›
To take part in discussions on talkSFU, please apply for membership (SFU email id required).

quality of professors..

siuying
edited January 2008 in General
so it was my first lecture in an accounting class and though it was supposedly a two hour class, we got off early.. and after that so called an hour of lecture.. i came to the conclusion that it was not worth my money nor my marks to take a class with a professor who can hardly speak comprehensible english.. i looked her up on ratemyprofessor just to see what others had to say about this prof and unsurprisingly the verdict was to stay as far away as possible...

now this really got me thinking.. every semester we pay close to $3000 for our education and this is the kind sorry ass professors we get.. what's that going to say about the quality of our education? i just feel that we're getting ripped off from the university for charging us ridiculous tuition fees then give us these krappy profs who can't even speak properly.. =(

Comments

  • meeshmeesh
    edited January 2008
    I feel the same way, but I always remind myself that scholars and professors aren't limited to english-speaking countries--they come from around the world.
    i am happier if the prof actually spends time to teach even if he/she can't speak English fluently, but i hate it when professors who can speak english fluently but don't give a shit about what they're teaching (e.g. BUS 254 prof who just reads off the lecture slides).

    i have a math prof this semester who taught at Stanford. it's really difficult to understand him-- i have no doubt he is very smart--but i'm basically learning from the textbook/workshop. but if you think about it, those Stanford kids were probably paying a heck of a lot more to get the exact same prof.
    my conclusion: you can't get away from bad profs or profs who can't speak fluent English no matter which university you go to.
  • Insatiable
    edited January 2008
    Education is never worth the money. You pay $3,000 a semester; some pay more, some pay less. It doesn't matter because you aren't paying to get smarter, you're paying for a degree that will make you more employable in the future.

    As for the language problem, I don't really see it as a big deal as long as the professor is fair. Fairness is as important as knowledge in a professor.
  • Shi2
    edited January 2008
    Luckily, my econ prof who has an accent recognizes that fact and is willing to speak slower or even write out some of the words which he mispronounces.
  • siuying
    edited January 2008
    @ meesh: yeah i guess you're right about not being able to get away from bad profs.. but sfu just seems to have a whole bunch of them.. @_@ it's disheartening sometimes to know that your money still goes to them when they're doing nothing..

    @insatiable: whether it's to get smarter or be employable in the future.. i view it to be a transaction and i pay for the service.. and like everything else.. if the service/product is krappy.. the consumers should have a say about it.. i don't know how you define fair.. but the bell curve grading is an example of unfairness in my eyes.. though some (myself included) do reap the benefits of having it..
  • randomuser
    edited January 2008
    who goes to university to learn

    university isnt really a service at all its all backwards, were paying money, to give them all the power over us
  • JayDub
    edited January 2008
    University is a place to go to gain knowledge.

    If you are here for a job, you are in the wrong place. If you want a job go to BCIT.
  • purely_elisa
    edited January 2008
    well at least accouting isn't in need and DYING for profs.. health science is brutal.. u get 1-3 good profs for every 10-13 bad profs.. ><

    like hsci215.. it doens't work when i understand every 3 words in a sentence the prof is talking about
  • no_one_cares
    edited January 2008
    profs are here for research, teaching is coincidental. But many in Accounting are actually great.
  • Insatiable
    edited January 2008
    JayDub;20533 said:
    University is a place to go to gain knowledge.

    If you are here for a job, you are in the wrong place. If you want a job go to BCIT.
    If you're at uni to get smarter, you may be in the wrong place--the public library may seem more appropriate (and cheaper).
  • Morro
    edited January 2008
    Insatiable;20544 said:
    If you're at uni to get smarter, you may be in the wrong place--the public library may seem more appropriate (and cheaper).
    Exactly. University is for both. As you said, if your ONLY goal is to learn, why are you paying for course? Just sit in on lectures.
  • Insatiable
    edited January 2008
    Morro;20559 said:
    Exactly. University is for both. As you said, if your ONLY goal is to learn, why are you paying for course? Just sit in on lectures.
    Oh yea, I forgot that people can still sit in on lectures, so in that sense university can make one smarter. It's just that I look at 95% of students who take their classes just to pass them. I mean are they more concerned with passing than taking anything useful out of the course. The remaining 5% either don't show up at all or are studious to the point of being numb from the material (I know it sounds strange, but trust me).

    In the end you gotta look back on your courses and ask yourself whether you've taken anything useful out of them. Having been in uni for a long time, I'll tell you that there have been perhaps five courses that have truly changed the way I think, I could have easily sat in on those lectures and saved myself the money.
  • Tina
    edited January 2008
    I had a professor like that. I ended up dropping the class and losing out on $500 or so dollars :(

    It's not just the professors who can barely speak English...a lot of TAs are like that too. Sucks.
  • baby e
    edited January 2008
    OMG

    I find that profs at SFU suck! Now, i cant really say what they are like at other universities, but at SFU, I have taken enough courses to know how bad they truly are.

    I mean, really, if you think about it, its a complete joke. I am paying these people and they cant even teach the topic right or dont show up for class or mark extrememly hard or whatever the hell it is they do.

    Ridiculous.

    I am almost done uni and i am so happy! I dont want to be here anymore because i feel like these past 4 years have been mostly a waste of time and money.
  • siuying
    edited January 2008
    ^ that's exactly how i feel.. =(
    i'm so jealous that you're over with uni.. ><"
  • no_one_cares
    edited January 2008
    profs suck coz they don't care. get in, get good grades - get out and never look back. Make sure you hit the pub, hang out with friends, live in rez - get a life and something to remember. Thats all Uni is good for, not the profs.

    I love SFU - ton of friends, great campus, profs don't matter. Some are great tho - give 'em credit too.
  • randomuser
    edited January 2008
    Some of the profs actually do care about teaching, Im in love with Martin Bouchard :-*

Leave a Comment