A Moronic Professor's Feedback - Am I being too sensitive?

[stefanyjoy]

Happy end of semester everyone!

This semester I took a General Psychology course completely online through my local community college. It was kind of too easy -- the professor only made us answer 2 short-answer questions per week, with an open-book test every other week. I turned in all my assignments early and made A's on all the exams. Well, the professor either does not speak english as a first language, or otherwise is really not mentally capable of being an instructor. All his e-mails are filled with typos and sometimes do not even make sense. His short answer questions would also be presented in either very awkward sentences or copied straight from the book. Last night I took the online final (early). It was about 50 questions that came straight from the book, nothing out of the ordinary. I double- and triple-checked each question, taking extra special time on the questions that were worded improperly. When I submitted it, I was shocked. It came back as a 72! I went over the "wrong" answers and determined that something was wrong with his answer key, because the answers that the test said were correct, were definitely NOT correct (the main benefit to identifying and diagnosing mental disorders is so "client's insurance companies will pay for them"? uh, no.) In an e-mail, I submitted to him all the questions that the test said were "wrong" and defended my answers with direct quotes & page numbers from the book. This is the response I received:

Hey Stephine, (not how my name is spelled)

I did go back give you credit for your answers .Taking a behaviorl course online is so different than taking the course as a seated class. If you have to take Sociology, I would suggest you take it in the classroom. This course can be difficult for some students to undertand. Hope you have enjoyed the course and happy holidays!

He did change the grade from a 72 to a 94 but w.t.f @ insinuating that an online course might be over my head? I made an A in that class and turned in every assignment! I don't know why, but this just made me livid. I know the man isn't the brightest crayon in the box, and I really shouldn't let this get to me, but I'm already dealing with a lot of insecurities about myself prior to nursing, and this just chapped my a$$! What do you guys think, should I mention this on his evaluation?

I already feel better sharing this. Thank you, AN :)

[SLA2011]

"and this just chapped my a$$!" Love it!

First of all, congratulations on getting an A in the class and never having to deal with this guy again! Not only did you win the battle but also the war!

Secondly, I don't blame you for being annoyed, I know I would be, and my husband would have to hear about "how it's the principal of the whole thing that really chaps my a$$!" over and over again until he would have to tell me to get over it and move on with my A.

Thirdly, the evaluation is there for you to be able to provide constructive feedback to the professor and the school, so yes, you should mention your concerns in a professional and unemotional manner in the evaluation. The presentation of your concerns is what will determine if notice is taken or not. Usually these evaluations are given to us the last night of class, right before a final, so we usually rush through them and turn them in with anything just to get our test in hand and vomit all our "memorized knowledge". You have the luxury of constructing a thoughtful evaluation since this is an online course, so use that to your advantage.

I would love to see the evaluation you come up with, so please post it if appropriate and you would like to.

Congrats again and enjoy your holiday break!

[shaas, ASN, RN]

Foremost, good work on getting back the grade that you deserved.

Of course, you should evaluate him based on facts and honesty. Otherwise, the faculty/instructor evaluations are pointless. Weeding out the bad ones to end up with a good faculty is good for both the students and for the institution (higher retention rate means more money to them). We're not the only ones subject to being weeded out, ya know...

However, one point I must make in defense of this professor is that he conceded to his errors and gave you back the points. Read some other threads about some programs where some of the nursing instructors are infallible and invincible.

There were threads about 'really bad/illogical test questions' or something and it made me laugh nervously out of fear. Good luck in our pursuits.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Meh. Brush it off, move along. Seriously what good is it going to do to get worked up over it

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

Meh. Brush it off, move along. Seriously what good is it going to do to get worked up over it

I agree. As a nurse, you're going to have to brush off much more severe criticisms than this you perceived. And just to note, I read the professor's note not as a personal attack, but as a general suggestion that he would give to anyone taking behavioral science courses. This of course does beg the question now as to why is he teaching psychology online in the first place if he felt this way.

I am currently finishing up an ethics class that I took online this semester (my final exam is now open for the next 5 days to complete). The professor was VERY absent during the semester. He basically peeked his head in once or twice a week on the discussion board to throw a twist in the discussion scenario of the week. Very rarely did he also challenge other student's responses, I felt the class was mostly self-taught between students and our own reading. The midterm was open book and 20 true/false questions and a research paper of 1-2 pages max ... I did well on both, but still I would have appreciated more instructor involvement. I think for some these are EASY ways to get more $.

I suppose in many ways online classes won't completely substitute for the live class experience, where professors *gasp* have to actually teach!

[caliotter3]

I have also taken classes from instructors that did not communicate well in English. It can be frustrating, to say the least. But they can get these jobs and will remain in them as long as more qualified persons do not want the positions.

[stefanyjoy]

I'm completely over it today, just needed to vent. Campus finals start tomorrow and I'm feeling the pressure. I just hope other people who took the same online final I did took the time to go over their answers instead of accepting a lower grade due to the teacher's error.

[lrobinson5]

Maybe he just misundertood you?

Sorry, I couldn't resist!

There will always be that one teacher... don't let it get to you, you earned an 'A' by working for it, and you will do the same with nursing