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Why even go?

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
caboverpete said:
did the prof write the book? that happened to me alot at ETSU... profs requiring you to buy books they wrote and rarely touched them.
No, but I have a similar situation in another class. I can see it being an issue for sure though.
 

MTB_Rob_NC

What do I have to do to get you in this car TODAY?
Nov 15, 2002
3,428
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Charlotte, NC
Ridemonkey said:
So what exactly is the point of sitting in an auditorium watching a guy read a Power Point presentation? Why is it community colleges often have quality educators at less than half the price? The answer is that Universities hire people for their research, not their teaching abilities or even their desire to teach. The undergraduate experience leaves a lot to be desired...
Who said you have to just "sit" there? If that is all you do, then that is all you get out of it.
As far as CC, well the same point can be applied. You get out of your education, what you put into it. However part of an education is being challenged. That can happen via the subject, text, professor, environment and competition. And as good as a CC can be, the fact that you could be sitting next to some schmuck that could barely graduate high school is probably going to hamper your learning experience.
 

reflux

Turbo Monkey
Mar 18, 2002
4,617
2
G14 Classified
PP has definitely changed teaching--for some teachers it now makes them lazy. I went to Cal Poly SLO (finished 03) and still can't remember one class where the teacher read the PP for their lecture. It was always a guide and was the starting point for a topic, hence why I always went.

Question for all you seeing as how this happened to me all the freakin time. I took a cultural anthro class with this teacher who was freakin brilliant and gave great lectures, but gave us little in terms of class organization and what would be on the test. I went to every lecture that quarter (something very rare) but ended up getting a c in the class. So, what's better, having a boring class/lecture and knowing what the test is going to be on, or having a great class/lecture and being confused on what the test material is?
 

Velocity Girl

whack-a-mole
Sep 12, 2001
1,279
0
Atlanta
Ridemonkey said:
It's true, undergraduate education is often a total rip-off taught by tenured resaerchers who don't give a damn about the quality of the education they are delivering. It gets a little better in years 3 and 4.
Agreed that it can get better in upper level classes.

I was fortunate that my department was very small (80-100 tops at any time) so all the profs knew you and some actually cared if you weren't in class! (Had a professor call me after missing 2 classes in a row to make sure I was ok! :eek:) But like any department we did have the tenured professors who didn't give a damn about their students and couldn't be bothered with us outside of class or office hours.

As for the your current situation....well that blows. I don't know if talking to the prof will do any good, but you could at least lodge a complaint with the head of his department. In the meantime, unless he's a fascinating lecturer, I don't think I could motivate myself to go either!
 

Ridemonkey

This is not an active account
Sep 18, 2002
4,108
1
Toronto, Canada
Mtb_Rob_FL said:
Who said you have to just "sit" there? If that is all you do, then that is all you get out of it.
As far as CC, well the same point can be applied. You get out of your education, what you put into it. However part of an education is being challenged. That can happen via the subject, text, professor, environment and competition. And as good as a CC can be, the fact that you could be sitting next to some schmuck that could barely graduate high school is probably going to hamper your learning experience.
LOL that's an arrogant statement with no truth to it. I don't remember any high school dropouts in my CC calculus classes. :rolleyes:

The concept of "quality educators" is one that is often lost at Universtities. You obviously don't understand it either.
 

MTB_Rob_NC

What do I have to do to get you in this car TODAY?
Nov 15, 2002
3,428
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Charlotte, NC
Ridemonkey said:
LOL that's an arrogant statement with no truth to it. I don't remember any high school dropouts in my CC calculus classes. :rolleyes:

The concept of "quality educators" is one that is often lost at Universtities. You obviously don't understand it either.
I didn't say drop-out. And there is a reason why they are called community colleges. It is because ANYONE in the community can go. The fact that you were taking Calc in college and not High School is an issue YOU need to deal with.

That being said, you are the one missing my point. I am saying that you only get out of an education what YOU put into it. It has way more to do with what YOU do then what your professor does.
 
J

JRB

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Ridemonkey said:
LOL that's an arrogant statement with no truth to it. I don't remember any high school dropouts in my CC calculus classes. :rolleyes:

The concept of "quality educators" is one that is often lost at Universtities. You obviously don't understand it either.

Yup - I would have to call "elitist" on his post. I went and still need to go back to CC here in Temple. Nice that some people think I am less since I didn't get a 4 year degree out of HS. Not to mention, surrounding yourself with a few stupid people a few hours a week will not make you stupid. What a dumb generalization he made.
 
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JRB

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Mtb_Rob_FL said:
The fact that you were taking Calc in college and not High School is an issue YOU need to deal with.

Well you managed to out do the previous elitist statement. I never took calculus period. Are you better than me??? I suck at math. I will, from here forward, be critiquing your RM posts. As intelligent as you convey yourself, I am sure my efforts will hold no results. :rolleyes:
 

valve bouncer

Master Dildoist
Feb 11, 2002
7,843
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Japan
Sounds pretty boring Shirley. Don't you have tutorials where you get to discuss the issues from the lecture or something like that. How long is the lecture?
 
J

JRB

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Upon further reflection, I likely wouldn't go. Not that it is the right thing, but I likely wouldn't go.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
valve bouncer said:
Sounds pretty boring Shirley. Don't you have tutorials where you get to discuss the issues from the lecture or something like that. How long is the lecture?
No tutorials. Like I said, its basic stuff. Like 1 hour 15 minute lectures...or rather, power point presentations. Teacher is a burned out hippie who hates christians and is always bashing jesus, which is funny, but doesnt really add much.
 

I Are Baboon

Vagina man
Aug 6, 2001
32,741
10,676
MTB New England
loco-gringo said:
Well you managed to out do the previous elitist statement. I never took calculus period. Are you better than me??? I suck at math. I will, from here forward, be critiquing your RM posts. As intelligent as you convey yourself, I am sure my efforts will hold no results. :rolleyes:
Yeah Rob's not looking too good here. I followed the "standard" math path in high school and didn't get to calculus until college. That does not mean I'm not good at math. On the contrary, I feel I am well above average.

I also think CC's are a great alternative for kids who are from "financially challenged" homes, and that has absolutely nothing to do with their intelligence. Fortunately for me, the state university I went to cost about the same as the local CC's. That was great for kids like me who were from po' families.
 

ummbikes

Don't mess with the Santas
Apr 16, 2002
1,794
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Napavine, Warshington
Mtb_Rob_FL said:
I didn't say drop-out. And there is a reason why they are called community colleges. It is because ANYONE in the community can go. The fact that you were taking Calc in college and not High School is an issue YOU need to deal with.

That being said, you are the one missing my point. I am saying that you only get out of an education what YOU put into it. It has way more to do with what YOU do then what your professor does.
I remeber this line of reasoning coming from you when you pooched the definition of anecdotal evidence.
:evil:

I do fully agree with your second point. Burly or anyone else is only going to take what they choose to from college.

Out of curiosity why do you have such a bad feeling about community college? Here is some anecdotal evidence for you, my wife had a 3.9 GPA in high school. She won a full ride scholarship to Pacific Lutheren University but turned it down and went a Community College. She then went on to George Fox University and graduated with highest honors in her undergraduate program and high honors in her graduate program. Therefore, people who go to Community College are better students that those who don't.

:mumble: :evil: :D
 

MTB_Rob_NC

What do I have to do to get you in this car TODAY?
Nov 15, 2002
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Charlotte, NC
loco-gringo said:
Well you managed to out do the previous elitist statement. I never took calculus period. Are you better than me??? I suck at math. I will, from here forward, be critiquing your RM posts. As intelligent as you convey yourself, I am sure my efforts will hold no results. :rolleyes:

I didn't either, but then again the math my job (major too) requires can be done on an adding machine. (thats why I have one on my desk). It was a barb, a sarcastic statement to help drive home the point. I do not claim to be the smartest person any where. I did not go to an elite college, at least it wasn't when I was there. (I couldn't even get into that same college anymore)
 
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JRB

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Mtb_Rob_FL said:
I didn't either, but then again the math my job (major too) requires can be done on an adding machine. (thats why I have one on my desk). It was a barb, a sarcastic statement to help drive home the point. I do not claim to be the smartest person any where. I did not go to an elite college, at least it wasn't when I was there. (I couldn't even get into that same college anymore)

Good - I didn't really want to have to read every post you made.
 

Ciaran

Fear my banana
Apr 5, 2004
9,841
19
So Cal
Ridemonkey said:
It's true, undergraduate education is often a total rip-off taught by tenured resaerchers who don't give a damn about the quality of the education they are delivering. It gets a little better in years 3 and 4.
What he said. I went through the undergrad thing, and later watched my GF get her masters (Her parents and I put her through school). Her classes and teachers were soooooo much better than I ever had.

Of course it can also depend on the school. The GF went to Emerson College in Boston. Small private school. She said that she had great teachers there. I went to california state/public schools.

The sad thing is that with many of these tenured profs, all you can really do is drop the class. No amount of complaints from the students is going to have any effect on them. Thankfully most classes are only 3 - 5 months long.
 

MTB_Rob_NC

What do I have to do to get you in this car TODAY?
Nov 15, 2002
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Charlotte, NC
ummbikes said:
I remeber this line of reasoning coming from you when you pooched the definition of anecdotal evidence.
:evil:

I do fully agree with your second point. Burly or anyone else is only going to take what they choose to from college.
I cannot take credit for the Community College thing, ("Its called CC cause anyone in the community can go") it is a Chris Rock bit from one of his earlier HBO specials.
 

Dog Welder

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
1,123
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Pasadena, CA
Ridemonkey said:
This is the reason you are better off at a community college the first two years. The classes are often much better, and cheaper too.
Dude...no doubt....I wish I went that route...but at the time and still is , that going to a city college is generally looked down upon. But now that I find out that most city colleges in CA have a program that will guarantee your entrance into a UC of your choice...damn..shoulda went that route.
 

valve bouncer

Master Dildoist
Feb 11, 2002
7,843
114
Japan
BurlySurly said:
No tutorials. Like I said, its basic stuff. Like 1 hour 15 minute lectures...or rather, power point presentations. Teacher is a burned out hippie who hates christians and is always bashing jesus, which is funny, but doesnt really add much.
75 minutes is not so bad i guess, I thought it might 3 hours or someting like that. Suck it up mate and hope things improve. If they don't, well you wouldn't be the first to change majors or even schools. There's always Iraq too. ;) :D
 
J

JRB

Guest
BurlySurly said:
If I fail, Im blaming you guys for telling me not to go.

Good idea. It always makes it ok to blame folks on RM for failures. I do it all the time. :thumb:
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
loco-gringo said:
Good idea. It always makes it ok to blame folks on RM for failures. I do it all the time. :thumb:
You seem like the type that fails alot :devil:


Oh, that was bad, Im kidding I guess.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
67,815
14,159
In a van.... down by the river
Mtb_Rob_FL said:
I didn't say drop-out. And there is a reason why they are called community colleges. It is because ANYONE in the community can go. The fact that you were taking Calc in college and not High School is an issue YOU need to deal with.
You know, there are some people for whom calculus was not even an *option* in HS..... :rolleyes:

That being said, you are the one missing my point. I am saying that you only get out of an education what YOU put into it. It has way more to do with what YOU do then what your professor does.
This is true to some extent. At Uni, though, I got more out of the classes that were small and had a prof who really liked to teach.

-S.S.-
 
J

JRB

Guest
BurlySurly said:
You seem like the type that fails alot :devil:


Oh, that was bad, Im kidding I guess.

I do, but like I said, I have you guys to blame. :)
 

stosh

Darth Bailer
Jul 20, 2001
22,248
408
NY
My teacher does magic tricks, hits on the girls, and shows naked pictures of him and his wife using the slide projector.
 
J

JRB

Guest
stosh said:
she was ok....

but my boss is like George Costanza's father.

I thought we were talking about your teacher. Your boss is your teacher??? You like Jerry Stiller naked??? :confused:
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
loco-gringo said:
I thought we were talking about your teacher. Your boss is your teacher??? You like Jerry Stiller naked??? :confused:
You are a slow, pathetic excuse for a ridemonkey.
 
J

JRB

Guest
BurlySurly said:
You are a slow, pathetic excuse for a ridemonkey.

Sorry - I guess I should go sign up on MTBR and talk about chain stay protectors.
 

stosh

Darth Bailer
Jul 20, 2001
22,248
408
NY
You guys are idiots! Had you thought you use your special Stosh Post Decoder rings you would have seen that what I actually said was in fact not "boss" but "Teacher" and then I went on to say you have to go home and kill your dog... but I guess you missed all that too didn't ya.
 

golgiaparatus

Out of my element
Aug 30, 2002
7,340
41
Deep in the Jungles of Oklahoma
BurlySurly said:
If I fail, Im blaming you guys for telling me not to go.
Just make sure that he doesnt call role "sometimes". The thing about my college was they had a 50% attendance rule, if you missed more than 50% you flunked. SOme of the profs never took role so it didnt matter, but some took it once in a while and if you missed 50% of them you were toast.
 

DRB

unemployed bum
Oct 24, 2002
15,242
0
Watchin' you. Writing it all down.
At least the professor is reading the power point. I'm surprised that he doesn't have a grad assistant doing it for him. THAT is what really pissed me off. At least when the professor is reading it, both of you are wasting time. But when it is some a$$hat grad assistant who is about 10 mintues ahead of you on the learning curve...... ARRRRRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

At least when it was a grad assistant I could take a guilt free nap.
 

Damn True

Monkey Pimp
Sep 10, 2001
4,015
3
Between a rock and a hard place.
BurlySurly said:
I swear, school really pisses me off sometimes to the point where I cant even believe I pay money for it.

I have a class to go to in like 30 minutes. The instructor puts all the lectures online. In class, all he does is read the lechtures off the powerpoint. He doesnt take roll. He gives out a study guide before tests. WTF am I learning from this? Why would I even waste my time going If the class is available online? Why do these professors even get paid? :mumble:
Because you go to UH?

(....oh wait.....I went to UH :confused: )
 

laura

DH_Laura
Jul 16, 2002
6,259
15
Glitter Gulch
im in a very similar situation right now. i have a class that is 3 hours long and at night , automatically making it difficult for me to sit through. the teacher assigns class presentations, and then instead of teaching the material, he lets members of the class present it. i am not wasting my time listening to one of my peers recite what they read from chapters in books that i have read as well. so...... i dont go to class. f-it. i am not behind, and i have done plenty of valid work in other classes to make up for this dud. sometimes you just get ****ty classes. be happy he doesnt take role. i feel like my time is wated even more when i am forced to sit through a useless class because of some lame attendance policy.