I'm taking my anatomy prerequisite right now with an a Professor who is Notoriously difficult. Over half the class have dropped the class and the remaining dedicated students, including myself are struggling to do score better than 80% in the exams. Only two students out of the whole class are probably going to get A's and they have strong backgrounds in science having already obtained bachelor of science degrees.
I had accepted that I was I was probably going to get a B in the class but after tonight's test I am not even sure that is possible because he really outdid himself making the most recent exam extremely difficult.
It was a lab exam but for some unknown reason the professor decided to change the format and test us solely by having us identify structures on the overhead projector instead of using cats and other physical lab materials which we had used to learn the material.
Many of the questions were extremely difficult. For example when testing us on veins and arteries he showed us pictures that were zoomed very far in, so much that we were not able to see the blood vessels in relation to each other or much of the surrounding tissue. Other questions were abstract, for example he would show us a picture of a sandwich or a tree that vaguely resembled a heart and blood vessels and expected us to know what a specific region of it would be it was the real thing.
The majority of the class left feeling very frustrated. I didn't talk to anyone that felt they did well even the students that were on an A average. It makes me feel sick to the stomach that I'd be getting an A with almost every other professor, but now I will be lucky to get a B.
If I get a C in the class I don't know what I will do. As we all know. obtaining a position in a nursing school is very competitive in nature right now, so I will probably have to go to retake the class at a different school because they don't allow us to retake classes we got a C or better in. But even if I retake it somewhere else it will still be a permanent blemish on my transcript and it would be such a waste of time of my time.
It makes me feel sick to the stomach that a misguided professor is taking it upon himself to place a road block in-front of the career I desire more than anything.
Thanks for being understanding of my situation everyone. I won't be getting my test results back until next week. It has been a painful wait but I'm doing my best to keep my mind off of it.
I don't think there is any point going to the department head because he has been teaching there for fifteen years and from what I have heard his testing methods haven't changed.
We do have one more exam and if I do well in it a B should still be obtainable but I hear his final is the hardest of the lot. I have gone into every exam so far feeling that I have done everything in my power to prepare but it seems like no matter how well I know the content there are still many questions that stump me.
I'll reassess things when I know my result but regardless of how poorly I did, I am not going to give up trying.
I talked to one of the teacher aids today and she told me that the only reason that he tested that way is because he was too lazy to get out the cats, sheep brains, cow hearts and eyes etc..
I would write a letter to inform the school administration that he is too lazy to get the stuff out for a proper lab practical exam. There is no excuse for that. He has no business teaching anatomy if he is that lazy. He could have the assistant get the stuff out and put it on the tables, then he could go and put the pins and question cards. You definitely have a valid complaint.
You will come across teachers that are much harder than others and you just have to do your best with the class and try to overcome the extra obstacles. Now, having said that.. if you feel like he is actually doing something he shouldnt or not doing something that he really should be then you should contact those at your school that are above him and tell them about it and be sure to follow up with it as many times as it takes to get a response. Sometimes they may hope that if they ignore you at first you will go away. GL!
Nung
30 Posts
Thanks for being understanding of my situation everyone. I won't be getting my test results back until next week. It has been a painful wait but I'm doing my best to keep my mind off of it.
I don't think there is any point going to the department head because he has been teaching there for fifteen years and from what I have heard his testing methods haven't changed.
We do have one more exam and if I do well in it a B should still be obtainable but I hear his final is the hardest of the lot. I have gone into every exam so far feeling that I have done everything in my power to prepare but it seems like no matter how well I know the content there are still many questions that stump me.
I'll reassess things when I know my result but regardless of how poorly I did, I am not going to give up trying.