tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17226356.post6606589162059564352..comments2023-10-25T07:42:21.149-05:00Comments on Average Professor: Difference of opinion.Average Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13879007878874956437noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17226356.post-46409714758800037262008-08-31T11:41:00.000-05:002008-08-31T11:41:00.000-05:00I don't really know what the appropriate approach ...I don't really know what the appropriate approach is: I guess it depends on the ego of the professor in specific. One of our professors is all sorts of great, but he's abnormally young (he started his PhD somewhere around age 17), and is so used to disrespect due to his age that while he can take criticism, it has to be *very* diplomatically worded. Hardly his fault, though: I imagine if more of us had to take the flak he does, we'd end up sort of raw, too.<BR/><BR/>As a student, I've never expected or asked a professor to approach another prof. for me. It's always been enough for me to<BR/><BR/>a) Hear a word of sympathy. I was once telling a prof. I work for (in his lab) about a teacher that graded I and my partner differently on lab results (which we shared, because we were partners - they were IDENTICAL results; not the write-up, mind you, THE RESULTS) and he exclaimed "What a dick!" That alone was enough: sometimes it's nice just to hear an encouraging word from one of the authorities.<BR/><BR/>b) It's nice to have confirmation. I can generally figure out the material very well. If a professor confirms for me that my interpretation is correct - that I'm not out of my mind - then I will take it to the other prof's superiors all on my lonesome: I don't need or want one of the profs I'm on good terms with putting their necks out for me.<BR/><BR/>But then, in my school it's accepted practice to go to a dept. chair over mis-graded exams. I go to a very inexpensive city school: the profs have the freedom to grade us w/o having the deans forcing them to inflate grades, and we've the freedom of transferring to multiple campuses within commuting distance so that we don't have to be afraid of pissing off the powers that be.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17226356.post-49944346061241259512007-02-15T11:05:00.000-06:002007-02-15T11:05:00.000-06:00Well...On one hand, it is our business to make sur...Well...<BR/><BR/>On one hand, it <I>is</I> our business to make sure that our students have the chance for a good education - which they're not if they're getting taught incorrectly. <BR/><BR/>On the other hand, would the outcome of an 'intervention' with a colleague fix the situation, or make it worse? That's what you have to decide.<BR/><BR/>I've been on both sides of that. Once when I was a very junior faculty member, it was pointed out to me by a senior faculty member that I was teaching something incorrectly. I was so ashamed that I immediately went and studied that subject in-depth so that it would <I>never</I> happen again. When I've been on the other side of that, I usually start off with "Hey, I always thought that..." - trying to engage them without acting too know-it-all.<BR/><BR/>It also depends on the importance of the mistake relative. If my colleague is using an incorrectly simplified explanation, it's one thing. If they're teaching intelligent design instead of evolution, it's another thing entirely!<BR/><BR/>You can always take solace, though, in the fact that student probably isn't going to remember either your version or the other professor's in a couple of years!Greyokehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09365738325022009526noreply@blogger.com