Shitty College Professors Options

[Voodoo-Lady]

Before I send a letter I've written regarding the shittiest instructor I've ever met in my life to the department dean, exactly how futile is it? The professor is tenured, which makes him untouchable, right? 15 other students have formally complained already, this semester alone, more than that have just dropped the course and walked away. His rating on Rate-Your-Professor testifies to his shitty reputation dating back as far as 2002, the same complaints over and over. Wish I'd known to consult this in advance. It's not only about protecting my 4.0 - I'd accept the opportunity to earn a B in this course just to be done with it but this sorry son of a bitch is FAILING EVERYONE. I'm not kidding. The average score on the first test was 62, the average on the second test was 49 ! He refuses to accept that his whole class failing (I'm not nearly the only honor student) is a direct reflection of his piss poor teaching skills. He responds that the deficit is in the students' "learning", which I would be inclined to agree since we're not 'learning' a goddamn thing, as evidenced - but what he means, he's quick to add, is that we're failing in our "responsibility" to learn. Again, this isn't a classroom full of flunkies or babes in the woods. Everyone I've spoken with has encountered tough professors, I know I have. This is beyond being tough. This is not challenging, its impossible. I dropped the class today, clearly there is no chance for me to succeed with this asshole.

I wouldn't wish this on anyone but if you've had a bad experience, do tell. Maybe I'll laugh about this someday, right now I could pinch his fucken head off !

[Existentialist]

This is a somewhat common complaint in college, but it typically has little merit. Unless for some reason the professor is deceiving you about what material will be covered on the exams, or if the grading is subjective and clearly unfair, there is little to no room for complaint.

In college and all schools beyond that, students should be expected to learn the material on their own. Unless you have consulted numerous texts outside the recommended reading, studied through entire weekends and truly gone above and beyond, you have little room to complain. I suspect you've gone to class, read any reading assignments and expect to show up and ace the exam. That might cut it at a lot of colleges or in a lot of college classes, but it shouldn't be the expectation.

Your professor is probably right, unless everyone really has gone to these extremes and is still failing. I highly doubt that. I wouldn't bother sending a letter either, because a professor with tenure basically has to molest someone to get in trouble.

This post has been edited by Existentialist: Nov 6 2007, 1:47 am