up, and he's a nervous wreck. He says the professor told the class flat out that there would be no review. So, this weekend, I have to help him review.
Now, I'm really starting to wonder whether colleges punish their worst or least-senior professors by assigning them this class. Is this a way to make professors they want to weed out miserable by giving them a "dummy" class? I'm really starting to wonder. I'm curious as to what other people think.
The first thing I thought of was the faculty of some disciplines are being competed for by industry. I, as an electrical engineering major, had a whole bunch of horrible professors. I was thinking the "good" professors were out making triple the academia salaries. Many were foriegners and I could hardly understand what they were saying. Very frustrating.
The instructors might be low-paid adjuncts. Universities and community colleges both hire a good percentage of instructors on 1-year contracts. Their pay might be as low as $1000 per semester per class. When hiring adjuncts, they don't hold them to the same standards as professors.
Professors are vetted extensively - interviewed multiple times, very competitive and formal application process, have to produce research, excellent academic records, hired for the long-term. If his teacher's title is "Professor" or "Assistant Professor" then he is probably in this category.
Adjuncts only have to have 18 graduate credit hours in the discipline they're teaching. Sometimes universities and colleges can't fill this low-pay position, so they hire anybody who meets the minimum standard. They might be hired based on their transcripts and one interview. If you look on HigherEdJobs or other education job sites you'll see lots of postings for adjuncts, sometimes the same ones over and over. Often these are posted just days before a new semester starts because the college waits to hire someone until they have proof that enough students have registered to make it worth it for them to offer the class. Although it is a stereotype, non-native speakers of English are often hired for math and science adjunct positions. Adjuncts might be called "Associate Professors" if they have a doctorate. If they have a Masters degree (but with the 18 hours) they are usually called a "Lecturer" or "Instructor."
Sometimes introductory classes will be taught by a graduate assistant or GA. GA's only have a bachelors degree and are taking classes now in the masters program that they'll eventually graduate with.
If you need to learn math, my best advice is:
(1) Learn it well in high school, when you have access to teachers who really care.
(2) Watch the videos from Khan Academy online. They are excellent.
(3) Get tutoring from a smart high school or college kid who knows their stuff.
I take it that your brother is going to a CC if he is getting an associate degree and taking intermediate Algebra. I'm not saying his teachers are good, but teaching at that level to people ranging from barely graduated high school that year to returning students after decades of high school is really quite challenging. The quality of the teacher tends to be skewed by the quality of students in the classroom.
I have started to wonder about this. Why? My brother returned to school a few years ago after a very long hiatus. When he was younger, he was not a good student. He was intelligent, but hated school and didn't care about studying. He managed to get an associate's degree by the skin of his teeth, but failed intermediate algebra twice. He claimed the professors were bad. I didn't believe him.
He returned to school a few years ago, with a new focus and attitude. He's planning to eventually get a bachelor's degree in a semi-technical field, but he's completing a second associate's in the field first. Since returning to school, he has maintained a 4.0 average. But, since he failed intermediate algebra all those years ago, he has to retake it in order to complete the bachelor's degree.
He started the class a few weeks ago, and he's struggling. He claims the professor reads right from the textbook and doesn't explain how to solve the problems properly. I've basically been getting together with him every few days to teach him what he should have learned in class. He understands the concepts after I teach them to him. He has his first test coming up, and he's a nervous wreck. He says the professor told the class flat out that there would be no review. So, this weekend, I have to help him review.
Now, I'm really starting to wonder whether colleges punish their worst or least-senior professors by assigning them this class. Is this a way to make professors they want to weed out miserable by giving them a "dummy" class? I'm really starting to wonder. I'm curious as to what other people think.
I've chosen/choose all of my professors based on the ratings/reviews on that site. If they have less than a 3.8/5.0 rating then they aint gonna be my teacher!
(I got a "B" in Intermediate Algebra, I was lazy that semester)
Last edited by LongIslandPerson; 10-08-2012 at 08:48 AM..
Also the adjunt prof thing is true and usually they are not that bad, but don't care, but the worst are the foreign students who are on a phd track. They either have to work in a lab or teach lower level classes for their stipend and/or scholarship. Most of them are still learning conversational English, they passed the tofel by memorizing the test, but cannot hold a conversation during their first couple of years. If you weren't paying for the class and need the class for credit, you would laugh your butt off, cause it's like a saturday night live skit...
Universities hire anybody with a PhD. No teaching skills required or even asked for. I think most of them failed at whatever they did previously and figured they'd go into teaching. So that's what you get, then. Crappy professors. Of course they still charge you 5k or more per semester and won't even listen to evaluations. My department did evaluations every semester. The crappy professors had often been there for decades. Nothing you can do, really, unless the College actually cares about its students. Needless to say that most don't care about you as long as you pay your tuition on time. They'll only care about you if you're late.
"Integral is like engine. Derivative is like transmission."
I understand the statements but I don't see the connection.
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