Students are Idiots

[Eli]

WTH students? Do I have to feed everything to you with a spoon? Can't you understand what I'm saying and write it on your own, without forcing me to write every damn word on the board?!

Can't you read the lectures before the exercise? Can't you focus for merely 50 minutes?!



The head TA told me that at best they'll know and understand much less than I think they do. But I didn't think it's that much less.

 

[Pasi Nurminen]

Is there a discussion topic here?

 

[Eli]

No there isn't. It's a rant.

 

[Pasi Nurminen]

Wouldn't a blog be more appropriate then? In a discussion forum, it's customary to present a topic for discussion.

 

[Eli]

Topic for discussion:

Share your experiences.

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

What do you teach?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Can't you focus for merely 50 minutes?!

50 minutes is a long time. I can only focus for about, Hey! Is that a Squirrel? *stares out the window*

 

[Bartleby]

Hey! Is that a Squirrel? *stares out the window*

I only see pigeons.




But more seriously...Eli, what level are you teaching at?

 

[Eli]

I'm a TA for the course Communication Systems to third year electrical engineering students. I'm a fourth year student myself.

 

[Pasi Nurminen]

I'm a TA for the course Communication Systems to third year electrical engineering students. I'm a fourth year student myself.

Well, if students are idiots, and you're a student yourself...

 

[Eli]

Yeah, I know. I'm exactly like them. Much worse actually. When I took this course I haven't visited a single lecture or class exercise. Saw the prof for the first time during the final exam.

 

[Bartleby]

I'm technically a postdoc but I do some part-time lecturing, I teach Organic Synthesis to 3rd and 4th year undergrads. I'm frequently dismayed by the lack of knowlege and commitment for people so far into a degree course. Also many of the PhD. students I have encountered have a miserable knowlege of what I consider general organic chemistry.
At the same time, talk to me about phys chem and my eyes glaze over.

 

[StarWorms]

WTH lecturers?! Why do you think it would be a good idea to merge Autumn and Spring term's work together? The idea was supposed to give us better performance in the exams. To add to the insult, we've had 5 days off to revise 6 months work of stuff and also have a report due in. People are just giving up and dropping out and exam performance will drop.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

Greetings from chemist to chemist

I am a PhD and I tutor 4th semester students in an instrumental analytical chemistry lab. My experiences: 10% are excellent, another 20% good students. There is some broad average, but 30% you can forget. I am always surprised how they survived until this stage of the study I am really serious here.
If I give those the in-weight of the analyte substance, the weight of the solvent and its density they can´t calculate concentrations.

And only the 30% excellent and good can evaluate the example I tutor correctly. (for those interested: standard addition quantification of caffeine in coffee with solid phase extraction sample preparation and GC-FID analysis)

During my study I was of course amongst the excellent part

 

[Erik Mesoy]

Even as a student I used to think students were stupid - one teacher got me to give extra lessons to some of the other students once.

Can we blame hormones, perhaps?

 

[Bill3000]

Your complaints shall be acknowledged by me once I get a freaking TA that speaks English.

 

[Synobun]

WTH students? Do I have to feed everything to you with a spoon? Can't you understand what I'm saying and write it on your own, without forcing me to write every damn word on the board?!

Can't you read the lectures before the exercise? Can't you focus for merely 50 minutes?!



The head TA told me that at best they'll know and understand much less than I think they do. But I didn't think it's that much less.

Not all students are idiots.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Yes we are idiots.

Staying focused on 1 topic for 50 minutes ? Are you crazy ? I get bored of playing several computergames THAT I LIKE, a lot faster than 50 minutes.

I'm a TA for the course Communication Systems to third year electrical engineering students.

In this case i can't blame them tho.


I am only paying attention to 1 teacher's laboratories because i like her.
And another teacher because it's one of the few parts of math that i can comprehend. (diferential equasions i think ?)
The rest are just wasting their breath.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Sorry for the double post - i didn't read the whole first post. I have very important things to add.

Do I have to feed everything to you with a spoon?

Why bother?

Can't you read the lectures before the exercise?

Is this a joke ?

The head TA told me that at best they'll know and understand much less than I think they do. But I didn't think it's that much less.

You should assume that they understand NOTHING. At least over here, 90% of the students understand nothing at easy courses - by easy course i mean exam that they will pass.
For the hard courses - there's usually 1 maybe 2 students out of 60 that actually understand.

 

[Swedishguy]

Students are idiots

Everyone are idiots.